This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
Wednesday's main slate at DraftKings features 10 games and tips at 6:30 p.m. EST. The large tournament comes with $12,000 in total prizes and a $3,000 first-place prize.
Unlike Tuesday, where we saw a plethora of high-end options at almost value prices, Wednesday is spiked up. Four players sit at $9,000 or greater, with 11 more sitting at $8,000 or more. With value so difficult to find this late in the season, I'm not sure how you can get two of these elite options into your builds.
Just half of the 10 games have a total of 150 points or greater, while three sit at 136 or fewer, so there's ample scoring disparity.
Top Players
Posh Alexander, G, Butler ($7,300)
I'm really struggling with making the preferred recommendations from the upper echelon of players for the sole fact that they are all elite, but if you're paying those prices, you cannot miss. If forced, Norchad Omier, Quinten Post and Dalton Knecht are my favorites. But lets look a little deeper and see if we can build from balance. This Butler - Xavier game is one I have tremendous interest in and can be stacked on both sides with favorable pricing. We've got a nice 155 point total and a 2.5-point spread, so we're going to see multiple starters pop. Alexander is off a bad game in which I liked him over the weekend, but that was due to simply not being needed in a blowout. We won't likely have that here. Alexander gashed the Musketeers earlier for a 21-4-5-4 line, producing 43.0 DKP. If that's the ceiling, at this price, then there's a lot to like.
Emanuel Miller, F, TCU ($7,100)
Miller is trending up on the glass, which raises his ceiling at the price point, which is fair without that uptick. He's a 5.9 board per game guy on the year, but that sits at 8.4 over his last four games. You have to go back to Christmas Eve to find a game where Miller failed to score in double-digits, so we've got an established floor. He earned 29.0 DKP in a previous matchup against the Mountaineers, which is a sufficient return at this number, posting a 14-4-4-2 line. With a 152.5 point total, and the Horned Frogs being favored by five points, Miller can surge past a 4x return if the window work continues.
Middle Tier
Tyson Walker, G, Michigan State ($6,800)
The simple fact that Walker qualifies as a mid-tier target rather than a top option should raise eyebrows. He's had two games in his last five with less than 20 DKP, which seem to coincide with me featuring him in DFS columns, so maybe tread lightly. The matchup isn't a pace boost, but Walker erupted for 38.25 DKP against Northwestern previously, posting 27 points, three boards and three assists. In 14 games since that matchup, Walker has a 27.2 percent usage rate, eight times returning better than a 4x value.
Tamin Lipsey, G, Iowa State ($6,200)
One of many spots on this slate where we can try to exploit a decrease in price and form. Lipsey took just two shots in his last game, and is struggling from the floor of late, connecting on just 27.5 percent of his attempts over the last five. His peripherals are also suffering, with 3.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.8 steals all being below his season totals. We've seen an elite ceiling from him throughout the year, and it comes from diversity, as he's capable of producing in four categories significantly. He earned 29.0 DKP against BYU previously, which works perfectly at this price, and he did so with nine points, four rebounds, five assists and three steals. This game comes with a solid 146.0 point total, and Iowa State is favored, yet the Cyclones gave up 87 points in that prior matchup. If the Cougars get going offensively, that should only help Lipsey's floor and ceiling.
Bargain Options
Abou Ousmane, F, Xavier ($4,900)
As noted above, I have great interest in this game, and Ousmane gives us a cheap entry and some frontcourt value. He's a foul waiting to happen, which creates risk. With the stakes of this game and the tight spread, you'd think that even if/when fouls come, they'll be massaged, and Ousmane will get 20+ minutes. He performed well against Butler previously, posting nine points, 11 rebounds, three assists and a steal. His price peaked at $7,400 earlier this season, so we see a clear discount, know there's upside and risk that we can stomach at less than $5,000.
Tyler Burton, F, Villanova ($4,800)
I have solid interest in this game for fantasy purposes despite the low 131.5 point total for the simple fact it's two bubble teams playing for their postseason lives. The stars aren't projected to outperform their price given that total, however, so I'll happily side with a falling price on Burton. Villanova is deep, so Burton isn't likely going to push for 30 minutes. We're getting a $2,300 price break from his peak, however, which alone should be intriguing. Obviously that decrease comes as his production has slumped, but since a one-game removal from the starting five, Burton has averaged 21.38 DKP across his last two. That's more than fair at this receding price, and even if he struggles here, a 2x return is virtually guaranteed given his game logs. That's a floor we can live with at the price point.
