Ready for the late-night DFS CBB slate of the week? Thursdays have been trending that way for much of the season and tonight is no different - especially on DraftKings with two additional late games rounding out the larger pool.

Tipping at 7 pm ET, FanDuel has a 6-game slate while DraftKings includes eight games with two late matchups thrown in (USC-Utah & California-Stanford). Outside of those Pac-12 games, we have a fairly diverse player pool with a couple Big Ten and AAC matchups making up the rest of the slate.

With a specific eye towards recent game trends, favorable and/or tough matchups, rotation changes and KenPom’s advanced stats, we’ll outline the guards and forwards to prioritize in your DFS CBB lineups today for both sites. We’ll also point out the games to generally target and fade based on pace of play, spread and implied point totals as predicted by KenPom.

If you have any questions or comments about CBB DFS strategy or college basketball in general, feel free to hit up my Twitter @dan_servodidio. Good luck!

Games To Target:

Temple @ Connecticut - 7 pm ET (CONN -2 / 146 Implied Total)

UCLA @ Colorado - 9 pm ET (COLO -5 / 147 Implied Total)

USC @ Utah - 10 pm ET (UTAH -2 / 152 Implied Total) - DK ONLY

Games To Fade:

Cincinnati @ UCF - 7 pm ET (UCF -3 / 125 Implied Total)

Iowa @ Wisconsin - 7 pm ET (WISC -8 / 140 Implied Total)


Guards

Shizz Alston - TEMP ($9,400 DK / $8,300 FD)

Temple don’t appear on the DFS CBB main slates often, but Shizz Alston deserves national recognition for his remarkable offensive consistency lately. The Owls’ senior point guard has put up at least 22 real points and five assists in five straight games and is averaging 40 DK points over that span. His offensive usage, shots share and assist rate are all top 10 marks in the conference as he’s one of the few players in the country who can both shoot for high volume and set up his teammates at prolific rates in Temple’s fast-paced offense. Although Alston’s price tag is expensive, he’s probably worth making room in your lineups for the extremely high fantasy floor he’s bound to provide. When he faced UConn earlier this season, Alston had 18 real points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals for 35.5 DK points. Talk about doing it all as one of the few players on this slate who can contribute in nearly every stat category.

Jaylen Hands - UCLA ($8,400 DK / $8,000 FD)

If you don’t want to pay all the way up for Alston tonight, Hands is certainly a viable pivot - especially at $1,000 cheaper on DraftKings. Ever since UCLA fired head coach Steve Alford ahead of conference play, Hands has seemingly played more freely and he’s been one of the most dynamic playmakers in the Pac-12. The sophomore leads the conference in assist rate, is top 10 in offensive usage and is among the top 15 in offensive rating and field-goal percentage - all according to KenPom’s metrics. Over the last six games especially, Hands has taken a big leap forward as a smash DFS value. He’s put up at least 45 DK points in four of those games (including each of the last two) and is averaging 21.3 real points and 6.8 assists over that six-game span. Although he only had a pedestrian 29 DK points in this season’s previous meeting vs. Colorado - it’s hard to ignore his legit 40-50 point fantasy upside recently.

Jules Bernard - UCLA ($4,700 DK / $5,300 FD)

It’s gotten to the point where we need to seriously consider Bernard every time UCLA is on the slate. The Bruins’ freshman has been playing a much larger role off the bench recently, scoring in double figures in six of the last seven games - including 19 and 20 real points in two of the last four. Barring a miracle Pac-12 tournament run, UCLA’s season is all but over and it’s clear that interim head coach Murry Bartow is giving Bernard more playing time lately to get prepared for next season and beyond. The 6’6” shooting guard/small forward has logged at least 28 minutes in three of the last four games (including a season-high 31 a week ago) and he hasn’t been shy to drive to the rim, go up for rebounds and play aggressive defense. It’s that intensity he brings to the UCLA lineup as their “sixth-man” that’s allowed  Hands and Co. to play more freely and win three straight games.

Jarrey Foster - SMU ($4,300 DK / $4,900 FD)

One of the key injury situations tonight is the absence of Jimmy Whitt for SMU - opening up value among the Mustangs’ guards opposite Jahmal McMurray. Jarrey Foster was a regular 25-30 minute starter earlier this season before a sprained knee sidelined him for 10 games in January/February. The senior returned to the starting lineup on Sunday in Whitt’s place and had seven points, two rebounds and an assist in 20 minutes. It’s definitely encouraging Foster drew the start in his first game back after the extended absence - and he’ll likely see an increase in playing time yet again tonight with Whitt out for the foreseeable future. The matchup vs. Houston’s tough defense isn’t ideal, but Foster should get more shots and see higher offensive usage as SMU’s guard depth is murky outside of McMurray and Foster. Before his injury, Foster was averaging 15.8 DK points per game - yet that was with Whitt still in the lineup and garnering double-digit shot attempts as one of the two main scorers.

Other Guards to Consider:

Corey Davis Jr. - HOU ($7,300 DK / $7,200 FD)

Sedrick Barefield - UTAH ($7,000 DK ONLY)

Ayo Dosunmo - ILL ($6,600 DK / $7,100 FD)

Dejon Jarreau - HOU ($5,900 DK / $5,800 FD)

Cormac Ryan - STAN ($5,000 DK ONLY)


Forwards

Bennie Boatwright - USC ($8,900 DK ONLY)

It’s a shame this USC game is only available on DraftKings as Boatwright may have the highest ceiling of any player tonight. The senior has been one of the best players in the conference lately - averaging 21 real points, 6.6 rebounds and 36.7 DK points over the last ten games with massive performances of 52 and 60 DK points in two of the last four outings. When he faced Utah a month ago, Boatwright dominated in all facets with 17 real points, 12 boards, 33.5 DK points and shot 3-of-7 from three-point range. As his college career nears its end, the 6’10” power forward has been shooting a ton in the paint and from the perimeter as he tries to raise his NBA draft stock on a USC team that won’t be participating in the NCAA Tournament. During Pac-12 play, Boatwright’s shot volume is seventh in the conference and he boasts top 5 marks in FG percentage, three-point percentage and offensive rating - impressive numbers for someone who shoots it as often as he does.

Tyler Bey - COLO ($7,700 DK / $7,900 FD)

During Pac-12 play, we should be targeting against UCLA’s defense every chance we get. The Bruins play at the fastest tempo in the conference and consistently compete in high-scoring games - leading to some big performances from opposing players with tons of possessions on both sides. This sets up for Bey to be one of the slate’s top plays as he should see a boost in rebounding opportunities with UCLA putting up so many shots in a pace-up matchup - Bey leads the conference with a 34.7% defensive rebounding rate. The sophomore is averaging 36 DK points over the last three games with a double-double in each outing - and he’s recorded double-digit points and rebounds in six of the last eight games. Although UCLA does tend to force opposing offenses to the perimeter (which doesn’t translate well for Bey, who’s only shot 22 three-pointers on the year) - he had no problem posting big numbers a month ago vs. UCLA with 16 real points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and 37.5 DK points.

Justin Smith - IND ($4,600 DK / $4,900 FD)

De’Ron Davis - IND ($4,300 DK / $4,600 FD)

The decision on who to play between Smith and Davis tonight will largely depend on Indiana’s starting lineup - which is doable on DraftKings’ late-swap but tough to muster on FanDuel with this game tipping at 8 pm ET. Smith had been starting the whole year alongside stud Juwan Morgan and he re-entered the Hoosiers’ first unit for the last two games after a brief stint on the bench. The sophomore has excelled in his return to the starting rotation - scoring 12 and 24 real points (19 and 31 DK points) in those two recent outings. Davis, meanwhile, had taken over Smith’s starting spot for three straight games in February before an illness sent him back to the bench and limited his minutes in the last two. The 6’10” junior has now been cleared of the illness and will be a “full-go” tonight, according to head coach Archie Miller - whether that means he starts or not is still up in the air. When he was starting, though, Davis averaged 4x value on his current price tag with the uptick in usage and playing time.

Justyn Hamilton - TEMP ($3,600 DK / $4,100 FD)

If you’re in need of a solid value play tonight, look no further than Hamilton. The sophomore regularly plays 20 minutes off the bench and actually started a four-game stretch in early February - including the first meeting vs. UConn on Feb. 6 when he scored 13 real points and put up nearly 24 DK points. He likely won’t smash value tonight like other cheap plays on past slates, but he can still provide enough return for the salary savings and allow you to fit in more of the high-priced studs. In six of the last seven games, Hamilton has posted no less than 14 DK points and averaged 17.5 DK points over that span - almost a 5x value at his DK price tonight. Plus, there’s a good chance he plays more minutes and maybe even starts because of his past success vs. UConn this season. At the very least, Hamilton’s increased role for Temple is encouraging as he’s logged at least 19 minutes in every game the past month despite playing very sparingly off the bench during the early part of the season.

Other Forwards to Consider:

Juwan Morgan - IND ($9,200 DK / $8,400 FD)

Josh Sharma - STAN ($6,600 DK ONLY)

Timmy Allen - UTAH ($5,900 DK ONLY)

Josh Carlton - CONN ($5,500 DK / $6,000 FD)

Connor Vanover - CAL ($5,100 DK ONLY)


Example Lineup on DraftKings:

G: Corey Davis, HOU - $7,300

G: Jarrey Foster, SMU - $4,300

G: Jaylen Hands, UCLA - $8,400

F: Bennie Boatwright, USC - $8,900

F: Justyn Hamilton, TEMP - $3,600

F: Connor Vanover, CAL - $5,100

U: Jules Bernard, UCLA - $4,700

U: Tyler Bey, COLO - $7,700

Example Lineup on FanDuel:

G: Shizz Alston, TEMP - $8,300

G: Dejon Jarreau, HOU - $5,800

G: Jaylen Hands, UCLA - $8,000

G: Jules Bernard, UCLA - $5,300

F: Josh Carlton, CONN - $6,000

F: Justyn Hamilton, TEMP - $4,100

F: De’Ron Davis, IND - $4,600

U: Tyler Bey, COLO - $7,900