Welcome to the first full slate of the conference tournament season! On tonight’s DFS CBB main slates (tipping at 7 pm ET), we get matchups from the beginning rounds of the Big 12, Big East, SEC, Pac 12, ACC and Big Ten tournaments. Although there are no Top 25 teams in action and only one in KenPom’s top 25 (Louisville is 19th) - almost every game should be competitive with some high-scoring contests highlighting our focus.

DraftKings’ slate includes 11 games spanning those league tourneys - while FanDuel only has a smaller, 6-game main slate with a later slate as well. Obviously there are games going on all day long, but for the purposes of this Playbook - let’s focus solely on those two main slates tonight.

With a specific eye towards recent game trends, favorable and/or tough individual 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 today 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:

  • West Virginia vs. Oklahoma - 9 pm ET (OU -7 / 147 Implied Total)

  • Stanford vs. UCLA - 9 pm ET (UCLA -1 / 151 Implied Total)

  • DePaul vs. St. John’s - 9:30 pm ET (SJU -3 / 157 Implied Total)

Games To Fade:

  • Georgia vs. Missouri - 7 pm ET (MIZZ -3 / 133 Implied Total)

  • Pittsburgh vs. Syracuse - 9 pm ET (SYR -5 / 131 Implied Total)

  • Northwestern vs. Illinois - 9 pm ET (NW -1 / 137 Implied Total)

  • Vanderbilt vs. Texas A&M - 9:30 pm ET (TA&M -4 / 136 Implied Total)

 

Guards

Jaylen Hands - UCLA ($8,600 DK / $7,700 FD)

Hands took a slight step back in DFS production the past two games, but we got a good glimpse of his ceiling in the final month of the regular season. During a six-game stretch in February, Hands put up at least 45 DK points in four of those outings - including an outstanding performance vs. Stanford on Feb. 16 with 29 real points, three steals, seven assists/rebounds and 45.75 DK points. Stanford defends the paint well with solid forward play, but their guards simply do not have the defensive prowess to stop Hands tonight - especially if starting point guard Daejon Davis is out again. As UCLA’s lead ball-handler, the sophomore Hands has the second-highest assist rate in the Pac 12 to go along with a top 10 mark in offensive usage. As mentioned, his shot volume and pure scoring have been down lately, but a pace-up matchup vs. Stanford could be what sends Hands back into the 40+ fantasy point range.

Isaac Likekele - OKST ($6,400 DK / $6,400 FD)

Although Likekele’s price has really krept up this past month and people may be scared off by this increase, he’s still strongly in because of his history against TCU and due to Oklahoma State’s short rotation. Likekele has had two big games against TCU this season - averaging 32+ DK points over both outings, including a slate-breaking 38 DK points just a month ago. In those games, he averaged 15 real points but also put up nine assists/rebounds and three steals per contest - a great sign from a point guard who played right with TCU’s talented guards. All of OK State’s starters have mostly been safe plays lately since the team only play 6-7 players regularly - but Likekele’s fantasy floor remains the highest because his value doesn’t depend on scoring opportunities or shot attempts. As the team’s lead ball-handler, the freshman can provide about 10 assists/rebounds per game with solid upside in getting a couple steals as well. Likekele has also been playing lights-out coming into the Big 12 tournament - with performances of 42 and 33 DK points in his last two games.

Isaiah Jackson - PROV ($6,000 DK ONLY)

Tonight we get the unique scenario of a Butler-Providence matchup that we’ll now see for a third time in the last two weeks - and in both of those previous games, Jackson came through in a big way for DFS players. The senior put up 32+ DK points in the first meeting on Feb. 26, then followed that up with 20 real points and 29+ DK points in the rematch to end the regular season this past Saturday. Those two outings were part of Jackson’s solid offensive stretch to end the year, when he racked up at least 29 DK points in four of the final five games of the campaign. Although his price has appropriately increased tonight with this recent hot streak, we can’t ignore what Jackson just did against this same Providence team not that long ago. A one-game sample size is tough to go off of, but when he found success in two seperate matchups vs. the same team in the span of three games - it’s become a trend and pretty tough to fade tonight on DraftKings.

Jordan McCabe - WVU ($5,300 DK / $5,600 FD)

McCabe is no longer the extreme value play he used to be when his price sat below 4k just last week, yet churned out DFS performances like a 6k player. The salary increase may scare some people off him tonight, but he’s carved out a firm role in West Virginia’s starting rotation late in the season and has been returning value on his new price tags. Head coach Bob Huggins had fooled around with his lineups for much of the year but it seems he finally found one he likes - and McCabe has been the Mountaineers’ starting point guard the past five games with at least 30 minutes in each outing. In those five starts, the freshman averaged 17.4 real points and 5.6 assists while shooting 45% from three-point range (18-for-40). When he faced this same Oklahoma team just 10 days ago, McCabe put up 31+ DK points with 18 real points scored. While West Virginia’s starters have now solidified, the rotation has also tightened up with only 6-7 Mountaineers playing meaningful minutes - keeping McCabe locked into the majority of the point guard run.

Torrence Watson - MIZZ ($3,800 DK / $4,500 FD)

Safe value is hard to come by on tonight’s slate, but Watson deserves heavy consideration at this price tag - even on a terrible Missouri team. The freshman Watson has put up at least 22 DK points in each of the last three games - averaging 17 real points per outing while shooting 46% from three-point range (12-for-26). Watson usually comes off the bench he’s still gotten 30+ minutes in that recent three-game span, including a season-high 39 minutes last time out as a starter. With Javon Pickett expected back tonight, Watson should move back to the bench - but he’s still gotten solid playing time and shot volume (especially from three-point range) when in a reserve role. When Missouri faced Georgia a week ago, Watson had 24+ DK points, 17 real points and five made three-pointers in 31 minutes off the bench. Unfortunately his DFS value is dependant on his actual scoring (with little help in peripheral stats) - but the now-consistent shot volume and high shooting percentages make him a strong cash and GPP play at this cheap salary.

Other Guards to Consider:

  • Max Strus - DPU ($8,700 DK / $8,400 FD)

  • Payton Pritchard - ORE ($7,700 DK ONLY)

  • Jermaine Haley - WVU ($6,100 DK / $6,500 FD)

  • Cormac Ryan - STAN ($5,200 DK / $4,900 FD)

  • Dane Goodwin - ND ($4,200 DK ONLY)

 

Forwards

Josh Sharma - STAN ($7,300 DK / $6,700 FD)

Sharma began his senior season on the inconsistent side, but he’s become such a force on both ends of the floor in the past month. The 7-footer has four double-doubles in the last six games and is averaging 14.2 real points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 32+ DK points during that span. Sharma is simply dominating the paint for Stanford and that couldn’t have been more evident when he faced UCLA on Feb. 16 - posting 22 real points, 12 boards and 40 DK points. His shooting percentage, rebounding rate and block rate are all top 5 marks in the conference as he’s become a handful for any opposing center. As was the case a month ago, UCLA center Moses Brown could end up in foul trouble trying to battle Sharma in the post and on the boards - areas where Sharma had the upper-hand in these teams’ last meeting.

Kristian Doolittle - OU ($6,900 DK / $7,200 FD)

If you’re looking for a safe forward play tonight, you won’t find one more consistent than Doolittle. The junior has averaged 31 DK points in the last ten games with per-game marks of 15.4 real points and 8.1 rebounds - including 29+ DK points, 15 points and nine boards against this same West Virginia squad just ten days ago. Even better, though, is how Doolittle has become Oklahoma’s go-to scoring option in the past month or so - taking that title away from guard Christian James. The 6’7” power forward has scored at least 14 real points in seven straight games and is averaging 16 combined shots and free throw attempts over the past ten outings. When you watch the Sooners play, it’s clear they look to Doolittle in the post to generate the offense - whether that’s by shooting better than 50% from the field or by driving to the bucket and getting to the line.

Emmitt Matthews Jr. - WVU ($3,700 DK / $4,400 FD)

Interestingly, every other West Virginia player’s increased a lot tonight besides Matthews’, so we should be heavily considering him as a great source of value. Matthews entered the Mountaineers’ starting rotation a month ago and he’s yet to relinquish that role as head coach Bob Huggins has apparently found the lineup he likes in preparation for next year. The freshman was particularly impressive in the final three games of the regular season - averaging 22.75 DK points, 9.3 real points and seven rebounds per contest. During that span, we saw Matthews put up 25+ DK points and 10 boards vs. this same Oklahoma team he’ll face tonight. What makes Matthews (and every other West Virginia starter) especially attractive is the tight rotation the team has been rolling out lately after fluctuating lineups for the majority of the season. Matthews is now firmly locked into 25+ minutes as one of Huggins’ starting forwards next to Derek Culver - who usually occupies the tougher matchups on both ends of the floor (i.e. Kristian Doolittle in this matchup).

Other Forwards to Consider:

  • Derek Culver - WVU ($8,200 DK / $7,400 FD)

  • Savion Flagg - TA&M ($7,600 DK ONLY)

  • Yor Anei - OKST ($5,800 DK / $5,500 FD)

  • Juwan Durham - ND ($5,000 DK ONLY)

  • Jaylen Butz - DPU ($4,500 DK / $5,700 FD)

 

Example Lineup on DraftKings (MAIN):

G: Jaylen Hands, UCLA - $8,600

G: Jordan McCabe, WVU - $5,300

G: Torrence Watson, MIZZ - $3,800

F: Josh Sharma, STAN - $7,300

F: Emmitt Matthews, WVU - $3,700

F: Savion Flagg, TA&M - $7,600

U: Payton Pritchard, ORE - $7,700

U: Isaiah Jackson, PROV - $6,000

 

Example Lineup on FanDuel (MAIN):

G: Jaylen Hands, UCLA - $7,700

G: Jordan McCabe, WVU - $5,600

G: Torrence Watson, MIZZ - $4,500

G: Isaac Likekele, OKST - $6,400

F: Josh Sharma, STAN - $6,700

F: Emmitt Matthews, WVU - $4,400

F: Kristian Doolittle, OU - $7,200

U: Derek Culver, WVU - $7,400