EARLY SLATE (DK Only)
Highest Scoring Teams:
(by Implied Points per KenPom)
North Carolina -- 84 Points (-10 vs. Alabama)
Michigan State -- 78 Points (-15 vs. UCLA)
Alabama -- 74 Points (+10 vs. North Carolina)
Michigan -- 70 Points (-1 vs. Iowa State)
Penn State -- 70 Points (-1 vs. Mississippi)
Best Plays
Cole Anthony - North Carolina ($10,100)
DraftKings is just daring us to play Cole Anthony at this point with him nearing Zion Williamson or R.J. Barrett levels of pricing. Yet, although he’s above 10k for the first time this season and $1,200 more expensive than the next highest player on this slate - the freshman point guard is still one of the best plays today. Anthony actually 4x-ed his current salary over the first three games of the year as he averaged 27.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 49 DK points per game. Plus, we may have already seen Anthony’s floor game last time out when he shot 4-of-14 from the field and scored just nine points. He still returned 33.5 DK points, though, because of his near triple-double. The Tar Heels’ dynamic PG has proven that his DFS floor should be pretty high every game because he’s either scoring or assisting on most offensive possessions and has grabbed double-digit rebounds in three of four games so far.
Cassius Winston - Michigan State ($8,200)
A day after one of his worst collegiate games, Winston bounced back with a massive effort yesterday of 28 points scored, eight assists and 46.5 DK points. This is the type of performance we’re used to seeing from the Spartans’ senior point guard and hopefully he can carry that over into today. Seeing Winston get back to double-digit shot attempts for the first time in three games is also encouraging and when he’s doing that, he’s one of the best DFS players on any slate because of his floor in assists, steals and rebounds to add to his pure scoring. Winston is also oddly a bargain right now because this is the lowest salary he’s been at all year and it’s coming off his best game thus far - and he’s still $600 cheaper than yesterday. We can reasonably expect 4x from him at this price tag with the upside for 5x like he just did.
Armando Bacot - North Carolina ($6,300)
North Carolina’s “other” freshman is still way underpriced for his current role and production. Behind Cole Anthony, Bacot leads the rest of the Tar Heels in offensive usage (26%) and shots share (25%) and he’s the team’s best rebounder and shot-blocker at 6-foot-10. UNC has struggled to find scoring outside of Anthony and Bacot has stepped up to become the team’s clear second-best player. There’s enough room for him to be productive in the frontcourt, too, even if Anthony is doing his usual thing in the backcourt. Last game, we saw Bacot’s ceiling game when he put up 53.5 DK points with 22 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks. We can reasonably expect at least 25-30 DK points from him today in a fast-paced game vs. Alabama with plenty of opportunities for rebounds on both ends. Bacot should be the main pick-and-roll partner with Anthony and have tons of easy put-backs ready for him.
Blake Hinson - Mississippi ($5,200)
After sitting out the first four games, Hinson made his season debut on Saturday and scored 15 points in 21 minutes off the bench. The sophomore started 31 of 32 games last year and he should continue to see solid reserve minutes with an eventual return to the starting lineup coming soon. It’s encouraging to see Hinson be so effective in his first game back after he’s been dealing with a blood abnormality this past month. In his debut, he drained 4-of-7 three-pointers and provided 23 DK points at a minimum salary. Obviously his price has gone up today, but he should still be a solid value if he’s playing another 20 minutes (or more) in a pace-up game vs. Penn State.
Herbert Jones - Alabama ($4,800)
Honestly, Jones’ pricing seems like a mistake and we should take advantage of this value. The junior is the team’s starting power forward and he’s returned 21 or more DK points in the two games since returning from an elbow injury. He has the second-highest offensive usage on the team (25%) and is third in shots share. Jones is fully healthy now after he played 32 minutes in ‘Bama’s last game, and he’ll be needed down low on both ends against North Carolina’s frontcourt duo of Garrison Brooks and Armando Bacot. Getting a starter at sub-5k in a game that should be fast-paced and high-scoring for both teams? Sign me up!
Marcus Bingham Jr. - Michigan State ($4,500)
Despite playing sparingly off the bench for much of this season, Bingham was a surprise starter yesterday vs. Georgia and he could see an increase in minutes again today. Spartans’ coach Tom Izzo was clearly looking to shake things up after Michigan State lost to Virginia Tech a couple days ago and inserting Bingham into the starting rotation to replace Thomas Kither (who played just five minutes) was the solution. It paid off because MSU got the win as the sophomore forward put up 19 DK points in 18 minutes and he contributed across all stat categories. At 6-foot-11, Bingham gives the Spartans even more size and allows Xavier Tillman to play more of a power forward role. If this uptick in playing time and role continues, then we’re in for Bingham being a very good value because of his crazy efficiency. When he’s played 12 or minutes this season (in four of six games), Bingham has returned at least 19 DK points every time as he’s a force in the paint as a top-end rebounder and shot blocker.
Other Players to Consider:
Kira Lewis Jr. - Alabama ($8,900)
Tyrese Haliburton - Iowa State ($8,400)
Lamar Stevens - Penn State ($7,900)
Cody Riley - UCLA ($5,100)
Solomon Young - Iowa State ($4,800)
Casey Morsell - Virginia ($4,100)
Example Lineup:
G: Cole Anthony - UNC ($10,100)
G: Herbert Jones - BAMA ($4,800)
G: Blake Hinson - MISS ($5,200)
F: Marcus Bingham - MSU ($4,500)
F: Armando Bacot - UNC ($6,300)
F: Solomon Young - ISU ($4,800)
U: Lamar Stevens - PSU ($7,900)
U: George Conditt - ISU ($6,400)