Welcome back, college basketball fans!! While it may seem like just yesterday when Virginia was cutting down the nets as champs - the 2019-20 CBB season is finally here and we’re back for another year of DFS College Hoops!
Each week we will cover four or five of the bigger DFS CBB slates on DraftKings and FanDuel throughout the season. We’re now into the second week of the season and we’re back for another solid slate of college hoops. DraftKings has a 5-game slate while FanDuel has a 6-gamer with Oklahoma State-Charleston as the outlier matchup.
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!
Highest Scoring Teams:
(by Implied Points per KenPom)
Louisville -- 85 Points (-23 vs. Indiana State)
Connecticut -- 83 Points (-15 vs. St. Joseph’s)
Oklahoma State -- 75 Points (-7 vs. Charleston) **FD ONLY**
Marquette -- 71 Points (-1 vs. Purdue)
Purdue -- 70 Points (+1 vs. Marquette)
Before we get into the top plays common to both sites tonight, let’s touch on the best options in the FD Only matchup between Oklahoma State and College of Charleston. Grant Riller ($7,600) is arguably the best player in the Colonial conference as he leads Charleston in usage, shots share and assist rate. Even at his high price tag, he should be in play because he’ll be the go-to scorer and playmaker for Charleston in a tough matchup where he’ll likely be force-fed shots. Oklahoma State runs a deep rotation, which limits the upside overall for their players because DFS production will be spread out more than most teams. Yor Anei ($7,100) has the highest shots share on the team is second in offensive usage. Isaac Likekele ($6,900) needs to be considered as the best guard on the team and the best pure scorer on the team with assist upside. Cameron McGriff ($6,000) is also firmly in play with solid production across all categories and at a cheaper price tag than Anei.
GUARDS
Markus Howard - Marquette ($9,600 DK / $8,600 FD)
One of the best players in college basketball is back for his senior season and he’s still one of the highest-upside DFS plays whenever he’s in action. In Marquette’s season opener last week, Howard dropped 50 DK points with his 38 real points and seven made three-pointers. Last season, Howard’s usage and shot volume were both top 10 marks in the whole country - and that doesn’t seem to be changing this year. In the first game, he had a 46% usage rate and a 55% shots share - both among the top two in all of college hoops. We should continue to expect these high-usage games from Howard this season because he’s the clear No. 1 scoring and playmaking option for Marquette - which will keep his DFS floor and ceiling very high compared to other talented guards on teams with more talent. Even at this expensive price tag, Howard should be strongly considered for all formats on both sites.
Luwane Pipkins - Providence ($6,300 DK / $6,300 FD)
Although Providence’s headliner is senior Alpha Diallo, pretty soon we will see Pipkins have a much larger role in this offense. The UMass transfer was one of the best pure scorers in the country last year and he could end up challenging Diallo as the go-to offensive option for the Friars this season. Pipkins came out strong in the opener with 36 DK points behind his 13 points scored, seven assists, four rebounds and three steals - and this is the type of game we should expect from him moving forward. Maybe he won’t eclipse 20 points scored like he did a bunch of times for UMass, but he will provide enough production across the board in every other stat category to provide a solid DFS floor. Through the first two games, Pipkins leads the team in assist rate and has the second-highest shot volume behind Diallo. Eventually we’ll see his usage rise higher and this matchup vs. Northwestern could be the game where Pipkins is needed to do more as the main scorer and distributor for Providence.
Koby McEwan - Marquette ($5,900 DK / $5,100 FD)
While Markus Howard dominates the usage and shot volume for Marquette, we can still get cheaper exposure to this team in the form of Koby McEwan. The Utah State transfer should be a regular starter for the Golden Eagles this season and will be a nice scoring complement alongside Howard in the backcourt. In the first game, McEwan had nearly 25 DK points with 11 real points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal while going 3-for-3 from three-point range. If not for Howard’s presence, McEwan would likely be Marquette’s best offensive scorer after he averaged 15 points per game over his first two collegiate seasons for Utah State and led those teams in possession usage both years. There will be some nights when Marquette will need more offensive production from McEwan as opposing teams focus their defense on stopping Howard. Tonight could be one of those against a stingy Purdue defense. He’s a little pricey on DK tonight, but he looks like a very good bargain on FD at that salary.
Sasha Stefanovic - Purdue ($5,200 DK / $4,900 FD)
After missing the season opener, Stefanovic returned last game and led Purdue in scoring with 14 points and four made three-pointers off the bench. It’s a really good sign to see this type of production from a guy who had a foot injury coming in - but it clearly didn’t affect him much as his shot seemed pretty healthy. Although he doesn’t start for the Boilermakers, Stefanovic will still play a ton and maintain an offensive role off the bench because the team plays with a short rotation and he’s one of the better perimeter threats on the roster overall. In limited minutes last season, Stefanovic hit 41% of his three-pointers - but his deep shooting will be more valuable now for Purdue with Carsen Edwards off to the NBA.
Duane Washington - Ohio State ($4,200 DK / $4,400 FD)
With Andre Wesson out for the next couple weeks, Washington stepped into a starting role last game and he provided nearly 16 DK points with eight points scored, three rebounds, two assists and two made three-pointers. It was a decent performance on paper, but what’s really encouraging is that Washington logged 27 minutes - the most among the starters and 11 more than the previous game when he came off the bench. He’ll likely play even more tonight in a tough matchup vs. Villanova where Ohio State’s rotation should tighten up. Neither site has priced Washington appropriately to his new starting role and it makes him a solid bargain overall with a good chance to provide 5x value.
Alterique Gilbert - Connecticut ($4,100 DK / $5,500 FD)
On nearly every slate there’s a price discrepancy that needs to be highlighted - and that’s Alterique Gilbert tonight. He’s a really good value on DK, where he’s $1,400 cheaper than on FD. Gilbert is a starter in Connecticut’s backcourt and his secure playing time keeps his DFS floor higher than most in this price range. He only put up 16 DK points in the first game with six points scored and five assists - but there’s reason to believe his production will go up. The junior had the second-highest usage and shot volume last year for UConn as he started 23 of 25 games when healthy - and that was with senior point guard Jalen Adams still leading the way. This season, Gilbert should have a larger role on offense for the Huskies and he’s a very nice value on DK.
Other Guards to Consider:
Christian Vital - Connecticut ($8,500 DK / $8,100 FD)
Ryan Daly - St. Joseph’s ($8,400 DK / $7,700 FD)
Ryan McMahon - Louisville ($5,800 DK / $5,200 FD)
Nojel Eastern - Purdue ($5,600 DK / $5,000 FD)
D.J. Carton - Ohio State ($4,400 DK / $4,700 FD)
FORWARDS
Jordan Nwora - Louisville ($8,800 DK / $7,800 FD)
The Preseason ACC Player of the Year has played just like that over Louisville’s first two games and he arguably has the highest DFS floor and ceiling of any forward tonight. Nwora scored 23 and 21 points in the first two matchups, respectively, and had 16 shot attempts in both. He leads the Cardinals in offensive usage and shot volume so far this season and has grabbed 18 rebounds over the first two games. He’s clearly the top scoring option for Louisville and his near-guaranteed shot volume makes him a safe pay-up play on both sites. Nwora’s opponent tonight, Indiana State, plays at a faster tempo than usual and doesn’t have a great defense - both things we love for DFS purposes for all Louisville players.
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl - Villanova ($8,300 DK / $7,900 FD)
Villanova no longer has Phil Booth and Eric Paschall dominating the DFS production like they did last year. Instead, ‘Nova’s best player is arguably a 5-star freshman who looks ready to take on a big role for the team right away. In last week’s season opener, Robinson-Earl led the Wildcats in usage (34%), scoring (24 points) and rebounding (13 boards) while launching the second-most shot attempts (14). He seems to have taken over Paschall’s former role in this offense as the dominant scoring big and one of the main offensive options. Robinson-Earl will also benefit from Villanova having a couple other experienced forwards in Saddiq Bey, Cole Swider and Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree who can guard opposing bigs and take some of the defensive pressure off him as a freshman. That frontcourt depth around Robinson-Earl will come in handy tonight against Ohio State’s Kaleb Wesson as it should allow him to continue to be efficient on offense while not having to guard Wesson down low every possession.
Kaleb Wesson - Ohio State ($7,400 DK / $7,100 FD)
If you’re not comfortable paying all the way up for Nwora or Robinson-Earl, you can definitely swap in Wesson and feel pretty safe about it. The junior center entered this season as the Buckeyes’ best player and he’s answered the bell thus far - putting up 27+ DK points in the season opener despite scoring just eight points and then dropping a 13-point, 13-rebound double-double and 40+ DK points in the last game. In that most recent game, we saw him have a larger usage and role on offense with Andre Wesson out - and this should continue with Andre remaining out for a couple weeks. Wesson could run into some trouble with Villanova’s talented frontcourt, but as long as he stays out of foul trouble then we should get at least a 4x game from him tonight.
Josh Carlton - Connecticut ($6,800 DK / $6,800 FD)
Although UConn has only played one game thus far, it’s certainly encouraging to see Carlton lead the team in offensive usage (38%) and shots share (41%) in that season opener. Plus, both those numbers are top 16 marks in the country - which is saying something, even if it was against an easy opponent like Sacred Heart. Carlton didn’t have this high level of production last season, but the 6-foot-11 junior center looks to have a much larger role in the Huskies’ offense this year. In that first game, Carlton posted team-high’s in points (18), shot attempts (17) and rebounds (8) while adding two blocks. He’ll now face a Saint Joseph’s team that plays at a fast tempo, does not have a good defense and has no one taller than 6-foot-8 to challenge Carlton’s size down low.
Kalif Young - Providence ($4,900 DK / $5,100 FD)
As long as Nate Watson remains out, Young will have value as a starter in Providence’s frontcourt as long as his salary stays affordable - and that’s the case tonight on both sites. He doesn’t have a huge shots share in the offense, but his DFS floor will stay in the 20-25 point range because of his locked-in playing time with Watson out. He’s grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked four shots through the first two games and he’s the best true big man on a team with a ton of guards rotating in. This matchup vs. Northwestern will likely be a low-scoring game without much DFS value across the board, but Young provides a cheaper option who can potentially 4x or 5x his price tag on both sites.
Other Forwards to Consider:
Jermaine Samuels - Villanova ($6,900 DK / $6,500 FD)
Sacar Anim - Marquette ($5,700 DK / $5,300 FD)
Aaron Wheeler - Purdue ($5,700 DK / $5,800 FD)
Alonzo Gaffney - Ohio State ($4,300 DK / $4,200 FD)
DraftKings Example Lineup:
G: Markus Howard - MARQ ($9,600)
G: Alterique Gilbert - CONN ($4,100)
G: Sasha Stefanovic - PUR ($5,200)
F: Jordan Nwora - LOU ($8,800)
F: Kaleb Wesson - OSU ($7,400)
F: Kalif Young - PROV ($4,900)
U: Duane Washington - OSU ($4,200)
U: Sacar Anim - MARQ ($5,700)
FanDuel Example Lineup:
G: Markus Howard - MARQ ($8,600)
G: Sasha Stefanovic - PUR ($4,900)
G: Christian Vital - CONN ($8,000)
G: Koby McEwen - MARQ ($5,100)
F: Jeremiah Robinson-Earl - NOVA ($7,900)
F: Cameron McGriff - OKST ($6,000)
F: Kalif Young - PROV ($5,100)
U: Duane Washington - OSU ($4,400)