Highest Scoring Teams:
(by Implied Points per KenPom)
Maryland -- 80 Points (-18 vs. Oakland)
Villanova -- 77 Points (-19 vs. Ohio)
Boston College -- 74 Points (-1 vs. Belmont)
Belmont -- 73 Points (+1 vs. Boston College)
Virginia -- 72 Points (-21 vs. Columbia)
GUARDS
Derryck Thornton - Boston College ($8,400 DK / $7,000 FD)
There are many pay-up options at guard today but Thornton looks like the safest among them in what should be a back-and-forth battle vs. Belmont. Plus, he’s a serious value on FanDuel with a $1,400 price differential from DraftKings. After transferring from Duke and USC the past few years, Thornton seems to have finally found a home with Boston College and he’s emerged as a do-everything playmaker for the Eagles. The senior point guard leads the team in offensive usage, shots share and assist rate so far and it’s resulted in some big DFS performances to start the season. In Boston College’s first two games, Thornton averaged 22.5 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals while putting up 38 and 34 DK points against Wake Forest and South Florida, respectively. This is the type of production we should expect from him today in a pretty even matchup against Belmont where Thornton will have to be heavily involved yet again.
Jason Preston - Ohio ($8,000 DK / $8,300 FD)
At first glance, it may seem like we should stay away from the Ohio players with the Bobcats being big underdogs and a tough matchup on the road vs. Villanova - but Preston can easily hit value with how big his role is on the team. Preston is playing nearly every minute from Ohio’s point guard position and he’s been a nightly threat to post a triple-double this season. The sophomore leads the team in offensive usage by a big margin and he’s the team-leader in shot volume, rebounding rate and assist rate. Preston is not only averaging close to a triple-double this year - 18 points, 9.7 assists and nine rebounds per game - but he’s also already put up two seperate 50-point DK performances through the first three games. His guaranteed role for Ohio on both ends makes his high price tag warranted - and we can safely play him in all formats even if the Bobcats get blown out by Villanova.
Adam Kunkel - Belmont ($6,600 DK / $5,900 FD)
While Belmont’s offense runs heavily through their stud big man Nick Muszynski, this matchup against Boston College could force the Bruins to find more production from their guards. The Eagles have a good forward duo in Steffon Mitchell and Nik Popovic that could cause Muszynski some issues in the paint. Instead, Belmont may need Adam Kunkel and the rest of their guards to provide the scoring. Kunkel actually leads the Bruins in scoring this season and he owns the highest offensive usage and second-highest shots share among Belmonts’ starters. More specifically, Kunkel’s three-point shooting is what makes him a nice value on this slate. The sophomore drained 7-of-11 three’s last game en route to 28 points scored - and he’s already gone 11-for-20 from deep through the first two games. This Belmont offense generates 41% of its scoring via the three-pointer and Kunkel is a big reason why.
Tray Maddox Jr. - Oakland ($5,400 DK / $5,300 FD)
Although Oakland is projected to lose by double-digits to Maryland today, their players are attractive for DFS purposes because the starters play such a large percentage of the minutes. Maddox, specifically, has a 92% minutes share from the shooting guard and small forward positions and he’s played at least 35 minutes in each of the last three games. The usage and shot volume is pretty evenly spread out among Oakland’s starters, but Maddox is the better per-dollar play than his teammates because of the salary savings on both sites and his consistent involvement in the offense. Maddox has double-digit shot attempts and scored double-digit points in each of the last three games while averaging 25 DK points per game.
Other Guards to Consider:
Nate Pierre-Louis - Temple ($9,100 DK / $8,700 FD)
Mustapha Heron - St. John’s ($6,900 FD Only)
Anthony Cowan - Maryland ($6,900 DK / $6,800 FD)
Eric Ayala - Maryland ($5,600 DK / $5,100 FD)
Kody Stattmann - Virginia ($4,300 DK / $4,000 FD)
FORWARDS
Jalen Smith - UMD ($8,700 DK / $7,800 FD)
With Bruno Fernando off to the NBA, Jalen Smith has become the go-to option in Maryland’s offense this season and the new role has resulted in some big games. Smith has posted a double-double in both of the Terps’ first two games and he’s put up at least 36 DK points in each. The 6-foot-10 sophomore leads the team in offensive usage, shots share and rebounding this season and his consistent involvement will keep his DFS floor relatively higher than most forwards on this slate. It’s also encouraging to see Smith emerge as a shot-blocker this year as he’s blocked five shots through the first two games and has been a force on the offensive glass. With Maryland projected to score the most points on this slate overall, Smith is a very solid pay-up option as the Terps’ best player with a solid floor in shot attempts and usage.
Steffon Mitchell - Boston College ($7,500 DK / $7,400 FD)
The price tag may seem a bit high for Mitchell today, but we are paying for his rebounding upside in this matchup vs. Belmont. The Bruins are undersized and have been outrebounded in both of their first two games - and this is a spot where Mitchell should feast on the offensive and defensive boards. The junior was Boston College’s best rebounder last season and he’s begun this year the same way, grabbing nine or more boards in each of the first three games - including 13 and 10 in the past two. At 6-foot-8, Mitchell brings an intense physicality and elite rebounding skill to the power forward position alongside the Eagles’ 6-foot-11 center Nik Popovic, who is the better offensive player of the two. This is how things went last year for BC and it looks like we’ll see Mitchell be the team’s best rebounder for a second straight season.
Brad Brechting - Oakland ($5,300 DK / $5,600 FD)
While Maryland is projected to score the most points on this slate, there’s some good value among Oakland’s starters on the other side because they play such a large share of the team’s minutes. Brechting, in particular, looks like a solid value forward today because of his plus-matchup against the usual lineup construction for Maryland this season. The Terps are one of the best teams in the country but the one thing they lack is size and rebounding skills down low. Outside of 6-foot-10 Jalen Smith, who starts at center but is more of a stretch-four player, Maryland is guard-heavy and does not have a player taller than 6-foot-7 playing regular minutes. Despite beating Rhode Island by 18 last game, Maryland allowed opposing center Cyrus Langevine to grab 17 rebounds. This is where Brechting at 6-foot-11 could take advantage against the Terps’ undersized rotation. Brechting is Oakland’s best rebounder and he just racked up 12 boards in the last game. Ignore the fact that the Golden Grizzlies are big underdogs and take the value in Brechting.
Sylvester Ogbonda - Ohio ($4,800 DK / $4,100 FD)
Although Villanova boasts a quartet of talented forwards this season, the value for Ogbonda is just too hard to ignore on this slate. Ohio’s 6-foot-10 center actually has a size advantage over all of Nova’s frontcourt and his rebounding skills down low will be key for Ohio’s chances today. Ogbonda doesn’t get a ton of shot attempts in Ohio’s offense, but he’s the team’s best rebounder outside of do-everything point guard Jason Preston. Plus, the senior will provide some blocks to pair with his rebounding upside to hit value at a cheap price tag. Ogbonda has put up 20+ DK points in back-to-back games and he should play even more minutes in this matchup vs. Villanova - which is Ohio’s toughest game to date.
Other Forwards to Consider:
Nick Muszynski - Belmont ($7,700 DK /
Jermaine Samuels - Villanova ($7,600 DK /
J.P. Moorman - Temple ($4,900 DK /
CJ Felder - Boston College ($4,200 DK /
DraftKings Example Lineup:
G: Derryck Thornton - BC ($8,400)
G: Adam Kunkel - BEL ($6,600)
G: Tray Maddox - OAK ($5,400)
F: Steffon Mitchell - BC ($7,500)
F: Nick Muszynski - BEL ($7,700)
F: Brad Brechting - OAK ($5,300)
U: Sylvester Ogbonda - OHIO ($4,800)
U: Koby Stattmann - UVA ($4,300)
FanDuel Example Lineup:
G: Derryck Thornton - BC ($7,000)
G: Mustapha Heron - SJU ($6,900)
G: Adam Kunkel - BEL ($5,900)
G: Tray Maddox - OAK ($5,300)
F: Steffon Mitchell - BC ($7,400)
F: Jalen Smith - UMD ($7,800)
F: Brad Brechting - OAK ($5,600)
F: Sylvester Ogbonda - OHIO ($4,100)