Highest Scoring Teams:

(by Implied Points per KenPom)

  • Michigan State -- 81 Points (-13 vs. Georgia)
  • Yale -- 72 Points (-4 vs. Bucknell)
  • Georgia -- 68 Points (+13 vs. Michigan State)
  • Bucknell -- 68 Points (+4 vs. Yale)

Best Plays 

Cassius Winston - Michigan State ($8,800)

The Spartans’ star point guard is coming off one of the worst games he’s had in awhile, but we should bank on Winston bouncing back today. The senior struggled mightily yesterday as he battled foul trouble and a tough Virginia Tech defense, totaling just 10.25 DK points with seven points scored and three turnovers. Winston is still one of the best point guards in the nation, though, and he had been having a great season before this forgettable game. He came into yesterday’s matchup averaging 17.5 points, 6.8 assists and 33.4 DK points per game. Winston and the Michigan State offense should return to form today in a pace-up matchup vs. Georgia,  and he should be safe in cash and tournaments on this smaller slate without too many expensive options. 

Laquincy Rideau - South Florida ($7,700) 

South Florida’s offense runs mainly through two players with Laquincy Rideau and David Collins dominating the usage, minutes share and shot volume. Both guys are firmly in play today, but it’s Rideau who has the safer DFS floor in what should be a lower-scoring game vs. New Mexico State. Rideau, the starting point guard, leads USF in offensive usage, assist rate, shots share and steal rate. He’s coming off a game yesterday when he put up 35 DK points with his 17 points scored, five assists, four steals and three boards. This type of game is par for the course for Rideau, who has scored 29+ DK points in four of five games this year while scoring double-digits in every game thus far. 

Kai Edwards - Northern Colorado ($5,700)

There aren’t many DFS options in this Boston U-Northern Colorado game, but Edwards could be a solid value at this price point. The 6-foot-9 senior doesn’t start, but he’s played 32 minutes off the bench the last two games and he’s the best rebounder on the team with a 38.3% combined rebounding rate. That’s really saying something for a guy who normally comes off the bench, but ends up playing crunch time minutes for Northern Colorado. His playing time has also increased with each passing game this year, and he’s grabbed at least seven rebounds in the past four. Oh yeah, he’s also put up 32+ DK points in two of the last three games because of his rebounding skills. Boston University has some size down low, but they don’t have an elite rebounder who matches up with Edwards. 

Eric Monroe - Yale ($5,500)

Yale has a few high-priced players that are in play today, but we can get exposure to the second-highest scoring team on this slate with an affordable option in Eric Monroe. The Bulldogs’ senior point guard doesn’t provide a ton of scoring, but he makes up for that with his usual high floor of assists and rebounds. Case in point: Monroe scored just three points yesterday but returned 23+ DK points because of his eight assists and seven boards. He plays the majority of the point guard minutes and leads the team in assist rate, two facts that should keep his DFS value safe today in a tight game vs. Bucknell. 

Gabe Brown - Michigan State ($4,600) 

Although Brown moved back to a bench role yesterday with Aaron Henry back, he still saw significant minutes and actually played more than three Spartans starters. In 26 minutes, the sophomore finished with nine points, three rebounds, two steals and 19.25 DK points vs. Virginia Tech, his second game in a row with at least 19 DFS points. Coach Tom Izzo clearly favors Brown’s length on defense and he should continue to see the most action among any of Michigan State’s reserves. He doesn’t offer much upside offensively, but Brown will provide enough ancillary stats to return value because of his leg-up in playing time over the rest of the Spartan bench. They will need his defense again today against Georgia’s talented duo of Anthony Edwards and Rayshaun Hammonds. 

Other Players to Consider:

  • Jordan Bruner - Yale ($8,500)
  • Anthony Edwards - Georgia ($8,400)
  • Walter Whyte - Boston University ($6,800)
  • Avi Toomer - Bucknell ($5,200)
  • C.J. Bobbit - New Mexico State ($4,300)

 

Example Lineup:

G: Cassius Winston - MSU ($8,800)

G: Laquincy Rideau - USF ($7,700)

G: Eric Monroe - YALE ($5,500)

F: Xavier Tilman - MSU ($7,900)

F: Gabe Brown - MSU ($4,600)

F: Bruce Moore - BUCK ($5,400)

U: Kai Edwards - NCU ($5,700)

U: C.J. Bobbitt - NMST ($4,300)
 

NIGHT SLATE (FD Only)

Highest Scoring Teams:

(by Implied Points per KenPom)

  • Duke -- 91 Points (-31 vs. Stephen F. Austin)
  • Colorado -- 69 Points (-5 vs. Clemson)
  • California -- 68 Points (-12 vs. UC Davis)
  • Virginia Tech -- 67 Points (-1 vs. Dayton)

Best Plays 

Vernon Carey - Duke ($8,000)

Carey started the season slow but he’s finally starting to play like the top NBA Draft pick that he will inevitably be. The Blue Devils’ freshman has recorded a double-double in four straight games and he’s averaging 23.7 points, 12 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game over the last three matchups. Carey leads the team in offensive usage, shots share, and rebounding this year and he’s been a real handful in the paint for opposing teams. That should definitely be the case tonight against a Stephen F. Austin team that doesn’t have the size to match up with Carey down low. The only worry is that Carey doesn’t have that high-floor game we want from our expensive players because Duke is favored by 29 and this one should be over early. Still, he could easily put up his regular production in the minutes he’s out there before it gets out of hand. 

Oscar Tshiebwe - West Virginia ($6,800)

Although West Virginia runs a deep rotation with many different rotations, Tshiebwe has been a mainstay all season and is slowly emerging as their best player. The 6-foot-9, 258-pound freshman center was a highly rated recruit coming in and he’s had a couple massive DFS performances this season. He’s put up 42 and 47 FD points in two of four games this year and in each he had a 20-point double-double with at least two blocks. His usage and shots share are second on the team behind Derek Culver, but his real value has come from his elite rebounding skills. Tshiebwe’s offensive rebounding rate is the third-best mark in the country, per KenPom, and he’s a force on the defensive end too. But it’s that tendency to grab offensive boards and get easy put-backs that gives him a very good DFS floor. 

Hunter Cattoor - Virginia Tech ($4,900)

Although Cattoor hasn’t started since the season opener, he’s Tech’s best reserve player and is still playing big minutes off the bench lately. Yesterday vs. Michigan State, he played 30 minutes and put up 20.9 FD points with his stat-stuffing line of 10 points, two rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal. That solid contribution across multiple stat categories has allowed Cattoor to be very valuable in DFS as he’s now scored at least 21 FD points in four of the last five games. That’s a very good bargain at this price tag on both sites. 

Wendell Moore - Duke ($4,700)

Entering this season, we weren’t sure what Moore’s role would be on a team with so much offseason turnover and a couple studs in Vernon Carey and Tre Jones but we’re starting to get our answer. After beginning the year on the bench, the freshman has started the last two games and he’s seen a much larger role on offense. Over these last couple games, Moore put up 25 DK points both times and is averaging 13.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and four assists in his new role. In Duke’s last game vs. California, their toughest one since the opener against Kansas,  Moore played a season-high 36 minutes and was the second-best player behind Carey. He’s definitely outplaying fellow freshman Matthew Hurt right now and should retain his starting role moving forward. For the production he’s giving us in a new role, Moore is a solid value on this slate. 

Other Players to Consider:

  • Obi Toppin - Dayton ($8,300)
  • Landers Nolley - Virginia Tech ($7,800)
  • Cassius Stanley - Duke ($5,900)
  • John Newman - Clemson ($4,900)

 

Example Lineup:

G: Hunter Cattoor - VT ($4,900)

G: McKinley Wright - COL ($6,400)

G: Cassius Stanley - DUKE ($5,900)

G: John Newman - CLEM ($4,900)

F: Wendell Moore - DUKE ($4,700)

F: Vernon Carey - DUKE ($8,000)

F: Obi Toppin - DAY ($8,300)

U: Oscar Tshiebwe - WVU ($6,800)