Tonight’s DFS CBB is smaller than usual, but we have some teams to build lineups from that aren’t normally on the schedule. A few mid-majors on DraftKings’ slate should make lineup-building more challenging than we're used to.
The DK slate includes 7 games while FanDuel’s is just 5 games - both tip at 7 pm ET and have four games common between them.
Keep in mind with such a smaller player pool than usual on a shorter slate of games, nearly every team and game are in play. Don’t be afraid to stack teams more often than you normally would if the opportunity presents itself - especially among the favored teams.
You’ll notice there’s a larger top-tier of expensive options on DraftKings tonight because of the inclusion of the three mid-major games. Let’s try to clear up which of those players we should target in our lineups.
With a specific eye towards recent game trends, favorable matchups, rotations and KenPom’s advanced stats, we’ll outline the guards and forwards to prioritize in your DFS CBB lineups today for both sites. Let’s get into it!
Games To Target:
UAB @ Marshall - 8 pm ET (MARSH -3 / 153 Implied Total) - DK ONLY
Arizona @ Utah - 9 pm ET (UTAH -2 / 142 Implied Total)
Gonzaga @ Loyola Marymount - 11 pm ET (GONZ -17 / 141 Implied Total)
Games To Fade:
North Texas @ Florida Atlantic - 7 pm ET (UNT -1 / 133 Implied Total) - DK ONLY
Tulsa @ Tulane - 7 pm ET (TULSA -8 / 138 Implied Total) - FD ONLY
Guards
Jhivvan Jackson - UTSA ($9,300 DK ONLY) - On DraftKings tonight, DFS users will likely have to decide between a few expensive players in the UTSA-Southern Miss matchup. Jackson and Keaton Wallace ($9,600) lead the way for UTSA while Cortez Edwards ($8,400) and Tyree Griffin ($8,200) stand atop the Southern Miss options. Jackson, though, may offer the highest floor overall despite the high price tag. The sophomore is averaging 39.4 DK points over the last ten games with massive offensive performances lately of at least 44 DK points in three of the last four outings - including an outburst of 46 real points just two weeks ago. Jackson and Wallace dominate the possession usage and shot volume for UTSA but it’s Jackson whose numbers in those advanced stats rank among the best in the country. His shots share when he’s on the court (39.5%) is the best in the nation while his usage is eighth-highest. UTSA plays at an extremely fast tempo on both ends and the offense is designed to get down the court and put up shots quickly. In terms of getting shots up, Jackson clearly leads the way with at least 18 attempts in all but one of the last ten games and seven games of double-digit three-point attempts over that span. It’s not like he’s blindly shooting either, as he’s 25.3 ppg over the last ten.
Sedrick Barefield - UTAH ($6,900 DK / $7,800 FD) - If you’re looking for a safe cash game play today, Barefield is your guy. Utah’s leading scorer has averaged nearly 30 DK points over the last ten games with just one outing of less than 26 DK points. Barefield’s fantasy floor is consistently high because he truly does it all for the Utes - leading the team in possession usage, shot volume, assist rate, three-point shooting and free-throw percentage to go along with his team-high 16.3 ppg. In his previous meeting with Arizona this season, Barefield led all scorers with 26 points and contributed across all stat categories for a whopping 40 DK points. His price tag is bit steeper on FanDuel tonight, but he’s still a strong play on the site’s short five-game slate. Overall, there’s not many safer options on a per-dollar basis.
Justin Coleman - ARIZ ($5,400 DK / $6,200 FD) - Coleman has been the biggest beneficiary of teammate Brandon Williams’ absence the last three games. The senior is playing big minutes with a major uptick in usage and shot volume over this recent three-game span. He’s logged 37+ minutes in each outing while averaging 29.3 DK points and 16.3 real points on 12 shots with 8.3 rebounds/assists thrown in. All those numbers are notably better than his season-long averages of 30.4 minutes, 19.2 DK points, 9.2 points, 7.3 shot attempts and 5.7 rebounds/assists. Coleman’s salary has rightfully gone up tonight, but he’s still returned at least 6x, 5x and 4x value on his current DK tag in those last three games, respectively. Williams doesn’t have a timetable to return so expect Coleman to provide enough value for a fourth straight game tonight as one of Arizona’s go-to playmakers on offense.
Sidney Wilson - CONN ($3,800 DK / $4,400 FD) - With Jalen Adams (knee) out 4-to-6 weeks and Alterique Gilbert (shoulder) still doubtful to play, UConn will be without its top two scorers for a second straight game. On Sunday, Wilson moved into the starting rotation for the first time this season and played a season-high 36 minutes. The freshman responded well to the extended playing time with 16 points, six rebounds and three blocks for 29 DK points. If he come close to duplicating that production, Wilson may be the best source of value on tonight’s slate as he’ll likely get 30+ minutes again for the Huskies with a very cheap price tag. His DK salary is especially appealing because of the multiple expensive studs we want to fit in our lineups on that site, as you’ll see below in the example lineup.
Other Guards to Consider:
Jon Elmore - MRSH ($9,500 DK ONLY)
Christian Vital - CONN ($7,900 DK / $8,600 FD)
Umoja Gibson - NTEX ($5,600 DK ONLY)
Dejon Jarreau - HOU ($5,400 DK / $5,400 FD)
Forwards
Brandon Clarke - GONZ ($9,700 DK / $8,800 FD) - Whenever Gonzaga is on the slate, it’s always risky rostering some of the expensive options because the Bulldogs tend to blow out their conference opponents - leading to rest for the starters in the second half. Clarke, though, has still been able to put up monster performances in the time he’s out on the floor as he’s usually one of the reasons Gonzaga blows out opposing teams. The junior is averaging 38.1 DK points for the season with games of 41.25, 42.5 and 57.5 DK points in three of the last four. In those three slate-breaking games, Clarke averaged 22.3 real points, 10.3 rebounds, two assists and 4.3 blocks/steals. He and Rui Hachimura are two of college basketball’s top talents and they should anchor both the Gonzaga offense and defense throughout this one tonight. Again, there is a small risk Clarke doesn’t have one of those massive DFS performances because of the likelihood the Zags bury Loyola-Marymount early - as they did in the teams’ first meeting a month ago when Clarke put up just 27.75 DK points in the 18-point win. Still, he has one of the highest ceilings on both slates despite the high price tag. Also note that Clarke is strictly guard-eligible on FanDuel while he’s only forward-eligible on DK.
Jayce Johnson - UTAH ($5,700 DK / $6,600 FD) - If you’re looking for a safe, consistent cash game play at forward, look no further than Johnson. The Utes’ junior center doesn’t score a ton offensively, but his elite rebounding is literally almost the best in the conference. According to KenPom’s ratings, Johnson’s offensive rebounding rate is tops in the Pac-12 while his defensive rebounding is 3rd-best. He’s grabbed double-digit rebounds in five of the last six games and hasn’t scored less than 20 DK points in over a month. Arizona is a decent rebounding team itself, but Johnson’s 7’0” frame has been tough to handle for any team in the conference so far. There's not many forwards in Johnson's price range tonight that provide the consistency and high floor with upside for more if he's getting shots and scoring.
Makhtar Gueye - UAB ($5,300 DK ONLY) - A matchup vs. Marshall is the perfect time to target rebounders on the opposing team - especially one as cheap as Gueye is tonight. Playing at the sixth-fastest tempo in the country, Marshall employs the run-and-gun offense with tons of shots going up and plenty of rebounds available for the defense to grab. Plus, the Thundering Herd do not have any good rebounders in their small lineup and the team’s overall offensive and defensive rebounding numbers are some of the worst in the nation. Here’s where Gueye should return value. The 6’10” sophomore is coming off back-to-back 12-rebound games and co-leads the team in boards per game with UAB’s other forward, Lewis Sullivan. Now, Sullivan is slightly better when it comes to the advanced metrics of combined rebounding efficiency (28.5% to Gueye’s 27.6%) - but Gueye is $1,300 cheaper on DraftKings and his 3-inch height advantage on Sullivan should help him vs. undersized Marshall. Honestly, both players could grab double-digit boards tonight with how much Marshall shoots the ball - but let’s take the salary savings with Gueye.
Filip Petrusev - GONZ ($4,200 DK / $4,900 FD) - We mentioned earlier how a Gonzaga blowout win could hurt Brandon Clarke, Rui Hachimura and other Zags’ starters. Ironically, that type of outcome would actually firmly place Petrusev as a nice value play tonight off the bench. The freshman center had been getting inconsistent playing time ever since Killian Tillie returned for Gonzaga in early January - but with Tillie now hurt and likely out for the season, Petrusev should see his minutes increase on a nightly basis. On Saturday - the first game with Tillie out of the picture - Petrusev saw a season-high 21 minutes in the blowout win over St. Mary’s and put up 22.75 DK points with 15 real points, five boards and an assist. If Gonzaga takes care of Loyola-Marymount early (which they did in the teams’ first meeting this year), look for Petrusev to get extended minutes off the bench as the Zags will need him to be comfortable on the court come March.
Other Forwards to Consider:
Leonard Harper-Baker - USMS ($6,800 DK ONLY)
Jeriah Horne - TULSA ($6,000 FD ONLY)
Josh Carlton - CONN ($5,800 DK / $6,000 FD)
Andre Wesson - OSU ($5,300 DK / $5,700 FD)
Example Lineup on DraftKings:
G: Justin Coleman, ARIZ - $5,400
G: Sidney Wilson, CONN - $3,800
G: Cortez Edwards, USMS - $8,400
F: Jayce Johnson, UTAH - $5,700
F: Filip Petrusev, GONZ - $4,200
F: Makhtar Gueye, UAB - $5,300
U: Jhivvan Jackson, UTSA - $9,300
U: Christian Vital, CONN - $7,900
Example Lineup on FanDuel:
G: Brandon Clarke, GONZ - $8,800
G: Sidney Wilson, CONN - $4,400
G: Dejon Jarreau, HOU - $5,400
G: Sedrick Barefield, UTAH - $7,800
F: Jayce Johnson, UTAH - $6,600
F: Filip Petrusev, GONZ - $4,900
F: Jeriah Horne, TULSA - $6,000
U: Josh Carlton, CONN - $6,000