Saturday DFS CBB slates are always more exciting with tons of great matchups going on simultaneously, making following your lineups more fun than the weekday slates. Yet, cashing in tournaments and cash games is unfortunately more difficult because of the larger pool of players and volatility across the board.

Let’s try to narrow that pool down, though, as you’ll notice there are some games you can likely ignore completely today. At the same time, there are clearly some matchups we want to target with higher scoring and faster paces.

This playbook focuses on the main slates tipping at 12 pm ET for DraftKings and FanDuel. DK has 13-game slate while FD has a 10-gamer.

As always, with a particular focus on KenPom’s advanced metrics and overall recent game trends, we’ll point out the teams to target as a whole before breaking down the guards and forwards to prioritize in your DFS lineups today. The point spreads and over/under’s below are based on KenPom’s predictions for that matchup.

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 To Target

  • North Carolina @ Miami (FL) - 12 pm ET (UNC -6 / 156 Implied Total)

  • Arkansas @ Mississippi - 1 pm ET (MISS -7 / 153 Implied Total)

  • North Carolina State @ Notre Dame - 2 pm ET (NCST -2 / 154 Implied Total)

  • Stanford @ Washington State - 3 pm ET (STAN -1 / 155 Implied Total) - DK Only

 

Games To Fade

  • Michigan @ Wisconsin - 12 pm ET (MICH -1 / 125 Implied Total)

  • Tulsa @ UCF - 12 pm ET (UCF -10 / 134 Implied Total) - DK Only

  • Florida @ Georgia - 12 pm ET (UF -4 / 130 Implied Total)

  • Missouri @ Texas A&M - 3:30 pm ET (TA&M -4 / 136 Implied Total)

 

Guards

Carsen Edwards - PUR ($9,400 DK / $8,500 FD) - If you follow college basketball at all, you know about Carsen Edwards. He’s one of the best players in the country and he dominates the ball-handling and scoring opportunities for Purdue - his possession usage and shots share are both top 11 nationally. Edwards’ price on DraftKings seems high, but he has the talent to be a regular 10k player. Look no further than his last two games - against Wisconsin and Rutgers, Edwards put up 45.5 and 46.25 DK points, respectively. His shooting percentages from the field and three-point range aren’t all that impressive, but when he’s dominating the shot volume as much as he usually does, the opportunity to 4x this high price tag is still realistic. This game vs. Indiana could very easily turn into a back-and-forth showdown between Edwards and Indiana’s freshman star Romeo Langford ($8,400 DK / $8,000 FD).

Chris Lykes - MIA ($7,600 DK / $7,300 FD) - With Miami projected to score 75 points in a pace-up matchup with North Carolina’s 5th-fastest tempo in the nation, we want some exposure to this Hurricanes offense. Lykes is the safest, most consistent option because of how much he has the ball in his hands on nearly every possession - his usage, shots share and assist rate all lead the team. Lykes is both the best pure scorer and best distributor for Miami. Since entering conference play, Lykes is averaging 22 points on 12.5 shots per game and has two outings of 33 DK points. Although UNC is an elite defense, they tend to funnel DFS production to opposing guards and it was yet to face one of the ACC’s most dynamic scorers in Lykes, who can drive to the basket with the best of them. If Miami wants to pull the upset today, it will have to do so on the back of this sophomore point guard.

Jordan Bowden - TENN ($5,500 DK / $6,400 FD) - Bowden doesn’t start for Tennessee, but he provides instant offense off the bench - and he’s really caught fire lately in that sixth-man role. Over the Vols’ first four conference games, Bowden is shooting 63% from the field and averaging 19 points on 11 shots per outing. His fantasy scoring is a little shot-dependent, but the junior has put up 24 DK points in five straight nonetheless. Bowden began this season in the starting rotation but has really settled into his role as the first man off the bench who still plays large minutes with the starters. The price is more affordable on DraftKings, but he can return 5x value on both sites if his shot volume continues.

Braxton Beverly - NCST ($4,800 DK / $5,500 FD) - We’ve suggested Beverly numerous times in these playbooks - and we’re going back to the well again today. North Carolina State’s rotations are all over the place, but it’s Beverly who’s seeing consistent 30-35 minutes from the point and shooting guard positions. As long as the sophomore’s salary remains affordable enough to return 4x or 5x value, it’s hard to ignore his production and usage in this offense. It’s his three-point shooting that’s especially attractive today, though. Over the first four conference games, over 75% of Beverly’s shot attempts are coming from deep - almost nine three-point attempts per contest. Combine that with the way Notre Dame tends to defend the paint well and force teams to shoot from outside - Beverly could be launching double-digit three-pointers and could easily return value if he’s hitting.

Kobe King - WIS ($3,600 DK / $4,200 FD) - Michigan’s defense is one of the nation’s best and King’s game log this season is ugly. So why are we suggesting the redshirt freshman today? Well, during Wisconsin’s recent loss to Maryland, it was King who played the final 17+ minutes and aided a furious comeback attempt in the second half. King only had five points and three rebounds on 1-for-6 shooting, but his mere presence as a perimeter shooting threat opened up the Badgers offense more. Jim Polzin of the Wisconsin State Journal also expects King to see additional minutes following that performance. If we get 15-20 DFS points for this cheap of a salary, it’s a nice salary-saver for GPP lineups - especially when he goes under-owned in a tough matchup vs. Michigan.

Other Guards to Consider:

  • Jarron Cumberland - CIN ($8,000 DK / $8,000 FD)

  • Torin Dorn - NCST ($7,600 DK / $7,700 FD)

  • Prentiss Hubb - ND ($5,400 DK / $5,900 FD)

  • Frank Howard - SYR ($5,000 DK / $5,500 FD)

  • Jermaine Haley - WVU ($3,600 DK / $4,400 FD)

 

Forwards

John Mooney - ND ($8,600 DK / $8,200 FD) - In a pace-up game vs. NC State with tons of rebounding opportunities, Mooney may be the top forward option on today’s slate. He’s been a DFS beast lately with three straight performances of 41.5, 54.5 and 49.75 DK points. During that three-game span, Mooney is averaging 19 points, 15 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per contest. With the amount of shots NC State should put up at the 14th-fastest tempo in the country, Mooney and his elite defensive rebounding tendencies should bring a ton of boards and potential for another 40-50 DFS points for a fourth straight time. Mooney is the safest cash forward today among the expensive options.

Terrell Brown - PITT ($4,700 DK / $6,500 FD) - A matchup vs. Syracuse’s zone defense is always worrisome, but Brown’s last five games make him a near-lock on DraftKings with this price differential. Brown doesn’t get many shots or score much, but he makes up for that with his rebounding and blocks. His block percentage is 7th nationally and he’s averaging 5.2 blocks per game over the last five outings. Brown is also grabbing 6.8 boards and racking up 27.3 DK points per game over that span. The FanDuel price is a little tougher to manage, but Brown is a strong cash game play on DK.

Marvin Cannon - WSU ($4,400 DK Only) - We’ve been rolling out Cannon lately as he’s really benefited from Robert Franks being out. Now, Franks ($9,900) is back healthy (and also in play today), but it didn’t appear to affect Cannon’s DFS value. On Thursday, Cannon still logged 31 minutes and produced 23.5 DK points with Franks back in the mix. Cannon remains a strong cash game play for the 5x value he can return at this cheap price.

Trevion Williams - PUR ($4,100 DK / $6,400 FD) - Take note of the salary difference between the sites for Williams today. Despite three straight games of double-digit rebounds and 34+ DK points, the freshman is still extremely underpriced on DraftKings for some reason. If you’re playing on DK, lock in Williams and don’t think twice about it. Over on FanDuel, though, Williams is still in play at that price point. He’s getting 20+ minutes with Evan Boudreaux (groin) missing time lately, and has shown enough potential and defensive skill to earn more playing time even if Boudreaux starts today.

Other Forwards to Consider:

  • Juwan Morgan - IND ($9,100 DK / $8,300 FD)

  • Luke Maye - UNC ($8,300 DK / $8,100 FD)

  • Derek Culver - WVU ($6,900 DK / $7,600 FD)

  • Paschal Chukwu - SYR ($4,700 DK / $5,100 FD) - IF Marek Dolezaj is out

 

Example Lineup on DraftKings:

G: Jarron Cumberland, CIN - $8,000

G: Braxton Beverly, NCST - $4,800

G: Carsen Edwards, PUR - $9,400

F: John Mooney, ND - $8,600

F: Marvin Cannon, WSU - $4,400

F: Trevion Williams, PUR - $4,100

U: Jordan Bowden, TENN - $5,500

U: Frank Howard, SYR - $5,000

 

Example Lineup on FanDuel:

G: Jarron Cumberland, CIN - $8,000

G: Braxton Beverly, NCST - $5,500

G: Jermaine Haley, WVU - $4,400

G: Prentiss Hubb, ND - $5,900

F: John Mooney, ND - $8,200

F: Paschal Chukwu, SYR - $5,100

F: Trevion Williams, PUR - $6,400

U: Jordan Bowden, TENN - $6,400