Highest Scoring Teams:
(by Implied Points & Spreads per KenPom)
Seton Hall -- 78 Points (-10 vs. St. John’s)
Creighton -- 73 Points (-5 vs. Butler)
Penn State -- 72 Points (-1 vs. Indiana)
Indiana -- 71 Points (+1 vs. Penn State)
Temple -- 71 Points (-4 vs. East Carolina)
Minnesota -- 69 Points (-4 vs. Northwestern)
Cincinnati -- 68 Points (-2 vs. Wichita State)
Butler -- 68 Points (+5 vs. Creighton)
St. John’s -- 68 Points (+10 vs. Seton Hall)
Ohio State -- 67 Points (-3 vs. Maryland)
East Carolina -- 67 Points (+4 vs. Temple)
Top Guards
Myles Powell - Seton Hall ($8,400 DK / $7,200 FD)
Not too long ago, it was an actual question as to whether we can safely play Myles Powell in DFS because he had a slew of dud outings in a six-game span and was a real risk for tanking your lineups. The senior has shown over the last two games, though, that he’s back to producing like a stud and he should have no problem being one of the slate’s highest-scorers in an easy matchup today. Powell has put up 38 and 34 DK points over the last two, respectively, as he’s back to taking (and making) a ton of shots in the Seton Hall offense as their top offensive option. As mentioned, the matchup vs. St. John’s should raise our expectations for Powell. The Johnnies play at the fastest pace in the Big East and their three-point defense is poor - both key qualities that feed right into Powell’s strengths in running the fast break and scoring from the perimeter. When he faced St. John’s earlier this season, Powell put up 38 DK points and 29 points scored in a high-scoring and fast-paced game. We can very likely bank on a similar thing happening today.
Jarron Cumberland - Cincinnati ($8,100 DK / $7,300 FD)
We’ve said it the last couple weeks and it continues to be proven true - Jarron Cumberland is totally dialed in right now and he looks like the do-it-all DFS stud we’ve come to know over the years. The Cincinnati senior started the year off slow as he returned from an offseason injury, but the rust is all shaken off at this point and Cumberland is dominating all over the court in conference play. Over the last ten games, he’s averaging 36 DK points per outing and he’s put up at least 33 DK points in eight of the last nine. Whether it’s producing in rebounds, assists, steals, blocks or actual points scored - the DFS production is consistent and safe in cash games as Cumberland is now fully healthy and one of the best point guards in the AAC. A matchup against Wichita State may seem worrisome, but Cumberland easily put up 35 DK points and 24 points scored against them earlier this month. Plus, he’ll benefit from playing at home today as he’s averaging five more DK points than on the road.
Nate Pierre-Louis - Temple ($7,600 DK / $6,900 FD)
While Quinton Rose is Temple’s leading scorer, it’s Nate Pierre-Louis who’s the better DFS play right now because of consistent production in every stat category while also being one of the best rebounders in the conference. The junior may only stand at 6-foot-4, but that hasn’t stopped him from averaging 13 rebounds over the last three games and grabbing 7.6 per game over the last ten. Because of his high involvement on both ends of the floor, Pierre-Louis has proven he can be a DFS stud even if he’s not scoring a ton of real points. Against SMU earlier this season, he scored just five points but finished with 28 DK points because of his six boards, six assists and four steals. Lately, though, Pierre-Louis is doing it all for Temple as the team is fighting for a potential tournament bid - he’s put up 35, 36 and 55 DK points in the last three games, respectively. At these prices, which are a notable step below the rest of the expensive guards, he should be a solid cash play with GPP upside as well.
CJ Walker & Duane Washington - Ohio State
Buckeyes’ guard DJ Carton is thankfully back with the team but he’s still expected to sit out today until he gets comfortable enough to play. While Carton missed the last six games, we’ve seen both CJ Walker and Duane Washington become more valuable for DFS with an increase in playing time and offensive role. Walker ($5,500 DK / $4,900 FD) is Ohio State’s starting point guard and he’s been needed a lot more with his teammate out because Carton played a lot of point in his sixth-man role off the bench. Walker has now put up at least 22 DK points in three straight games while averaging a stat-stuffing 8.7 real points, 5.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds and two steals per outing over this recent span. Meanwhile, Washington ($5,200 DK / $4,300 FD) still comes off the bench but he’s taken over Carton’s scoring role as the offensive sixth-man. The sophomore actually leads the team in shots share (29%) and is second in usage rate (23%) during conference play. Ohio State will need to lean on both Walker and Washington in the backcourt if they want to win a tough matchup vs. Maryland - and both are solid cash plays.
Monty Scott - Temple ($4,800 DK / $3,900 FD)
Despite coming off the bench, Monty Scott plays a key role in Temple’s offense and he’s on an absolute scoring tear lately. Since missing a game earlier this month, Scott has been playing big minutes and shooting it a lot over the last four games and he’s put up 33, 25 and 35 DK points in three of those outings. In those three games, the junior is averaging 21 points scored with at least 11 shot attempts in each. The only outlier in this recent four-game span was a poor effort against Villanova - which we can partially ignore as it came against a much better defense and talented team than Scott will face today in East Carolina. Temple has coincidentally won all three of those games where Scott was active scoring-wise - and we should expect him to continue this role moving forward as the Owls fight for a potential tournament berth.
Other Guards to Consider:
Kamar Baldwin - Butler ($8,100 DK / $7,500 FD)
Ty-Shon Alexander - Creighton ($8,100 DK / $6,900 FD)
Darryl Morsell - Maryland ($5,500 DK / $4,700 FD)
Dexter Dennis - Wichita State ($5,400 DK / $4,400 FD)
Nick Rutherford - St. John’s ($4,800 DK / $3,900 FD)
Top Forwards
Daniel Oturu - Minnesota ($9,200 DK / $8,600 FD)
Minnesota’s center is always capable of being the highest DFS scorer on any slate he’s on - and Daniel Oturu should dominate in his matchup today. Northwestern is the worst rebounding team in the Big Ten and its defense is also all the way at the bottom of the conference. This sets up well for a guy like Oturu, who’s grabbed at least 14 rebounds in three of the last four games and is averaging 10 boards per outing over the last ten. There have been times recently when the 6-foot-10 sophomore wasn’t worth paying up for, but today is the exact opposite. When Oturu faced Northwestern earlier this year, he smashed value with 53 DK points on 19 points scored, 16 rebounds and five blocked shots. Honestly, we can expect a performance similar to that because of how poor the Wildcats are on defense and on the boards. Plus, Oturu is actually performing better on the road this season with averages of 46 DK points and 22 real points in away games compared to 39 DK points and 18 real points at home. All signs point towards him having another massive game and it’s safe to spend the salary on him in all formats.
Jalen Smith - Maryland ($8,800 DK / $8,200 FD)
If you’ve been paying attention to college basketball over the last month, you know that Jalen Smith has quickly become one of the best players in the Big Ten and for DFS in general. The sophomore has now recorded nine straight double-doubles while averaging 43.7 DK points, 19 real points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game over that span. His dominant play on both ends is a big reason why Maryland has surged into the top 10 of the country and won nine in a row against conference opponents. The Terps’ offense is mainly led by Smith and point guard Anthony Cowan and we can definitely bank on those two guys having the ball in their hands a lot in this tough road matchup vs. Ohio State. Although Smith put up just 24 DK points in his previous meeting with OSU, we should expect a better performance this time around as he’s looked like a totally different player since that game - and his recent hot streak is nearly impossible to ignore for DFS.
Isaiah Whaley - Connecticut ($6,400 DK / $5,400 FD)
With UConn losing Akok Akok for the season, Isaiah Whaley will continue to benefit from his increased playing time and role as a starting big man. On Thursday - the first without Akok - Whaley moved into the starting lineup for the first time all year and played 39 minutes in the double overtime loss. In that game, he was clearly one of the main offensive options for the Huskies as he scored 18 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and put up 40 DK points. This wasn’t just an outlier, though, because Whaley saw a big increase in production in the prior outing when Akok got hurt just one minute in - he put up 27 DK points in 34 minutes. UConn will definitely need Whaley’s size and length in the paint today when they face USF’s 7-footer Michael Durr - and we should expect 25-30 DK points again with upside for more like last time.
Romaro Gill - Seton Hall ($5,800 DK / $6,000 FD)
Although he’s priced a little higher than we’d like, Romar Gill presents a very good GPP option in a favorable matchup for his skillset. Seton Hall’s opponent today, St. John’s, is one of the worst rebounding teams in the Big East and they get their shots blocked at the highest rate in the conference. Gill, at 7-foot-2 and 255 pounds, is the best shot-blocker in the conference and third-best in the country and his big frame down low always allows him to gobble up rebounds. This mismatch in the paint was evident earlier this season when Gill put up a whopping 43 DK points against St. John’s thanks to his 14 points scored, 13 rebounds and six blocked shots. The senior’s offensive upside is never that high on a team with Myles Powell hogging the shots - but Gill’s DFS floor is higher than you’d think because of his rebounding and shot-blocking abilities. He could easily smash value if he has a similar performance as the last time he faced the Johnnies.
Marcellus Earlington - St. John’s ($5,100 DK / $5,100 FD)
As St. John’s plays the rest of the season without star Mustapha Heron, one of the key beneficiaries of that injury is Marcellus Earlington. The sophomore power forward doesn’t start but he plays a key offensive role off the bench and that has only been amplified with Heron out. During Big East play, Earlington leads the team in shots share (30%) and usage rate (26%) and he’s the fourth-best offensive rebounder in the conference. It’s impressive to see his offensive role be that high despite being a reserve player and his DFS production has certainly picked up since Heron’s injury. In the last three games with Heron either out or limited, Earlington has put up 42, 28 and 35 DK points while averaging 18 real points, eight rebounds, two assists and one steals per game and has taken double-digit shot attempts in each. This is a big uptick from his season averages and it makes him a massive value at these salaries.
Other Forwards to Consider:
Lamar Stevens - Penn State ($8,000 DK / $7,200 FD)
Sean McDermott - Butler ($7,300 DK / $5,900 FD)
Sandro Mamukelashvili - Seton Hall ($5,800 DK / $4,700 FD)
Aleem Ford - Wisconsin ($5,600 DK / $4,700 FD)
E.J. Liddell - Ohio State ($4,200 DK / $4,000 FD)
Seth Lundy - Penn State ($3,900 DK / $4,000 FD)
DraftKings Example Lineup:
G: Myles Powell - SHU ($8,400)
G: Nate Pierre-Louis - TEMP ($7,600)
G: Duane Washington - OSU ($5,200)
F: Daniel Oturu - MINN ($9,200)
F: Isaiah Whaley - CONN ($6,400)
F: Marcellus Earlington - STJN ($5,100)
U: E.J. Liddell - OSU ($4,200)
U: Seth Lundy - PSU ($3,900)
FanDuel Example Lineup:
G: Jarron Cumberland - CIN ($7,300)
G: Myles Powell - SHU ($7,200)
G: CJ Walker - OSU ($4,900)
G: Monty Scott - TEMP ($3,900)
F: Daniel Oturu - MINN ($8,600)
F: Marcellus Earlington - SJU ($5,100)
F: Isaiah Whaley - CONN ($5,400)
U: Kamar Baldwin - BUT ($7,500)