This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
Wednesday's college hoops slate is pretty clean for DFS purposes, as there's only a one-game discrepancy between FanDuel and DraftKings. Let's take an initial look at all the available games tonight.
SLATE OVERVIEW
Rutgers (-1) vs. Wisconsin O/U: 125
Arizona (-10.5) vs. UN-Omaha O/U: 147
Kansas State (-10.5) vs. Alabama St. O/U: 126.5
Virginia Tech (-13.5) vs. Chattanooga O/U: 135
Michigan (-1.5) @ Illinois O/U: 142.5
Arizona State (-10.5) vs. Prairie View A&M O/U: 141.5
Fresno State (-2) @ California O/U: 127.5 (DRAFTKINGS ONLY)
For the FRES/CAL game, I will provide a separate paragraph to cover endorsements in that game. I'll also outline my target/fade games at the end of the article, where we'll target some players that should reside at the core of many of your lineups. First, let's take a lot at the elite players available to us, independent of my targeted contest.
TOP PLAYERS
Nico Mannion, Arizona (DK $7,900 FD $6,700) vs. Omaha
Despite some struggles against Wake Forest last week, the freshman guard has put together an impressive campaign so far. He's currently averaging 15 points per game to go along with 5.7 assists, and he's draining 40 percent of his shots from beyond the arc. He's a cinch to throw up 4-5 balls from long range per game and is poised to shred a below-average Omaha defense tonight.
Cartier Diarra, Kansas State (DK $8,200, FD $7,400) vs. Alabama State
Diarra possesses one of the most reliable floors on the slate thanks to his nightly dime-dropping skills. After joining the starting five late in his sophomore season, he's now thrust into a full-time role where he's averaging a respectable 6.6 assists per game. Diarra is only just beginning to find his shot and has struggled through some ice-cold shooting performances, but his upside is considerable against an Alabama State defense that ranks 309th in scoring defense nationwide.
Nate Reuvers, Wisconsin (DK $7,500, FD $6,300) @ Rutgers
I really like Reuvers' price on FanDuel, as you'll be hard-pressed to find someone like him at this price. The 6-11 junior is the cornerstone of the Badgers' interior game, and while you'd expect a little more in the rebounding department from a guy his size, he's a scoring magnet who also makes up for the deficiency with an average of 2.8 blocks per game. Myles Johnson (DK $6,400, FD $5,800), who I also favor, will give Reuvers some trouble but this battle under the basket should benefit both players.
Xavier Sneed, Kansas State (DK $7,800, FD $6,600) vs. Alabama State
It's hard to go wrong with Sneed, as the Wildcats have leaned on him throughout his four-year career in Manhattan. The wingman is a scoring threat from anywhere on the floor, and he's really amped up his three-point game this season. His highlight game from beyond the arc was a 5-for-10 bombing run against UAPB, and his rebounding totals are also solid at 5.5 boards per game. His excellent defensive skills are intangibles that don't show up on paper, but you can count on Sneed to be heavily involved on both sides of the ball.
Gerard Andrus, Prairie View A&M (DK $6,500, FD $6,500) @ Arizona State
Andrus is coming off of three straight games of 20 points or more and is a lower-cost pivot off of slate headliner Remy Martin (DK $8,900, FD $8,000). Martin is an excellent target in his own right, but he'll be highly owned and Andrus could very well fly under the radar here.
VALUE PLAYS
Naheim Alleyne, Virginia Tech (DK $5,800, FD $4,700) vs. Chattanooga
Alleyne was heavily recruited by top schools like St. Johns and Georgia Tech before eventually coming to the Hokies, and he's made an immediate impact in the starting five. He's still coming along, but he has the potential to be a formidable 3-point threat for the team. His 5-for-9 affair from long range against Delaware State is just a glimmer of what he's capable of in that department.
Chase Jeter, Arizona (DK $5,400, FD $5,400) vs. Omaha
Now in his second year with the Wildcats, the former Duke transfer has all the tools to be a regular double-double threat, but he's yet to eclipse that milestone this season. He's in a great spot to break that streak tonight, as the Mavericks rank 214th in rebound percentage, and they're especially poor in the offensive rebound category. While Jeter has had a difficult time staying off the injury report during his career, he appears to be 100 percent and is a great value play for the price.
Dylan Smith, Arizona (DK $4,800, FD $4,500) vs. Omaha
As we dive a little deeper into the bargain bin, we come across another talent for the Wildcats in Smith, who's popped a few times already this season with team-leading totals. He had an off night against Baylor a few days ago, and some may skim over that metric and discount him, but they'd be missing some impressive stat lines from earlier in his senior campaign. All Smith has to do is get into a groove from outside, and he should come up with a reliable number relative to his cost.
Tyrece Radford, Virginia Tech (DK $4,900, FD $4,900) vs. Chattanooga
Unless they're a five-star prospect like Cole Anthony, you're often going to find the best value from freshmen that run a bit lower on the hype train. Radford is a prime example. He finds himself as a starting point guard in arguably the best conference in the country and will be given every opportunity to hold onto the job. He's yet to fully embrace his role as a ball distributor but in terms of opportunity, he's logging enough minutes to make him a great value.
FRESNO STATE AT CALIFORNIA (DRAFTKINGS ONLY)
Nate Grimes ($8,100) is the top target of this game, and he's one of the best players you'll find in the Mountain West. He's coming off a huge 41.6 DKFP game against conference rival Utah State and is going to give you one of the best floors in DraftKings contests. Jarred Hyder ($6,300) is another guy you can count on for the Bulldogs, as the freshman has jumped out of the gate as the current leading scorer for the team. I'm not thrilled with anyone for Cal, but Kareem South ($5,600) is a value guy who's churned out three straight games in the 22-30 DKFP range.
GAME TO TARGET
Michigan (-1.5) @ Illinois, o/u 142.5, 9 pm EST
This game is a veritable cornucopia of value, and if you don't have at least two guys from this game, you need to clear your lineup and start over. Jon Teske (DK $8,800, FD $7,800) holds the highest price on the slate and is worth every penny as the linchpin of Michigan's frontcourt, and Zavier Simpson (DK $8,400, FD $7,200) is one of the best point guards you'll find in the Big 10. Simpson is especially valuable as an assist man, as his 8.7 dime average is among the best totals in the country.
The Illini are also loaded, with freshman center Kofi Cockburn (DK $8,500, FD $7,000) making a huge splash to begin his career. The four-star prospect visited almost every top program you can think of before settling on Illinois. He's started his college career with stuffed stat lines in almost every game and is easily one of the best elite targets you'll find tonight. Andres Feliz (DK $8,000, FD $6,000) is another great target for Illinois and is at a favorable price on FanDuel. My favorite value guy on this side of the ball is Da'Monte Williams (DK $4,600, FD $4,400), who just started his first game of the season against Maryland and could end up stealing some minutes from Feliz moving forward.
GAME TO FADE
Rutgers (-1) vs. Wisconsin, o/u 125, 7 pm EST
I'm not a big fan of this game's place and the low Over/Under, and aside from Reuvers and Johnson, I just couldn't get too excited about anyone in this game. Geo Baker (DK $7,200, FD $5,700) is definitely Rutgers guy you could consider, and the prices for the Scarlet Knights are reasonable, but I think there's better value to be had in other matchups.
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