Wofford @ UNC (-15) - 143

Oklahoma State @ Houston (-6) - 141

South Carolina @ Clemson (-6) - 138

Nc State (-2) @ UNC Greensboro - 137

Purdue (-12) @ Nebraska - 135

Ohio State (-8) @ Minnesota - 128 (FD Only)

 

Highest Scoring Teams:

(by Implied Points & Spreads per KenPom)

North Carolina -- 80 Points (-15 vs. Wofford)

Purdue -- 73 Points (-12 vs. Nebraska)

Houston -- 72 Points (-6 vs. Oklahoma State)

Clemson -- 72 Points (-6 vs. South Carolina)

NC State -- 69 Points (-2 vs. UNC Greensboro)

 

Guards

Nate Hinton - Houston - FD $ - DK $8,000

We’ll open things up with Nate Hinton, who’s been the most impressive Houston Cougar this season to date. His role has increased from last season and Hinton is now averaging 13.6 minutes, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 29 minutes of action. Hinton has double-doubled in three of the last four games and this match-up with Oklahoma State fits his game perfectly. Playing at a top-100 pace, Oklahoma State will invite Houston to speed it up and Hinton will have no problem doing so. He thrives in the open floor as he can handle the ball and has as much athleticism to finish over anyone on the floor. He’s also tall enough to battle down low with the trees and is an extremely smart rebounder. With Isaac Likekele likely out, Hinton will be covered by Lindy Waters and Chris Harris, who are not on the same level. 

Lindy Waters - Oklahoma State - FD $ DK $7,200

We’ll touch on Chris Harris in a bit, who will take over at PG is Isaac Likekele is out. Production-wise, Lindy Waters will play a huge role as he can put up 30 points in any match-up and they’ll need the punch without Likekele. Waters didn’t play much last game in a blowout, but went for 44 fantasy points the game before against Georgetown. His price isn’t high on either site and Waters has consistently been over 25 fantasy points in every solid match-up. He’s a lock and load for me if Likekele is out as the floor and ceiling combined are too much to pass up.

Jahaad Proctor - Purdue - FD $5,500 - DK $6,800

Nebraska plays at the 11th fastest pace in the entire country, so we want a ton of exposure to this Purdue team. They rank 330th in pace, so they’ll be getting a ton of extra possessions here. Jahaad Proctor is the main scoring threat on the outside and he’s been solid this year with the occasional flash of amazing. With Nebraska playing so fast, Proctor is going to get an extra 5-7 shots at least and another 4-5 assist opportunities. Proctor is priced down on both sites and I could very well see him getting to 30 fantasy points here. Eric Hunter Jr. is in play as well and cheaper. He doesn’t see very consistent minutes, but could very well get hot in the fast-paced match-up and put up his own 30 fantasy points. Make sure you get exposure to at least one Purdue guard.

Cole Anthony - UNC - FD $ DK $8,800

There’s no denying how bad Cole Anthony has been in a few games this season. Still, he’s a freshman and growing pains are going to happen. His price has come down as a result and we know he’s still capable of the same damages. The Wofford Terriers don’t play all that fast, but they do rank in the top 100 in points we game at 76.3 while UNC scores 68.9 per game. The Tar Heels are going to be playing faster than usual in this game and nobody on Wofford can guard Anthony if he gets hot. I still think this is more of a tournament play at the price, but Anthony can put up 50 fantasy points without notice and break the slate. His price isn’t high enough to absorb a performance like that anymore. 

Chris Harris - Oklahoma State - FD $ DK $3,500

Isaac Likekele has missed the previous two games with an injury and he’s questionable to play in this game. Assuming Likekele is out, Chris Harris Jr. will get the start and play around 28-30 minutes. The Houston Cougars don’t play overly fast, but neither team plays great defense and this game will be high-scoring in turn. The freshman point guard is a four-star prospect and one the Cowboys expect to be a big star down the road. He put up 17 fantasy points against a tough Wichita State defense, but that won’t be the case here. If we get confirmation Likekele is out, I’d project Harris for 22-25 fantasy points for extremely cheap on both sites. 

Thorir Thorbjarnarson - Nebraska - FD $ - DK $4,200

If you want to go super cheap, Thorbjarnarson joined the starting lineup two games ago and ended up playing 41 minutes last time out. Purdue plays slow, but that should allow Thorir to play solid minutes and put up another 15-20 fantasy points. There admittedly isn’t much upside here, but we’re looking for a filler at this price who can put up 15+ fantasy points and get you by. If you’re looking for upside, Nojel Eastern doesn’t get many minutes, but he’ll demolish while on the floor and it could end up leading to extended minutes against a Nebraska team that plays three guards. 

Consider - Isaiah Miller (UNCG),  Dachon Burke (NEB), Quentin Grimes (HOU), Jair Bolden (SCAR)

 

Forwards

Armando Bacot & Garrison Brooks - North Carolina (FD $ , $ - DK $7,100 , $7,000)

If I could give out just one piece of advice for the forward spot on this slate, it would be to pick on the interior of the Wofford Terriers. Out of 355 teams, the Wofford Terriers rank 351st with just 28.3 rebounds per game. I’m not opposed to paying both Bacot and Brooks as I expect these North Carolina forwards to demolish the paint. The Tar Heels are the top-ranked rebounding team in the entire nation and these two guys are the reason why. I can see both double-doubling in this game and combining for at least 25 or 30 rebounds as a pair. UNC holds the highest implied total on the slate and you can get exposure to two or three of these guys in the same lineup. 

Matt Haarms - Purdue (FD $ - DK $7,000) 

It’s already been mentioned how fast Nebraska plays. Matt Haarms is the heart and soul of this Purdue team and he’s a phenomenal play on this slate. He’s way too cheap on both sites for how high his upside is against a team that’s going to provide them with an extra 10-15 possessions. It’s worth noting just how extreme of a pace-up game this is for Purdue. Haarms consistently puts up 25 fantasy points in some of the slowest games in the country. He has 40-FP upside in this match-up and the price doesn’t match. You’ll find 100% Haarms in my lineups as he’s going to shoot a bunch more and will have a ton more rebound opportunities than in any other game. Trevion Williams and Aaron Wheeler have eaten into each other’s minutes, but both have huge upside if they see 25+ minutes in this game.

Aamir Simms - Clemson - FD $ DK $7,700

I haven’t touched on the Clemson Tigers just yet, but Aamir Simms has struggled in the last two games and he is going to want to come out and demolish here at home. The Gamecocks play faster than Clemson and it’ll be the Tigers that are playing up in pace here. Simms has shown his upside a few times this year and was just over 40 fantasy points for two games in a row. I like him to have another big game here as he matches up well with F Justin Minaya. Simms has had his price come down after the last two games, and this is the perfect time to jump on this opportunity. Simms is an easy play in cash games in this match-up for me. 

Fabian White Jr. - Houston - FD $4,900 DK $5,900

White is super cheap and he has a ton of upside in a perfect match-up with Oklahoma State. They play a lot faster than the Cougars and Houston will see a few extra possessions in turn. Fabian White sees inconsistent minutes, but  he will be necessary in this game against Yor Anei and Cameron McGriff. White doesn’t shoot the ball much, but he seems to always be involved in one way or another. He has shown upside with 30 fantasy points just three games ago and this match-up is a superior one. If you’re needing to save at forward, Fabian White is a great option in both cash games and tournaments. 

Consider - Yor Anei (OKST), Taysir Mack (CLEM), Aaron Wheeler (PUR), Justin Minaya (SC)

 

Example Lineups

FanDuel
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
DraftKings