Highest Scoring Teams:
(by Implied Points & Spreads per KenPom)
Oregon State -- 75 Points (-9 vs. UCLA)
Colorado -- 74 Points (-12 vs. Washington State)
Oregon -- 74 Points (-8 vs. USC)
Michigan State -- 72 Points (-2 vs. Indiana)
Houston -- 71 Points (-8 vs. Connecticut)
Washington -- 70 Points (-3 vs. Utah)
Indiana -- 70 Points (+2 vs. Michigan State)
Top Guards
Payton Pritchard - Oregon ($8,900 DK / $8,500 FD)
Whenever Oregon is on the DFS CBB slate, the guard position begins and ends with the Ducks’ senior point guard. Payton Pritchard has at least 34 DK points in five straight games and he’s averaging 20.2 points and 38 DK points over his last ten games. He’s the clear top scorer for Oregon this year and he’s also the lead ball-handler on offense - which keeps his DFS floor and ceiling pretty high compared to most other high-priced guards today. During Pac-12 play, Pritchard’s 28.5% usage rate and 30.5% shots share both lead the team by a decent margin and are top five marks in the conference. It doesn’t get much safer than Pritchard in cash and tournaments among all guards in the country - and especially on tonight’s slate without a top-tier guy to challenge him.
Tyler Bey - Colorado ($8,100 DK / $7,700 FD)
If Bey was more consistent DFS-wise, his salary would be much higher on both sites right now - so this is a semi-buy low opportunity on him tonight. The Colorado junior is coming off a poor outing on the road against Arizona when he had just 16.5 DK points on only four shot attempts. Usually, though, Bey is much better than that. In the four conference games prior to that ugly showing, he averaged 16.3 points, 10.5 rebounds and three blocks/steals per game with at least 34 DK points in each. The Buffs’ offense largely relies on the playmaking and scoring of Bey and point guard McKinley Wright - and that should certainly be the case again tonight. Washington State’s defense allows a ton of opposing points in the interior and this is where Bey lives on offense with mid-range jumpers and as a post player. Note that Bey is also forward eligible on DraftKings, making roster construction a bit more flexible on that site.
DeJon Jarreau - Houston ($5,700 DK / $5,400 FD)
Houston shook up its starting rotation a couple games ago and it’s resulted in DeJon Jarreau having a much bigger role in the offense. The junior has now started the past two games at point guard - with Quentin Grimes heading to the bench consequentially - and he’s coming off a 41.5 DK point performance on Saturday that included 12 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and three steals in 35 minutes. He’s now put up at least 23 DK points in five straight games but should have a higher floor now that he’s starting and getting more playing time and offensive usage. Jarreau actually began the season starting seven of the first nine games before spending a month’s worth of games coming off the bench. He was pretty productive as a sixth-man scorer for Houston, but he’s still very solid now that he’s a starter. The Cougars will likely stick with Jarreau in the starting rotation moving forward now that they’ve won both games since the lineup change.
Noah Williams - Washington State ($4,600 DK / $4,700 FD)
With Jaylen Shead out indefinitely, Washington State has turned to Noah Williams to play more minutes in the backcourt and it’s made him a very good value. Williams has now started the past two games, played 32 minutes in both and put up 16 and 24 DK points, respectively. The freshman will continue to see an increase in playing time with Shead out for the foreseeable future and the Cougars dealing with a short bench right now with Tony Miller and Marvin Cannon also hurt. Williams had been a solid reserve before his newfound starting role - and he’s taking advantage of the opportunity after scoring a season-high 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting last time out.
Marcus Tsohonis - Washington ($3,800 DK / $4,200 FD)
Washington’s freshman guard has been a surprising breakout player lately as he’s gotten more playing time in the rotation. Tsohonis had a ton of DNP’s and saw minimal playing time for much of the season, but the recent ineligibility of Huskies’ point guard Quade Green has opened up a lot of opportunities for him now. In the past two games with Green out, Tsohonis played 29 and 36 minutes off the bench and put up 22 and 21 DK points, respectively. Jamal Bey has been starting these games in Green’s place, but it’s Tsohonis who’s actually seen more playing time at point guard and he’s had 25% and 29% usage rates in these last two outings. Now, it’s been reported that Tsohonis is expected to start tonight - possibly in place of Bey. He’s basically the lock play of the slate because his value opens up your lineup so much.
Other Guards to Consider:
McKinley Wright - Colorado ($8,300 DK / $7,100 FD)
Cassius Winston - Michigan State ($7,900 DK / $7,500 FD)
Isaac Bonton - Washington State ($7,400 DK / $6,100 FD)
Chris Smith - UCLA ($6,600 DK / $6,400 FD)
Rob Phinisee - Indiana ($4,500 DK / $4,500 FD)
Jamal Bey - Washington ($4,300 DK / $4,100 FD)
Top Forwards
Tres Tinkle - Oregon State ($9,000 DK / $8,700 FD)
We don’t usually suggest Tinkle in DFS because he’s usually so overpriced for what his real value is, but tonight is the right time to take a chance on him - especially in tournaments. The Oregon State senior power forward is the best player on the team projected to score the most points in this slate - and he’ll benefit from facing one of the Pac-12’s worst defenses in UCLA. Tinkle has at least 38 DK points in three of the last four games and he’s averaging nearly 35 DK points over the past ten outings. One important factor to note, though, is how much better Tinkle is playing at home than on the road this season. In 11 home matchups, he’s averaging 45.8 DK points compared to only 29.6 DK points in seven road games. Normally we wouldn’t put too much stock into this, but it’s clear that Tinkle plays a lot better when he’s in the comfort of his home area. His shooting percentages are also notably better at home too - going 55% from the field and 53% from three when at home compared to 39% and 21%, respectively, on the road. Simply put, we can safely raise our expectations for Tinkle when he’s at home - which is the case tonight in a favorable matchup.
Isaiah Stewart - Washington ($8,700 DK / $7,800 FD)
If you think rolling with Tinkle is too risky, well here’s another boom-or-bust forward who’s been a lot more “boom” lately. Washington’s true freshman center is coming off a monster game on Saturday when he had a whopping 67 DK points against Oregon thanks to his 25 points scored, 19 rebounds and five blocks. While we obviously can’t expect a repeat performance tonight, Stewart has proven he can put together those types of games when he takes over in the paint against undersized frontcourts. About a month ago, Stewart had a string of six games where he averaged 23.2 points, 10.8 rebounds and two blocks per game with 42.3 DK points per outing. During that stretch, Washington’s offense largely ran through him down low - and the Huskies will have to get back to that regularly with their point guard Quade Green recently ruled ineligible for the time being. Stewart and Co. will have a favorable matchup tonight against Utah and their conference-worst defense, especially in the paint without much size to match up against his 6-foot-9, 250-pound frame.
Timmy Allen - Utah ($8,200 DK / $7,300 FD)
If you’re still looking to pay down further from Tres Tinkle or Isaiah Stewart, pivoting to Utah’s best player is also a solid option. Timmy Allen began the season with otherworldly production, but he’s cooled off a bit and his price tag has consequently lowered. A month or so ago, Allen was consistently putting up 35-45 DK points as a do-everything point-forward in the Utes’ lineup. A couple poor outings recently made those games look like an anomaly - but Allen bounced back to put up 45 DK points on Saturday vs. Arizona State with an impressive stat line of 18 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and four steals. The sophomore’s DFS floor is usually very comfortable because of his high involvement on offense - his 30% usage rate and 32% shots share during conference play are both top three marks in the Pac-12. The $900 price differential from DK to FD is certainly noticeable and he’s pretty attractive on the latter site.
Daniel Utomi - USC ($4,600 DK / $4,200 FD)
Ever since Utomi entered USC’s starting lineup, he’s been a very solid value play with the increase in playing time and role. The grad transfer has now started the past three games in Elijah Weaver’s place, and he’s put up 19, 28 and 15 DK points in those starts, respectively. Utomi came off the bench for the early part of the season, but he’ll likely stay in the starting rotation now that the Trojans have won three straight with him in that role. Plus, there’s some upside for Utomi tonight if he can hit some three-pointers. During conference play, he’s been the team’s best three-point shooter (44%) and now he’ll face an Oregon defense that’s allowing the second-most opposing points from deep in the Pac-12. In Utomi’s first two starts, he went 7-for-13 from three-point range - an encouraging sign that he got that many looks despite being a newcomer to the starting rotation. Note: Utomi is guard-only eligible on DraftKings and forward-only eligible on FanDuel right now.
DJ Rodman - Washington State ($3,700 DK / $4,000 FD)
Yes, this is Dennis Rodman’s son - but that’s not why we’re suggesting him tonight. The true freshman has seen a big increase in playing time lately with Washington State dealing with a couple injuries to regular bench players Tony Miller and Marvin Cannon - both will be out for another few weeks. In the past two games with his teammates out, Rodman has played 23 and 30 minutes off the bench and he put up 16 DK points both times. At his price tags on both sites, we don’t really need much production from Rodman for him to pay off and also open up the rest of your lineup. If we can pencil in 16 DFS points yet again from him tonight, he’s one of the best value plays on the board with this increase in minutes.
Other Forwards to Consider:
Xavier Tillman - Michigan State ($8,800 DK / $8,100 FD)
Jaden McDaniels - Washington ($7,200 DK / $6,300 FD)
Joey Brunk - Indiana ($5,200 DK / $5,700 FD)
Gabe Brown - Michigan State ($4,900 DK / $4,600 FD)
Chandler Lawson - Oregon ($4,600 DK / $4,400 FD)
DraftKings Example Lineup:
G: Payton Pritchard - ORE ($8,900)
G: Marcus Tsohonis - UW ($3,800)
G: Daniel Utomi - USC ($4,600)
F: Tres Tinkle - OSU ($9,000)
F: Tyler Bey - UC ($8,100)
F: DJ Rodman - WSU ($3,700)
U: Rob Phinisee - IU ($4,500)
U: Isaac Bonton - WSU ($7,400)
FanDuel Example Lineup:
G: Payton Pritchard - ORE ($8,500)
G: Tyler Bey - COLO ($7,700)
G: DeJon Jarreau - HOU ($5,400)
G: Marcus Tsohonis - WASH ($4,200)
F: Tres Tinkle - ORST ($8,700)
F: DJ Rodman - WSU ($4,000)
F: Daniel Utomi - USC ($4,200)
U: Timmy Allen - UAH ($7,300)