Highest Scoring Teams (DK ONLY):
(by Implied Points & Spreads per KenPom)
Duke -- 83 Points (-20 vs. Wake Forest)
LSU -- 78 Points (-8 vs. Mississippi State)
Iowa State -- 76 Points (-1 vs. Oklahoma)
Oregon -- 76 Points (-11 vs. Arizona State)
Oklahoma -- 75 Points (+1 vs. Iowa State)
USC -- 71 Points (-1 vs. UCLA)
TOP PLAYS
Payton Pritchard - Oregon ($8,500 DK)
As long as Oregon is on the slate, we need to strongly consider Payton Pritchard in all formats. The Ducks’ senior point guard is averaging 38 DK points over the last ten games and his 30% usage rate and 33% shots share over the first three conference games both lead the team by a big margin - and are among the top five in the Pac-12. He’s the main ball-handler in the offense and should be highly owned on this slate without many legit plays in the high-end of the guard position. In Oregon’s three conference matchups so far, Pritchard is averaging 19.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, two steals and 37.8 DK points.
Kristian Doolittle - Oklahoma ($8,300 DK)
There are a few ways to go at forward tonight if you’re trying to fit in a stud, but Doolittle looks like the best bang for your buck. The Oklahoma offense revolves around the 6-foot-7 power forward as his 27% usage rate and 28% shots share both lead the team. He’s averaging 33 DK points over the last ten games with 17.9 PPG and 8.3 RPG during that span. Doolittle should benefit from not only playing in an up-tempo game tonight vs. Iowa State, but he also gets a favorable matchup on the rebounding end. He’s been able to gobble up rebounds and stay out of foul trouble while playing alongside Brady Manek (6-foot-9) - and he’ll have a leg up matchup-wise against Iowa State’s frontcourt that does not rebound well. There should be a ton of boards available with how fast both these teams play, and Doolittle is in a good spot to notch a double-double with upside as the #1 offensive weapon for the Sooners.
Tre Jones - Duke ($8,100 DK)
Duke’s point guard has already been a top daily play with his high usage and role in the offense and as a shutdown defender, but he gets a bump in value now with Wendell Moore out still. Moore also ran the point when Jones was off the floor this season, but now the Blue Devils’ rotation has tightened and Jones is locked into more playing time - giving him a much higher DFS floor than usual. In the last game (Duke’s first without Moore), we saw Jones put up 45 DK points in 39 minutes with his 16 points scored, seven assists, eight rebounds and four steals. The sophomore went through a lull to start conference play, but he’s now back to being an elite guard worth paying up for as long as Moore is out.
VALUE PLAYS
Scottie Lewis - Florida ($5,400 DK)
Despite missing a game at the end of December with a concussion, Lewis is back to getting a full workload in Florida’s starting rotation and he’s been a huge value to begin conference play. In the last two games vs. Alabama and South Carolina, Lewis put up 38 and 31 DK points, respectively, at this same price point and oddly enough his salary has not yet risen to reflect that production. The dynamic freshman is about third on the team in terms of shot volume, but he’s been able to return more than enough value with his contribution across multiple stat categories while playing a large minutes share. Lewis grabbed 19 rebounds and blocked four shots over the last two games - to go along with his 15 points scored in each contest. Until Lewis’ price rises, he looks like a safe cash play with GPP upside.
N’Faly Dante - Oregon ($4,500 DK)
While Oregon’s frontcourt has been a guessing game all season, eventually Dante will become a massive value in DFS if he’s still being priced this cheap. The five-star freshman has yet to break out this season but he’s getting mighty close after sitting out the first part of the season due to academic ineligibility. The 6-foot-11 center is coming off his best game of the year so far as he put up 20 DK points over 19 minutes in Thursday’s win over Arizona. Still, he’s only played 22 minutes in a game at most this year and the main issue that’s limiting his playing time is foul trouble. However, Oregon needs his size more than ever with CJ Walker still out. Once he starts figuring it out (and maybe starting at some point), the future NBA lottery pick will be a huge value while he’s this price.
Jordan Goldwire & Alex O’Connell - Duke
Duke played its first game without Wendell Moore on Wednesday and we got a glimpse into how Coach K would run the rotation in his absence. Jordan Goldwire ($4,500 DK) came off the bench but he played 37 minutes in a tight road win over Georgia Tech because he’s one of the better on-ball defenders for Duke this season. He only accrued 8 DK points, but getting that many minutes is a great sign as he’s the best option right now when the team wants to play smaller. Meanwhile, Alex O’Connell ($4,200 DK) came off the bench too on Wednesday, but he had a bigger offensive role than Goldwire - despite playing just 13 minutes. O’Connell put up 13 DK points in that limited time and had a 20% usage rate when he was on the court. Both are values again today as Duke plays without Moore again.
Others to Consider:
Tyrese Haliburton - Iowa State ($9,200 DK)
Vernon Carey Jr. - Duke ($8,400 DK)
Darius Days - LSU ($6,600 DK)
Trendon Watford - LSU ($6,200 DK)
Nick Weatherspoon - Mississippi State ($6,200 DK)
Andrew Jones - Texas ($4,900 DK)
Omar Payne - Florida ($4,200 DK)
DraftKings Example Lineup:
G: Payton Pritchard - ORE ($8,500)
G: Tre Jones - DUKE ($8,100)
G: Scottie Lewis - UF ($5,400)
F: Kristian Doolittle - OU ($8,300)
F: Darius Days - LSU ($6,600)
F: N’Faly Dante - ORE ($4,500)
U: Alex O’Connell - DUKE ($4,200)
U: Omar Payne - UF ($4,200)