This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
Top Players:
RJ Barrett, Duke ($9,400 FD, $10,900 DK): With Zion Williamson (knee) ruled out again, Barrett is yet again an elite play and a cash game cornerstone. Barrett has played all 40 minutes in back-to-back games since Zion went down, posting totals of 57.75 and 45.25 DK points. He took a combined 42 shots in those games, which resulted in 63 points. Virginia Tech's slow pace and solid defense might give some cause for concern, and also makes the over/under of 145.0 sit right in the middle of the pack for the slate. Barrett is the type of player that breaks these kind of statistics, however. He'll likely be the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft, and remember, he was a higher-rated recruit than Zion after all. This will be the toughest matchup Duke sees until the finale with North Carolina, and I expect Barrett to rise to the occasion.
Ethan Happ, Wisconsin ($8,900 FD, $11,000 DK): Happ is out of the mix for me on DraftKings given you can get Barrett for cheaper, but his FanDuel price at least makes things interesting. Like Barrett, Happ has a relatively tough matchup against an Indiana team that ranks No. 26 in defense and No. 246 in tempo, per KenPom. The Badgers have an implied total 11 points lower than Duke, with their game checking in with the lowest over/under (124.5) on both slates. On the bright side, Happ saw Juwan Morgan and the Hoosiers at home during his junior
Top Players:
RJ Barrett, Duke ($9,400 FD, $10,900 DK): With Zion Williamson (knee) ruled out again, Barrett is yet again an elite play and a cash game cornerstone. Barrett has played all 40 minutes in back-to-back games since Zion went down, posting totals of 57.75 and 45.25 DK points. He took a combined 42 shots in those games, which resulted in 63 points. Virginia Tech's slow pace and solid defense might give some cause for concern, and also makes the over/under of 145.0 sit right in the middle of the pack for the slate. Barrett is the type of player that breaks these kind of statistics, however. He'll likely be the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft, and remember, he was a higher-rated recruit than Zion after all. This will be the toughest matchup Duke sees until the finale with North Carolina, and I expect Barrett to rise to the occasion.
Ethan Happ, Wisconsin ($8,900 FD, $11,000 DK): Happ is out of the mix for me on DraftKings given you can get Barrett for cheaper, but his FanDuel price at least makes things interesting. Like Barrett, Happ has a relatively tough matchup against an Indiana team that ranks No. 26 in defense and No. 246 in tempo, per KenPom. The Badgers have an implied total 11 points lower than Duke, with their game checking in with the lowest over/under (124.5) on both slates. On the bright side, Happ saw Juwan Morgan and the Hoosiers at home during his junior season, and he produced 28 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and four steals. I'll admit he won't be featured in most of my builds tonight, but the ceiling hasn't gone away entirely, giving him some GPP appeal.
Jeremiah Martin, Memphis ($8,700 FD, $9,300 DK): Martin is on absolute fire. Forget fantasy, he's scored 34.0 regular points per game over his last four. That's 54.85 DK points/game if you were curious. He needed just 33 minutes to rack up 43 points last Tuesday against Tulane, filling up the box score with eight assists, seven rebounds and five steals as well. Matchup-wise, Temple plays at a defense that ranks No. 81 in efficiency, and an above-average pace that checks in at No. 116 on KenPom. Their backcourt of Shizz Alston (6-4), Nate Pierre-Louis (6-4) and Quinton Rose (6-8) presents length problems for opposing guards, but didn't stop Martin from scoring 45.8 DK points in their first meeting back on Jan. 24. I'm still leaning Barrett as my main play, but it can easily be argued Martin has a higher ceiling.
Kerry Blackshear, Virginia Tech ($8,400 FD, $8,100 DK): Blackshear isn't at the very top of the salary list, but he gets a spot here based on what opposing big men have been able to do to a Zion-less Duke. Marques Bolden has failed to cash in on his golden opportunity, and has conceded most of the center minutes to Javin DeLaurier. Neither should be much of a match for Blackshear, who has scored 41.5 or more DK points in his last four games, which includes Virginia -- the toughest matchup in fantasy terms for any opposing player. Things could go downhill after a few whistles, of course, but Blackshear has been able to avoid foul trouble of late. He doesn't have the jump shot of Luke Maye, who absolutely torched Duke without Zion, but I expect Blackshear to impose his will in the paint.
Value Plays:
Ja'vonte Smart, LSU ($5,700 FD, $5,300 DK): This falls right on the edge of what can be considered a "value play," but Smart was the key guy in a surprising upset win over Tennessee on Saturday. He made his first start since Dec. 28 and cashed in 29 points, five rebounds and five assists. Tremont Waters (illness) could return Tuesday night and Smart's value could take a hit, but there's no denying what the freshman is capable of at this point, especially if Waters isn't 100 percent.
Lamont West, West Virginia ($5,500 FD, $4,900 DK): West has the second-highest usage on the team over the last 10, which will only grow following the dismissals of Esa Ahmad and Wesley Harris. He has managed to remain in Huggy's good graces, scoring 22.5, 30.75 and 23.75 on DraftKings in his last three.
Javin DeLaurier, Duke ($4,700 FD, $4,300 DK): DeLaurier bumped Marques Bolden from the starting lineup Saturday, and has games of 20.75 and 18.0 DK points over his last two. He's not a player that looks to score first, but can get plenty of fantasy points from rebounds and blocks if given the minutes.
Javon Pickett, Missouri ($4,900 DK): Mark Smith (ankle) is out for the year, and while wing Torrence Watson gets the minutes, it's been Pickett getting the shots. Give both Pickett and young point guard Xavier Pinson ($4,800 DK) a boost.
Game to Target:
Memphis (-4) vs. Temple, o/u 161, 9:00 p.m. EST
The American conference doesn't always take center stage on the DFS slate, but let's get accustomed to some of these teams. It's a league that will have more bids than the Pac-12 for the foreseeable future after all. This game also has the highest over/under of the night, and is a rematch of an earlier showdown where 161 points were scored.
Martin was discussed above, but there are plenty of other ways to get a piece of this game. Kyvon Davenport ($6,700 FD, $7,200 DK) has the next highest usage over the last 10 games, but Kareem Brewton ($5,700 FD, $5,400 DK) is catching up to him fast. Brewton actually had the much better fantasy game in the first meeting between these teams, registering 14 points and eight rebounds. Davenport scored just seven, and turned the ball over five times. Brewton has also been more effective of late, averaging 28.3 DK points/game over his last three, while Davenport sits at 22.3. It's been largely due to foul trouble, as Davenport has recorded four personals in three of the last four games. Don't overlook Raynere Thornton ($5,900 FD, $5,700 DK) either, as he's coming off back-to-back 30-point efforts on DK. One other player worth a flier in GPPs, at least on FanDuel, could be Tyler Harris ($4,600, $5,100 DK). He comes off the bench, but hoisted up 12 shots on their first meeting and is a threat to get hot from deep. Be warned, though, as he's been limited to single digits in four of his last seven. GPPs only.
For Temple, any of the guards can go nuts on a given night, with all three primary players sporting a usage rate north of 23 percent over the last 10 games. The first matchup prominently featured Quinton Rose ($7,300 FD, $7,900 DK), who racked up 26 points, five assists and three rebounds. Shizz Alston ($8,500 FD, $8,700 DK) is appropriately priced, has the highest usage rate of the three and owns performances of 40-plus DK points in his last three games. Problem is, he only had 23.5 in their first meeting. A case can be made for both, but I probably prefer Rose. Don't forget about Nate Pierre-Louis ($7,100 FD, $7,700 DK), either. He had 22.8 on DK in their first meeting, but has averaged 29.3 over his last six. He's consistent, with a ceiling in the upper-30s. Lastly, there's an injury situation to watch for here with Ernest Aflakpui ($5,200 FD, $5,100 DK) having missed back-to-back games with a leg injury. Damion Moore ($3,600 FD, $3,200 DK) has been getting the starts, but has taken just two combined field goals in two games. It's opened up more minutes for JP Moorman ($4,700 FD, $4,600 DK) and Justyn Hamilton ($4,100 FD, $3,400 DK) as well, but those guys are flyers at best. Aflakpui's production has been getting absorbed equally across the board with no clear-cut beneficiary.
Game to Fade:
Butler (-5) vs. Providence, o/u 136.5, 7:00 p.m. EST
It's easy to pick on the Big Ten, especially with an Indiana vs. Wisconsin matchup that has an over/under of 126 -- the lowest on the slate by double figures. Don't get me wrong, I'm very much limiting my exposure to that game, even as a homer and UW alum. But for our purposes, let's look at a Big East showdown that isn't nearly as obvious of a fade candidate.
Both Butler and Providence are coming off losses to Big East leader Marquette, and each are currently on the outside looking in with respect to the tournament. Butler is at least on the bubble, so this is a must-win matchup at home. These two teams have yet to meet this season, but will play each other at least twice before it's all said and done. Background aside, the projected pace of this game is dreadful -- don't get it confused with other fast-paced teams in the conference. Butler's tempo checks in at No. 282 nationwide, according to KenPom, while Providence's mark of No. 191 is nothing to write home about. Butler barely squeaks into the top-100 of KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency, but Providence is deceptively good on that end of the floor, checking in at No. 46 overall.
Each team spreads the ball around, running roughly nine deep. They do each have their star, however. Butler's Kamar Baldwin ($7,700 FD, $7,600 DK) has averaged 26.5 DK points over his last five, hitting 4x just once over that span. For Providence, Alpha Diallo ($8,300 FD, $9,200 DK) has fared a bit better, but has only hit 4x at the price on DraftKings once in the month of February. I'm looking elsewhere for my stars. I will say Sean McDermott ($4,800 DK) is intriguing after scoring 27 points (4-5 3Pt) his last time out, but that could just as easily be an anomaly. Going down the list of other ancillary players, there's just too much inconsistency to fall in love with anyone else, especially given the matchup.
