This article is part of our DraftKings College Basketball series.
Included Games:
Auburn at Xavier
Georgia Tech at Georgia
Utah at Duke
Villanova at Virginia
Wichita State at Seton Hall
Michigan State at Northeastern
North Carolina at UCLA
Creighton at Oklahoma
Notre Dame at Indiana
Ohio State at Kentucky
Cincinnati at VCU
Butler at Purdue
Guards:
Trevon Bluiett, Xavier vs. Auburn ($7,400): Xavier, the small Catholic school out of Cincinnati, has amounted a 10-0 record with wins over four top-50 teams. Ups-and-downs from his fellow frontcourt mates aside, Bluiett has been Xavier's rock. He leads the team in minutes and points while also figuring prominently in rebounds and assists. The home matchup against Auburn, despite the power-5 name and recently improved basketball image with head coach Bruce Pearl, is prime for the picking. Auburn ranks in the top 15 in tempo and 199th in defensive efficiency according to KenPom. Bluiett has reached double-digit points in every game except one, which came the last time out against crosstown rival Cincinnati. To call his last performance uncharacteristic would be an understatement, and it may just knock Bluiett's ownership down enough to make owning him that much more valuable.
J.P. Macura, Xavier vs. Auburn ($4,200)
Macura is firmly second on the depth chart behind Edward Sumner. Okay, with that out of the way and the prime matchup with Auburn mentioned already, Macura has seen slightly over 20 productive minutes per game. He has fair size for a point guard at 6-foot-5, leading to some decent rebounding numbers, he shoots well enough and often enough to average around 10 points per game, and he holds the second-best assist rate on the team. In a game where Xavier figures to score a ton of points and win decisively, Macura should be expected to surpass his average fantasy-point production (which is already over 4x value).
Quincy Ford, Northeastern vs. Michigan State ($7,100)
Ford is playing the No. 1 team in the land, Michigan State, who is legit and entirely deserving of their top ranking. Northeastern, however, is no slouch. All one has to do is look at their win at Miami less than a month ago (the same Miami with wins over Utah, Butler and Florida). Oh, and did I mention Northeastern somehow managed to get this matchup at home? No, this is no buy game. Ford is averaging 16 points per game (including 24 in just 29 minutes against Miami), is the team's top rebounder, is top-three in assists and leads the team in both blocks and steals.
Bryce Brown, Auburn at Xavier ($3,700)
At his price, Brown may be usable regardless, though the Tigers could be without T.J. Lang following an injury last time out. Lang was injured four minutes into Tuesday's game against Mercer, which led Brown to play a season-high 31 minutes. Brown didn't exactly seize the opportunity, scoring only eight points, but with multiple 20-fantasy-point outings already this season, Brown should be a very good source of value with the potential absence of Lang.
Other guards to consider: Jonah Bolden ($4,800); Isaac Hamilton ($6,500); Isaiah Zierden ($6,100); Myles Davis ($5,500); Adam Smith ($5,100); Buddy Hield ($8,400)
Forwards:
Jakob Poeltl, Utah at Duke ($8,500)
Okay, Poeltl wasn't able to overcome a vastly underrated Wichita State Shockers defense last weekend. They somehow managed to hold him to just five shot attempts, his first time with single-digit shot attempts in six starts. Well, Duke won't be able to force the same amount of restraint simply due to a lack of bodies. No Amile Jefferson, an unrefined Marshall Plumlee (he is energetic, but he's just not the talent his brothers are) and a raw Chase Jeter who simply isn't ready to defend the likes of Poeltl. Duke wins with their offense, not their defense, a trait that will just be further exemplified in Jefferson's absence.
V.J. Beachem, Notre Dame at Indiana ($5,500)
The two famed Indiana teams, Notre Dame and Indiana, meet on a neutral court in Indianapolis in what should be a very entertaining game. These teams are not all that different; they both rank top 10 in offense and outside the top 100 in defense. Where they do differ is tempo. Indiana is well within the top 100, while Notre Dame ranks outside the top 300. Beachem sees a lot minutes, rebounds decently and (as is so common with Notre Dame) is lights out from long range.
Zach Auguste, Notre Dame at Indiana ($8,100)
You are paying for what you are getting, but the upside Auguste posses against the fast-paced, undersized Indiana squad is quite profound. He's averaging a double-double plus a block per game and seems to have put his foul-prone ways that troubled him so much last year behind him.
Mickey Mitchell, Ohio State at Kentucky ($3,000)
Looking for a minimum priced punt to throw into some GPPs? Look no further than Mitchell who has finally been granted eligibility by the NCAA and should factor in some way for the struggling Buckeyes immediately. He has yet to play a collegiate game, but the do-it-all swingman was a prominent recruit that lands very high regards from coach Thad Motta. It's hard to know what to expect out of Mitchell, but he figures to have a strong say in the success (or lack thereof) short-bodied Ohio State has over the rest of the season.
Other forwards to consider: Gary Clark ($7,200); Brice Johnson ($8,100); Thomas Welsh ($6,300); Tyler Harris ($7,700); Caleb Swanigan ($6,900)
