Highest Scoring Teams:

(by Implied Points & Spreads per KenPom)

  • Arizona -- 78 Points (-16 vs. Washington State)

  • Oregon -- 73 Points (-14 vs. California)

  • Arizona State -- 72 Points (-4 vs. Washington)

  • Ohio State -- 69 Points (-6 vs. Illinois)

  • Houston -- 68 Points (-2 vs. Connecticut)

  • Stanford -- 68 Points (-2 vs. Oregon State)

  • Washington -- 68 Points (+4 vs. Arizona State)

  • Memphis -- 67 Points (-1 vs. Wichita State)

Top Guards

Payton Pritchard - Oregon ($9,000 DK / $8,300 FD)

Pritchard is one of the best guards in the country and anytime Oregon is on the DFS CBB slate, we need to strongly consider the senior - especially at home in a favorable matchup. California has one of the worst defenses in the Pac-12 and Pritchard put up 40 DK points against them earlier this season when he had 21 points scored, eight assists and four rebounds. That stat line is very representative of Pritchard’s usual DFS value as he’s the clear-cut top scoring and passing option for Oregon while also providing rebound and steal upside. Over the last ten games, he’s averaging 38 DK points, 21.5 real points, five assists, four rebounds and 1.5 steals per outing. Pritchard may have to do even more offensively tonight with the Ducks playing without at least Chris Duarte and possibly Will Richardson as well. The price tags are definitely expensive, but Pritchard has shown he’s worth it - especially in cash games where he’ll be popular just because of his namesake. 

Christian Vital - Connecticut ($8,400 DK / $7,700 FD)

Vital is one of those rare college basketball players who can be a DFS stud despite not being nationally recognized as one of the most talented players. The senior has put up at least 42 DK points in three straight games and he’s averaging 37 DK points over the last ten games - with at least 40 DK points in six of those outings. In the last three games, in particular, Vital is not only getting it done offensively but he’s stuffing the stat sheet in all categories. During this recent three-game span, he’s averaging 23 points scored, 6.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 3.7 steals and 43 DK points per outing. Vital never seems as attractive as Oregon’s Payton Prtichard, but there’s a decent chance he provides more DFS points while saving you salary as well. Plus, there’s some reasonable upside for Vital playing on Senior Night at home - where he’s averaging seven more DK points per game while shooting much better than on the road. 

Caleb Mills - Houston ($6,100 DK / $5,000 FD)

Houston’s backcourt has been a revolving door of DFS value lately, but Caleb Mills is always in play for GPP’s because he’s the Cougars’ top scoring option when he’s on the court. Although Mills comes off the bench, the freshman leads the team in shots share (39%) and offensive usage rate (31%) with both those marks being first and second in the AAC, respectively. Sometimes Mills will turn cold despite his high usage in the Houston offense, but he’s been hot lately. Over the last three games, he’s averaging 21 points scored and 30.9 DK points while shooting 22-for-47 from the field (47%). When he faced UConn earlier this season, Mills put up 27 DK points with his 20 points scored. He won’t offer much upside in ancillary stats, but there’s no denying who is Houston’s top shot-taker when Mills is in the game. 

Brendan Adams - Connecticut ($4,400 DK / $4,100 FD)

Ever since Akok Akok went down for the year, Brendan Adams has played a much larger reserve role for UConn and he’s a definite value tonight with his increase in playing time and usage. In the last four games with Akok out, Adams has averaged 31 minutes off the bench and he’s put up 16 or more DK points in three straight. The sophomore is currently the Huskies’ sixth-man who plays starter-level minutes - and he should continue in that role with fellow reserves Alterique Gilbert (back spasms) and Sidney Wilson (suspension) not adding much production lately. Plus, Adams’ playing time should be even more safe tonight against a Houston team that plays more small-ball lineups - which will force UConn to do the same with Adams continuing to steal minutes from big man Josh Carlton. 

Anthony Mathis & Addison Patterson - Oregon

Oregon’s backcourt could be without two starters tonight and it should open up a ton of playing time and DFS production for both Anthony Mathis and Addison Patterson. Starting wing Chris Duarte has already been ruled out through the Pac-12 tournament with a broken finger that kept him out of last Thursday’s game. Starting shooting guard Will Richardson is a game-time decision after he hurt his ankle last week and it’s very possible he also sits to preserve his health before the postseason. Mathis ($4,400 DK / $4,000 FD) started Oregon’s last game with Duarte out and he finished with his most minutes played (34) and points scored (13) since December. The senior actually began the season as a starter but had been coming off the bench for most of conference play. He’s a solid cash value play at his salaries with the increase in playing time and scoring role as he should start again in Duarte’s place. Meanwhile, Patterson ($3,700 DK / $3,600 FD) is a candidate to start tonight if Richardson ends up sitting. The freshman has been one of the Ducks’ top bench options lately and he recently put up at least 16 DK points in three straight games. That’s great value at his price tags and he’d become even more attractive if Richardson is out. 

Jarod Lucas - Oregon State ($3,000 DK / $3,900 FD)

If you’re looking for a cheap boom-or-bust GPP dart on this slate, Jarod Lucas is intriguing as he could either give you 20+ DK points or less than five. Barring a miracle, Oregon State will miss the NCAA Tournament and the coaching staff is already looking towards next year by giving more playing time to their younger players. Lucas, a true freshman, is one of those youngsters who’s seen an uptick in minutes over the last couple weeks - and he’s shown the shooting upside to get hot from three-point range. One of those outbursts actually came against tonight’s opponent, Stanford, in a matchup earlier this season. In that game, Lucas went 3-for-8 from three and 8-for-9 from the free throw line to ultimately finish with 21 points scored and 26 DK points. Just a couple weeks ago, Lucas did something similar against Arizona when he had 18 points scored and 27 DK points while going 4-for-12 from three. Again, he’s only a cheap tournament play tonight until he can consistently have these performances - but the upside is there to help you win big if he’s making shots. 

Other Guards to Consider:

  • Remy Martin - Arizona State ($7,900 DK / $6,900 FD)

  • Nico Mannion - Arizona ($7,100 DK / $6,200 FD) 

  • Marcus Sasser - Houston ($6,200 DK / $5,300 FD)

  • Duane Washington - Ohio State ($5,800 DK / $4,500 FD)

  • Rob Edwards - Arizona State ($5,500 DK / $4,300 FD) 

  • Alan Griffin - Illinois ($5,300 DK / $5,000 FD) 

Top Forwards

CJ Elleby - Washington State ($8,800 DK / $8,400 FD)

Sometimes in DFS CBB, we need to look past how bad a team may be and respect how good that team’s best player can be for our lineups. That’s the case for CJ Elleby, who plays on a terrible Washington State team but has the nightly potential to be the slate’s highest-scoring player. The sophomore Elleby is running extremely hot right now as he’s put up at least 48 DK points in three of the last four games and has three different outings of 50 or more DK points in the past ten games. The poor overall play of Washington State may actually be a good thing for Elleby’s DFS value because he’s the top scoring option on the team with very high usage. Still, he’s just a GPP option tonight because of the bust potential against a tournament-bound Arizona squad. Elleby had just 17 DK points and shot 2-for-12 from the field when he faced Arizona earlier this season. Still, the upside is obviously there if you can ignore that ugly performance. 

Precious Achiuwa - Memphis ($8,500 DK / $8,200 FD)

If you played Precious Achiuwa in DFS on Saturday, you likely took down a tournament with his 62 DK points and a spectacular stat line of 22 points scored, 22 rebounds and five blocks. Obviously we can’t expect a repeat of that performance tonight, but it goes to show how high Achiuwa’s ceiling can be when he’s playing up to his potential as a dominant big man with legit NBA talent. We recently got a taste of that upside when he averaged 46 DK points, 20.7 points scored and 14 rebounds during a three-game stretch in February. Still, we need to categorize Achiuwa as a GPP-only option right now because he has shown the threat of bust outings when he gets cold shooting-wise or gets into foul trouble. When he faced Wichita State earlier this season, however, he put up 47 DK points with 22 points scored, 12 boards and four blocks. That ceiling is definitely in his bag and we could easily see another dominant effort from him tonight. 

Tres Tinkle - Oregon State ($8,200 DK / $7,800 FD)

In the midst of a 5-11 conference record and losers of four straight, Oregon State is admittedly a bad team - but they do have one DFS stud in Tres Tinkle and he’s squarely in play tonight. First off, Tinkle will benefit a ton from playing at home as he’s one of those college basketball players who’s DFS value increases a ton compared to when he’s on the road. The senior is averaging 42 DK points and shoots much better from the field at home this season - compared to his 29 DK point average in road games. It’s simply one of those things that we can’t ignore with Tinkle as he’s a much safer play at home. Plus, there’s upside for him against a Stanford team that is one of the worst rebounding squads in the Pac-12 and give up the majority of opposing points to the interior - which is where Tinkle excels as the power forward in Oregon State’s offense. When he faced Stanford earlier this season, he finished with 32 DK points and a solid stat line of 15 points scored, five rebounds, four assists and three steals - and that performance came on the road. He’s an interesting pivot off of some other high-priced forwards on this slate. 

Isaiah Whaley - Connecticut ($7,000 DK / $6,000 FD)

Ever since Whaley took over as a starter in place of the injured Akok Akok, he’s been very good in real life and in DFS. The junior has now started the last four games with Akok out for the season and he’s emerged as the team’s best big man with Josh Carlton taking a backseat. In these past four starts, Whaley is averaging 33.8 DK points, 15 real points, 9.3 rebounds and three blocks/steals per game with at least 28 DK points in all four outings. He doesn’t take a ton of shots in the UConn offense, but he’s been a beast around the rim with easy put-backs, pick-and-roll finishes and blocked shots on the defensive end. His price tags have unsurprisingly skyrocketed since his breakout, but he’s still a solid cash and GPP option with how hot he’s running. Plus, Whaley coincidentally had a huge game against Houston earlier this season when he put up 37 DK points, 13 points scored, 11 boards and four steals in 28 minutes off the bench. A repeat of that would be very appealing at these salaries despite the increase. 

Trey Wade - Wichita State ($4,800 DK / $4,700 FD)

Wichita State’s rotations are admittedly hard to predict from game-to-game, but Trey Wade has shown some upside since re-entering the starting rotation. The junior started every game of the season until he was relegated to the bench for four games in February. Wade, however, has now started the last two games and has played 34 and 28 minutes in those outings, respectively. Against Temple a week ago, Wade exploded for a season-high 21 points scored and 37 DK points as he went 4-for-5 from three-point range. He’s not normally a deep threat like that, but it’s encouraging to see him responded positively in his first game back as a starter. He followed up that performance with 18 DK points last time out - which was about his usual production when he previously started games. Wade is just a GPP value on this slate, but he’s shown that the upside is there. 

Stone Gettings - Arizona ($4,600 DK / $4,400 FD)

There aren’t many value forwards on this slate, but Stone Gettings has a path to get there based on his starting role with Arizona and an easy matchup. After beginning the year off the bench, the senior has now started 13 straight and he’s the coaching staff’s favorite big to play alongside center Zeke Nnaji in the frontcourt. He’ll face a Washington State team that has the conference’s worst interior defense and is terrible at offensive rebounding. Gettings is Arizona’s second-best defensive rebounder (behind Nnaji) and he actually had a breakout game against Washington State earlier this year. In that Feb. 1 meeting, Gettings put up a slate-breaking 38 DK points with 19 points scored and 12 rebounds. Although he’s yet to duplicate that performance, he has usually put up between 15-25 DK points with his now-consistent playing time in the ‘Zona frontcourt. Judging by what he did last time vs. Washington State, there’s definitely upside at these cheap price tags. 

Other Forwards to Consider:

  • Kaleb Wesson - Ohio State ($8,600 DK / $7,400 FD)

  • Zeke Nnaji - Arizona ($7,800 DK / $7,100 FD)

  • Romello White - Arizona State ($6,700 DK / $6,200 FD)

  • EJ Liddell - Ohio State ($4,700 DK / $4,100 FD)

  • Malcolm Dandridge - Memphis ($4,000 DK / $4,000 FD)

 

DraftKings Example Lineup:

G: Christian Vital - CONN ($8,400)

G: Anthony Mathis - ORE ($4,400)

G: Caleb Mills - HOU ($6,100)

F: CJ Elleby - WSU ($8,800)

F: Tres Tinkle - OSU ($8,200)

F: Stone Gettings - AZ ($4,600)

U: Brendan Adams - CONN ($4,400)

U: Trey Wade - WICH ($4,800)

FanDuel Example Lineup:

G: Payton Pritchard - ORE ($8,300)

G: Nico Mannion - ARIZ ($6,200)

G: Caleb Mills - HOU ($5,000)

G: Anthony Mathis - ORE ($4,000)

F: Precious Achiuwa - MEM ($8,200)

F: Tres Tinkle - ORST ($7,800)

F: Isaiah Whaley - CONN ($6,000)

U: Duane Washington - OSU ($4,500)