This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
DraftKings is offering a 10-game main slate Tuesday evening, tipping between 7 and 9:00 p.m. EST, where we've got our standard $3,000 first-place prize available and $12,000 in total prizes available.
All eyes will immediately turn to Alabama - Florida, which has a massive 177.0 point total, but five other games have a total of at least 149.5 points, with Purdue - Illinois being juicy at 164 points.
As just stated, Purdue is on the slate, which is a rarity for the days I write this column. That gives us the Zach Edey conundrum. He's priced at $11,000, while the next closest is $9,400 and no one else is priced north of $9,000. He's an automatic 40+ fantasy points with a much higher ceiling, but can you find enough value this late in the year to squeeze him in? I have my doubts, but as always, if you're a multi-entry player, you're have to have him in some of those builds.
When I pen this column, I generally list games with the lowest totals and omit them from consideration. Tuesday is different. I'm going to omit those two high-scoring contests noted above from the suggestions. By no means am I suggesting fading those contests; I'd be shocked if the winning lineup doesn't have shares or game stacks. But we're going to assume it's obvious. Edey, Braden Smith, Terrence Shannon, Marcus Domask, Coleman Hawkins, Mark Sears, Aaron Estrada, Walter Clayton and Zyon Pullin are all anchors you should absolutely build around. Pullin and Shannon are my favorites from that group, but lets try to identify some lower-used options as well as some bargains to fit in as many high-end guys we can from these shootout games.
Top Players
PJ Hall, F, Clemson ($7,600)
Hall has been priced as high as $9,900 this season, so that alone shows value in this spot. He's faded some down the stretch but still has, somewhat quietly, averaged 32.38 DKP over his last two. That's a 4.3x return, and this is a plus spot. Syracuse plays fast, ranking 35th in tempo, leading to Clemson having an 81.5-point implied total. The Tigers scored 77 points against the Orange earlier in the year -- a game in which Hall had 15 points, 10 boards, three assists and three blocks, producing 37 DKP.
Kevin McCullar, G, Kansas ($7,600)
There are a plethora of high-end options on this slate I want shares of -- the previously mentioned dudes in high scoring spots, Notre Dame's Markus Burton in a pace-up spot at UNC and Providence's Devin Carter against defenseless Georgetown are just the tip of the iceberg. If we're assuming McCullar is healthy, which isn't a guarantee, this is just a smash spot to save money and combat the higher-priced options. He played 32 minutes in his return to action, earned 31.75 DKP, a 4.2x return, and that's a great floor. We know the ceiling he showed earlier in the year when he was priced as high as $9,900. McCullar earned 39.5 DKP in a previous matchup with Kansas State thanks to a diverse 15-6-6-4 stat line, suggesting multiple paths to a safe floor.
Middle Tier
Pop Isaacs, G, Texas Tech ($6,800)
The price point isn't easily absorbable if you're forcing pay-ups, but Isaacs has shown 40 DKP potential, including a 24-5-4 line against the Pokes previously. Oklahoma State is 122nd in defenive efficiency, 201st in effective field-goal percentage allowed and 141st in 3-point defense, seemingly all setting Isaacs up for a better shooting night, as he's hit just 24.4 percent from the floor over his last seven games. With a narrow, 2.5-point spread, Isaacs minutes are guaranteed, and the current form suggests he won't be highly rostered.
Cormac Ryan, G, North Carolina ($5,700)
Why not roll with a revenge narrative, even if there's no real bad blood. Ryan gets to face his former teammates here, and he's a buy-low option after having hit 16.7 percent of this 3-point attempts over his last two. Prior to that, he hit 51.9 percent from long range across three games. Overall, Ryan is averaging 29.8 minutes, so the floor should be solid as he strumbles in to a few makes and rebounds. Plus, if he gets hot, or the Heels make a point to get him open, there's a 4x ceiling.
Bargain Options
Robbie Beran, F, Virginia Tech ($4,900)
The minutes aren't super consistent, but Beran has started 14 straight game for the Hokies -- a rare find at a sub-5k price in March. He's returned double-digit fantasy points in all but three, averaging 7.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists across this stretch. The matchup couldn't be more favorable, with Louisville sitting at 60th in tempo and 220th in defensive efficiency. Even a 2x return opens additional high-end doors, but Beran's form suggests he can be a standalone upside play.
Viktor Lakhin, F, Cincinatti ($4,900)
In this column's version of "I can't quit you," here comes Lakhin. He was an 8k player earlier in the season, but injuries and conference play have zapped him from any semblance of form over the last month. At this price, the risk is mitigated. He finally returned to the starting lineup over the weekend, played 20 minutes and returned 16.75 DKP on the heels of a 21.75 DKP outing in his previous game. The floor is non-existent, but he posted 24.25 DKP against Oklahoma earlier in the year and is averaging 10.5, 6.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 blocks as a starter. Those are impossible numbers to find at this price.
