After a weekend stacked with entertaining conference battles, we’re back and ready to dominate another week of DFS CBB!! Monday’s have been a little bland this season but there are five ranked teams in action on tonight’s slate and with tons of fun games to build lineups from. 

FanDuel has a five-game slate tipping at 7 pm ET while DraftKings threw in the Nebraska-Indiana tilt to stretch their slate to six games beginning at 6:30 pm ET. 

With this smaller slate, there are viable studs and value plays on nearly every team tonight so there won’t be the regular “Games To Target/Fade.” Instead, we’ll point out the point spreads and over/under’s for each game based on KenPom’s predictions for that matchup.

As always, though, we’ll break down the guards and forwards to prioritize in your DFS lineups today with a particular focus on KenPom’s advanced metrics and recent stat trends for each notable player. 

If you have any questions or comments on the day’s slate or anything college basketball-related, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @dan_servodidio or in the Fantasy Alarm CBB chat room.

Games On The Slate

Nebraska @ Indiana - 6:30 pm ET (IND -2 / 144 Implied Total) - DK Only

Syracuse @ Duke - 7 pm ET (DUKE -17 / 145 Implied Total)

Florida State @ Pittsburgh - 7 pm ET (FSU -4 / 140 Implied Total)

Wisconsin @ Maryland - 8:30 pm ET (UMD -2 / 136 Implied Total)

Texas @ Kansas - 9 pm ET (KU -8 / 136 Implied Total)

Baylor @ Oklahoma State - 9 pm ET (OKST -1 / 133 Implied Total)

Guards

Anthony Cowan - UMD ($8,000 DK / $7,900 FD) - Tonight we have the rare slate where forwards are deep on the expensive end, but top-tier guards are at a premium. Cowan represents one of the safest per-dollar options at guard - and he’s still pretty affordable considering the lack of high-price options at the position. Since conference play began, the sophomore has taken on a larger role offensively - averaging about 14 shots, six three-point attempts and 21 points over the last four Big Ten games. He’s also coming off back-to-back games of 42 DK points thanks to a higher tendency to get to the foul line - shooting 10 free throws in each outing. Expect Cowan to drive to the basket and have the ball in his hands a ton in what should be a close game vs. Wisconsin at home.

Trey McGowens - PITT ($6,400 DK / $6,900 FD) - Pitt is largely led by their two freshmen standouts - McGowens and Xavier Johnson ($7,600 DK / $7,600 FD). Johnson has the higher fantasy floor as the team’s better ball-handler with larger shot volume, but McGowens is noticeably cheaper on both sites and has been on an offensive tear lately. Before Saturday’s game, McGowens averaged 22.5 points on 65% shooting in a four-game stretch - including a 33-point, 19-shot performance vs. Louisville. McGowen may have only scored seven points in this past weekend’s outing, but he still gave you 24.25 DK points with his 12 combined rebounds and assists. His opponent tonight (Florida State) has a solid defense, but McGowens does get the benefit of a high-tempo game and home-court advantage.  

Ochai Agbaji - KU ($5,000 DK / $5,300 FD) - Udoka Azubuike going down for the year has opened the door for Agbaji to become a viable DFS option on such a talented Kansas team. The freshman was originally expected to redshirt this season but he changed that decision earlier this month (soon after Azubuike got hurt) and has logged 20+ minutes in each of his two games off the bench for the Jayhawks. When Agbaji is on the floor, he’s active on the defensive end (seven rebounds, three steals and a block in his 46 combined minutes) and Coach Bill Self and his teammates are giving him easy chances to score as he’s catching alley-oops and is shooting 70% from the field so far with a team-high offensive rating. Agbaji should be able to 5x his still-cheap salary with the playing time and usage he’s getting in a newfound reserve role.

Jared Butler - BAY ($4,300 DK / $5,800 FD) - With Baylor forward Tristan Clark lost for the season, Butler moved into the starting rotation on Saturday and put up 27.5 DK points in 31 minutes. In that game vs. Kansas, the freshman went 4-for-8 from three-point range and added four rebounds and four assists. If Baylor opts to roll with a similar lineup tonight, Butler can really return value with the extended playing time. Note that his salary was raised appropriately on FanDuel, but his DraftKings’ price remains very affordable and should be a core cash game play there.

Curtis Jones - OKST ($4,200 DK / $4,700 FD) - With Michael Weathers (ankle) questionable tonight, Jones could emerge as a real value play with extended minutes off the bench for Oklahoma State. Definitely monitor Weathers’ status ahead of this 9 pm ET tip - but if he misses, it’ll be Jones who benefits the most with a notable increase in minutes and shot volume. Since Jones joined the team in mid-December following transfer eligibility rules, he and Weathers have traded games on the Cowboys’ second unit where one gets the majority of shot volume and one takes a back seat. When Weathers got hurt on Saturday, it was Jones who scored 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting (3-of-6 from deep). 

Other Guards to Consider: 

RJ Barrett - DUKE ($8,700 FD)

Romeo Langford - IND ($8,200 DK Only)

Mario Kegler - BAY ($5,100 DK / $5,900 FD)

Frank Howard - SYR ($4,600 DK / $5,100 FD)

Forwards

Dedric Lawson - KU ($10,400 DK / $8,900 FD) - Lawson has been a double-double machine this year and should continue to dominate the rebound opportunities for Kansas with fellow big man Udoka Azubuike out for the season. Over the past ten games, Lawson is averaging 19 points and 10 rebounds and has seven double-doubles and eight games of 39+ DK points during that span. Lawson is the Jayhawks go-to scorer in crunch time and best rim protector on the defensive end - he had TEN blocks+steals vs. Baylor last time out. Lawson likely has the highest ceiling of any played not named Zion Williamson or RJ Barrett tonight, and his floor sits around 40 fantasy points. 

Bruno Fernando - UMD ($9,100 DK / $8,400 FD) - A matchup vs. Ethan Happ may seem daunting on paper, but Fernando should actually have the upper hand tonight. Wisconsin is good on the defensive boards, but their offensive rebounding comes in at just 311th out of 353 possible teams according to KenPom’s ratings. Meanwhile, Fernando has been a beast on the glass - nearly the best in the Big Ten. His offensive and defensive rebounding numbers are 1st and 3rd in the conference, respectively, as he headlines a Maryland unit that’s top 13 in the nation in both stats. The sophomore is averaging 16.8 points and 12 rebounds over the past six games - including five double-doubles and four games of 40+ DK points. Pencil in Fernando for yet another 10+ rebound night again. 

Cam Reddish - DUKE ($6,000 DK / $6,700 FD) - Reddish finally broke out last game when Zion Williamson sat out the entire second half after getting poked in the eye. On Saturday, the freshman Reddish played a season-high 32 minutes and drained 5-of-8 three-pointers en route to 36 DK points. Williamson is expected back tonight, but Reddish may have just needed a breakout game like Saturday’s to reignite his shooting touch and become a legit contributor for Duke going forward despite being a non-factor for much of this season. The former 5-star recruit has the talent to be a top pick in the NBA Draft but he’s taken a back seat to fellow freshmen studs Williamson and RJ Barrett. Tonight could finally be the game where all three can co-exist with Reddish possibly coming at a massive discount if he continues the hot shooting. Obviously if Williamson sits out, lock Reddish in your lineups.

Mfiondu Kabengele - FSU ($5,500 DK / $6,200 FD) - On Saturday vs. Duke, Kabengele really took advantage of Zion Williamson sitting out the second half and responded with 24 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and two steals. This is the type of stat line you can expect from Kabengele when he stays out of foul trouble - and he should be able to stay on the floor more often tonight. Pittsburgh is one of the worst defensive rebounding teams in the country (316th out of 353 teams, per KenPom) and the 6’10” Kabengele headlines the nation’s 16th-best offensive rebounding team. This matchup sets up nicely for the sophomore to post his second straight double-double and the potential to 5x his salary at least.

Phil Cofer - FSU ($4,200 DK / $5,300 FD) - Since returning from injury in December, Cofer has started the last four games and firmly established himself as a fantasy contributor for Florida State. The senior put it all on display vs. Duke on Saturday with 21 points (including 5-for-8 from three-point range), seven rebounds and nearly 30 DK points in 34 minutes of action. His price on DraftKings is strangely way too cheap considering that performance and his now-regular playing time - and he’s still very affordable on FanDuel for potential 5x value or better.

Other Forwards to Consider:

RJ Barrett - DUKE ($9,600 DK)

Juwan Morgan - IU ($8,900 DK Only)

Cameron McGriff - OKST ($7,400 DK / $8,100 FD) 

Flo Thamba - BAY ($3,000 DK / $4,800 FD)

Example Lineup on DraftKings:

G: Jared Butler, BAY - $4,300

G: Anthony Cowan, UMD - $8,000

G: Ochai Agbaji, KU - $5,000

F: Bruno Fernando, UMD - $9,100

F: Mfiondu Kabengele, FSU - $5,500

F: RJ Barrett, DUKE - $9,600

U: Curtis Jones, OKST - $4,200

U: Phil Cofer, FSU - $4,200


Example Lineup on FanDuel:

G: Jared Butler, BAY - $5,800

G: Anthony Cowan, UMD - $7,900

G: Ochai Agbaji, KU - $5,300

G: Curtis Jones, OKST - $4,700

F: Dedric Lawson, KU - $8,900

F: Mfiondu Kabengele, FSU - $6,200

F: Phil Cofer, FSU - $5,300

U: Mario Kegler, BAY - $5,900