DraftKings College Basketball: Saturday Value Picks

DraftKings College Basketball: Saturday Value Picks

This article is part of our DraftKings College Basketball series.

Welcome to another Saturday of college basketball at DraftKings. Your total available salary is $50,000 to build your best squad of eight players, which includes three guards, three forwards and two FLEX. Points are awarded on DraftKings as follows: 



Point = +1 point PT

Made 3pt. shot = +0.5 PTs

Rebound = +1.25 PTs

Assist = +1.5 PTs

Double-Double = +1.5 PTs

Triple-Double= +3 PTs



With that out of the way, here are the available GPP contests for college basketball this Saturday:



$15K Student Section ($1,000 first prize), Entry Fee: $3
$10K Triple Threat ($3,000 first prize), Entry Fee: $300
$10K Full Court Press ($1,500 first prize), Entry Fee: $20
$5.5K Big Five Special ($500 first prize), Entry Fee: $5
$5K Full Court Press ($1,000 first prize), Entry Fee: $20
$3K Full Court Press ($400 first prize), Entry Fee: $20
$3K Big Dance ($1,000 first prize), Entry Fee: $100
$2.5K Buzzer Beater ($362.50 first prize), Entry Fee: $2
$2.5K Fast Break ($500 first prize), Entry Fee: $12
$2K Big Dance ($700 first prize), Entry Fee: $100
$2K Fadeaway ($500 first prize), Entry Fee: $50
$1.5K Fadeaway ($500 first prize), Entry Fee: $50
$1K Big Five ($125 first prize), Entry Fee: $5
$1K Fast Break ($150 first prize), Entry Fee: $12
$1K Buzzer Beater ($200 first prize), Entry Fee: $2
$500 Quarter Arcade ($50 first prize), Entry Fee: $0.25
and many more…



Check out the multiple March Mania Qualifiers. There are contests with entry fees of $200 and $5 with the winner of each receiving a ticket to the $100K March Mania Head-to-Head Bracket Challenge to take place during the NCAA tournament. You must win one of the sixty-four qualifiers to gain entry into the contest.

There are three sets of contest times with included games: 



12 p.m. ET - 2 p.m.
Georgia Tech at Clemson
Georgetown at St. John's
Michigan at Maryland
Missouri at Georgia
NC State at Boston College
Louisville at Florida State
Butler at DePaul
Dayton at VCU
Ole Miss at LSU
TCU at Oklahoma
North Carolina at Miami (FL)
Northern Iowa at Wichita State
Villanova at Xavier

4 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Alabama at Vanderbilt
Arkansas at Kentucky
Creighton at Seton Hall
Iowa State at Kansas State
Oklahoma State at Texas Tech
Virginia Tech at Virginia
West Virginia at Baylor
Texas at Kansas

6 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Iowa at Penn State
Mississippi State at South Carolina
Tennessee at Florida
Northwestern at Illinois
Syracuse at Duke
Tulsa at Memphis
Auburn at Texas A&M
Arizona at Utah
BYU at Gonzaga
Washington at USC

We are two weeks away from Selection Sunday. The bubble is large and fragile, the teams in and outside it vary day by day. Teams like NC State are rallying late in the season to possibly grab a spot where it once didn't seem possible, while there are those like Texas who was once a top-10 team and now find themselves with a losing conference record and in dire straits as the tournament awaits.

Saturday offers its typical large gambit of games. Staying with teams in good standing who are playing in games that promise higher point totals is a key to success. Finding key matchups and scenarios created by mismatches, injures and suspensions lead to success. Here are players falling within those categories and have the right price.

Guards:

Tadric Jackson, Georgia Tech, $3,600
Jackson remains the main beneficiary of teammate Chris Bolden's suspension. He'll look to once again play at least 25 minutes and with that a complement of points, rebounds and assists. He has limited upside, but his price is still low enough as he gets more on-court seasoning.

J.J. Frazier, Georgia, $4,900
Frazier is still not back to the form he was in before he suffered a concussion in the early part of February. A month ago you would've been allocating $7,400 for this sharpshooter. In the four games since his matchup with Kentucky at the beginning of the month, his FPT line reads 26-24.25-53.75-28.75. Obviously the 53.75 is inflated on a 37-point night against Mississippi State, but it does show what kind of player Frazier is, and why $4,900 is too low to pass up.

Wayne Blackshear, Louisville, $4,900
The days where Blackshear was known as the McDonald's All-American with a very bright future are gone, but he seems to have decided to play better after his terrible performance against Syracuse when he fouled out in 19 minutes after accumulating no stats. The senior is at the end of his career, and with teammate Chris Jones gone, his production is both needed and likely to keep increasing. He's gone over 20 FPTs in two of his last four, a trend that appears fair to continue Saturday. When he's shooting well, which is not impossible, he's a matchup nightmare and has considerable upside.

Treveon Graham, VCU, $7,600
Graham is the man for VCU and the rest of their season rests squarely on his shoulders. He is averaging just over 40 FPTs over his last two games, with two straight double-doubles, so it may be fair to say the more VCU leans on him, the more he gives. He'll need to have another big game to beat a very good and more well-rounded Dayton squad.

Kyan Anderson/Trey Zeigler, TCU, $6,500/$5,200
TCU is unlucky to have found themselves in the roughest conference in the country. They were undefeated coming into conference play, and are unlucky to have won just four of their conference tilts. Guards Anderson and Zeigler are legitimate talents and the team travels to face an Oklahoma squad whose last three games haven't been up to par. TCU is still an underdog on the road, but they are certainly one of the better upset chances on the day.

Aaron Harrison, Kentucky, $4,700
Aaron Harrison finds himself $1,300 cheaper than his brother Andrew, while their year-long FPTs per game are different by just 0.4 FPTs. Aaron is clearly the better scorer of the two, coming off 16 and 18-point games over his last two outings. As the Wildcats host the running-gunning Razorbacks in Rupp Arena, Harrison will look to continue his streak of good minutes and shooting at a very good price.

Marcus Foster, Kansas State, $5,300
Foster is a player people have watched all year, waiting for him to return to his freshman-year form. He finally finds himself back in the starting lineup, and his Wildcats were able to upset Kansas at home last time out despite a poor shooting performance by Foster. The good news is that Foster kept taking his shots, and when they start going in, he has considerable upside. Against an Iowa State team the doesn't guard the perimeter too well and favors high-scoring games, Foster will have his opportunity to finally turn in a performance worthy of his notoriety.

Devaugntah Williams, Texas Tech, $3,700
You certainly wouldn't know it from his last two games, but Williams is Texas Tech's most potent offensive threat. In his past 10 games, you can find him surpassing 30 FPTs on two separate occasions. At a price this low, Williams has humongous upside, making him a worthy risk.

Marial Shayok, Virginia, $3,900
This recommendation purely hinges on whether teammate London Perrantes plays or not. If he plays, Shayok is not such a good value, but Shayok's value skyrockets to near must-use status if Perrantes sits out.

Kasey Hill, Florida, $5,300
Hill continues his ride at the point for the Gators, as does his poor shooting (he went 1-for-8 from the line last time out). Despite that, his considerable time on the court produces decent lines in rebounds and assists, and the guy is bound to make a few of his shots. If somehow he gets hot one day, the potential is there for him to score quite well.

Kendrick Nunn, Illinois, $5,500
Nunn's upside might've dropped upon the reintroduction of teammate Rayvonte Rice to the team, but it hasn't dropped that much. He still takes over 10 shots from the field in every game, plays at least 35 minutes, and is able to get a few rebounds and assists. On days when he's hot from behind the arc, he's still very capable of the numerous 30+ FPT performances he had earlier in the winter.

Tyus Jones, Duke, $8,100
The designated point guard from Duke is one of the best in the nation. He can do it all. He has consecutive games with nine assists and a high of 12 earlier in the month. The short bench of Syracuse simply can't stay with the Blue Devils for 40 minutes, and Jones spearheads the attack. His assisting means his teammates can't steal from his production, as their made shots only help him that much more.

Rashad Smith, Tulsa, $5,300
His ECU game is a throw-out as he left with two dislocated fingers. Since the ECU debacle, he is averaging over 30 FPTs over his last two games. He has high potential for points and rebounds, and his recent success really speaks for itself.

Forwards:

Demarco Cox/Robert Sampson, Georgia Tech, $5,200/$3,300
One only need to look back at the game between these two teams two weeks ago to understand why these two players are solid values. Both turned in performances over 20 FPTs, as the Yellow Jackets dominated the boards. More board domination will be Georgia Tech's equation against Clemson once again.

Chris Obekpa, St. John's, $3,900
Obekpa is finally back in good faith with his coach Steve Lavin and is seeing big-time minutes once again. His court time and size ensure him a hand full of rebounds and points, enough to carry his paltry price.

L.J. Peak, Georgetown, $3,700
A dismal performance last time out against DePaul because of foul trouble, the freshman Peak will look back at the 16.25-FPT performance he turned in against St. John's 11 days ago.

Kendall Pollard, Dayton, $6,200
Against an undersized VCU squad that likes to run, Pollard appears a prime beneficiary, as he can score and rebound at a considerable rate. As long as he stays out of foul trouble, big production looks to come Pollard's way.

JayVaughn Pinkston, Villanova, $5,500
Finally Pinkston looks to have found his form, reaching double-digit scoring in four straight games and pulling down an average of 8.5 rebounds over his last two. With Daniel Ochefu attracting so much attention now, Pinkston benefits greatly and is free to score and rebound more.

Nino Williams, Kansas State, $6,100
Williams has been the brightest spot of Kansas State's poor season. He has high upside in both scoring and rebounding, and with Iowa State's running style, he'll have plenty of possessions to capitalize.

Rico Gathers, Baylor, $8,100
The lowest price on Gathers in a month is warranted by his poor statistical performances over the past few outings. He had 17 points and 17 rebounds against the Mountaineers earlier in the season, and that Gathers hasn't gone anywhere. He'll look to capitalize on an undersized West Virginia squad again.

Devin Williams, West Virginia, $6,100
This price on a player as good as Williams is simply too good to pass up. He put up 41.75 FPTs last time against Baylor, and his hand injury finally looks behind him as he'll be ready to get back to his big point and rebound nights. He's a player worth riding until his price catches up.

Alex Olah/Vic Law, Northwestern, $6,700/$4,900
The two starting forwards for Northwestern have had considerable production lately. The tandem have 116.75 (57.375 per game) FPTs between them over their last two games.

Jahlil Okafor, Duke, $9,600
Okafor looks to be back after a minor ankle problem, as he had a career-high 30 points earlier this week against Clemson. Syracuse big-man Rakeem Christmas will do what he can to stop Okafor, but Okafor's 40.75 FPTs last time against Syracuse serves as evidence against Christmas being able to do so. If Christmas gets in foul trouble, Okafor could have a huge game.

Przemek Karnowski/Domantas Sabonis, $5,800/$5,300
The two European big men for the Bulldogs will have a field day on the boards against undersized and high-paced BYU. This game could turn into a shootout, meaning these two guys will have lots of boards between them on both the offensive and defensive ends.

Jernard Jarreau, Washington, $3,600
Starting big man Shawn Kemp Jr. will miss Saturday's game. Jarreau was having a good season before missing time with a knee injury. With no Kemp Jr., and post man Robert Upshaw long gone Jarreau will be crashing the boards, and he has a history of success doing so dating back to nonconference play. He has considerable upside at such a low price.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Alex Spalding plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: ajump08, DraftKings: ajump08.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alex Spalding
Alex splits his expertise between College Basketball, NBA, NFL, MLB, and Saturday morning BPL. You'll find him under the username ajump08 on DraftKings and FanDuel.
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