Highest Scoring Teams:
(by Implied Points & Spreads per KenPom)
LSU -- 85 Points (-9 vs. Georgia)
Marquette -- 77 Points (-1 vs. St. John’s)
Creighton -- 77 Points (-3 vs. Seton Hall)
Georgia -- 76 Points (+9 vs. LSU)
St. John’s -- 76 Points (+1 vs. Marquette)
Villanova -- 75 Points (-3 vs. Georgetown)
Seton Hall -- 74 Points (+3 vs. Creighton)
Georgetown -- 72 Points (+3 vs. Villanova)
Florida -- 70 Points (-4 vs. Kentucky)
Colorado -- 70 Points (-4 vs. Utah) **DK ONLY**
Top Guards
Markus Howard - Marquette ($9,200 DK / $8,500 FD)
Not to sound like a broken record, but Markus Howard needs to be strongly considered any time he’s in action because of how dominant of a scorer he’s been. The senior leads the nation in scoring (27.7 PPG) and he’s on a heater lately, averaging 34 real points per game in the last four outings - with at least 30 in each. During this span, he has a pair of 50-burgers in DK points and he’s now averaging 39 DK points over the last ten games. It’s clear that this Marquette offense will live and die by Howard getting the high majority of the shot attempts as the team has now lost five of its last six games despite Howard’s big scoring efforts. The Golden Eagles’ matchup against St. John’s today is definitely one to target with both teams playing fast and one of the slate’s highest projected totals. When Howard faced the Johnnies earlier this season, he put up 47.5 DK points with 32 points scored on 20 shot attempts. This type of game is par for the course for Howard right now and we can realistically expect something similar - making his expensive salaries worth the exposure.
Myles Powell - Seton Hall ($8,200 DK / $7,400 FD)
Although Myles Powell’s salaries are at the lowest they’ve been in a while, Seton Hall’s best player still owns one of the highest DFS ceilings in the country because of his extremely high usage and shot volume on offense. He isn’t running as hot as his Big East counterpart, Markus Howard, but this could be a nice “buy low” opportunity for Powell. This matchup vs. Creighton will be one of the highest-scoring games on this slate and both squads are very motivated to win with the conference’s regular season title on the line. Powell, who struggled against Creighton earlier this season, has taken a slight step back in offensive role lately because Seton Hall is getting more consistent production from his supporting cast. However, the senior is still shooting and handling the ball at a very high rate as his 33% usage rate and 37% shots share are both second in the Big East and lead the team by a big margin. Over the last five games, Powell is averaging 21 real points and 35 DK points - and he’s oddly performing better on the road this year than at home, which gives him more upside in today’s road matchup.
Jared Butler - Baylor ($7,400 DK / $6,800 FD)
It’s always risky to play guards in DFS when they are on the road against West Virginia’s defense, but it’s so hard to ignore Jared Butler right now. Baylor’s best player is playing at another level right now as he’s averaging 18.8 real points and 36 DK points per game over the last six outings. One of those performances actually came against the Mountaineers last month when Butler scored 21 real points and 39 DK points in the matchup. Baylor will be very motivated to play well today as they look to lock up a #1 seed for the NCAA Tournament and possibly clinch a share of the Big 12 regular season title if Kansas loses. Butler’s 28% usage rate and 31% shots share both lead the conference and that high offensive role keeps his DFS floor fairly safe with production in every stat category outside of pure scoring.
Justin Moore - Villanova ($6,000 DK / $5,000 FD)
With a win today, Villanova could clinch a share of the Big East regular season title (if Seton Hall loses) - and we can bank on Jay Wright leaning on the same core rotation that’s helped them go 6-1 in the last seven. Freshman Justin Moore was the Wildcats’ sixth-man for most of the year, but he’s now started the past nine games and has logged 33+ minutes in five straight. During this recent stretch, Moore has emerged as one of ‘Nova’s go-to scorers. He’s averaging 15.4 PPG over the last five outings with double-digit shot attempts in each - and he’s put up 30 or more DK points in three of the last four. In addition to his hot streak, Moore will also benefit today from facing a Georgetown team that plays at a quick tempo and is the conference’s worst at defending the three-pointer. During Big East play, Moore is shooting 40% from three and he’s gone 17-for-36 (47%) from deep over these last five games. He’s a solid cash play on both sites but his FD salary is certainly more attractive.
Both Gach - Utah ($5,000 DK Only)
If you’re playing on DraftKings, jumping on Both Gach at this salary could be the best source of value on the slate. The sophomore recently returned from a knee injury and he’ll likely be Utah’s lead ball-handler today - a role he occupied earlier this season. Starting point guard Rylan Jones suffered a concussion in last Saturday’s game and the Utes’ head coach has said this week that Jones is “a ways away” from playing. We can assume Jones will be out today and that’ll leave Gach to run the offense from the point. When Jones left after just five minutes last game, Gach had one of his best games of the season as he put up 35 DK points with 19 points scored, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks/steals in 34 minutes. The pure points scoring is an upside for him, but we can count on enough ancillary production overall with his more-guaranteed playing time and role in Jones’ absence.
Chris Clarke - Texas Tech ($4,500 DK / $4,900 FD)
Although he comes off the bench, Chris Clarke is one of Texas Tech’s main ball-handlers and he should see a ton of usage today as the Red Raiders try to upset Kansas to wrap up the regular season. Clarke started a handful of games earlier in the year but he’s being used more as a unique “super-sub” during conference play. At 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, Clarke obviously isn’t a typical college-sized guard that we’re familiar with - but his 35% assist rate is tops in the Big 12 and leads the team by a significant margin. It’s not too often we see a non-point guard be a team’s best distributor but that’s exactly the case for Clarke, who is an exceptional passer from post-up positions, as a wing cutting to the basket, and in transition for Texas Tech’s offense. Against Baylor on Monday, Clarke was the main reason why Tech nearly pulled off the road upset as he racked up 24.5 DK points with his six points scored, five assists and eight rebounds. He should have a similar role today as he presents a size mismatch against some of Kansas’ smaller guards.
Other Guards to Consider:
Skylar Mays - LSU ($8,000 DK / $7,600 FD)
Marcus Zegarowski - Creighton ($7,800 DK / $6,900 FD)
Jahvon Blair - Georgetown ($6,700 DK / $6,400 FD)
Greg Williams Jr. - St. John’s ($5,200 DK / $4,500 FD)
Rob Phinisee - Indiana ($4,900 DK / $4,600 FD)
Alfonso Plummer - Utah ($4,400 DK Only)
Marlon Taylor - LSU ($4,300 DK / $4,000 FD)
Top Forwards
Udoka Azubuike - Kansas ($8,600 DK / $8,300 FD)
Kansas and college basketball fans received a scare recently when Udoka Azubuike rolled his ankle a week ago and was questionable to play this week. However, the senior ended up playing his final home game on Wednesday - and all he did was put up a whopping 59 DK points with 31 points scored, 14 rebounds and five blocks against TCU. Apparently his ankle is fine! Azubuike has now put up at least 47 DK points in five of the last eight games and that ceiling is why he needs to be considered today. However, we need to classify the Kansas center as a GPP-only play. First off, it’s a tough matchup on the road against a Texas Tech defense that held Azubuike to only 16 DK points in their previous meeting. Plus, there’s a chance that Bill Self limits his playing time to ensure he’s healthy for the postseason - especially since Kansas has already locked up at least a share of the Big 12 regular season title. That risk of a “down” game for Azubuike’s standards is why we need to use caution in paying all the way up for him at forward today. Still, the payoff could be huge if he winds up dominating the game like he’s done a lot lately.
Keyontae Johnson - Florida ($7,700 DK / $7,100 FD)
Over the last month or so, we’ve seen Keyontae Johnson become a much better DFS play than his frontcourt mate Kerry Blackshear - and each player’s salaries now clearly reflect that shift. Johnson is now averaging 34.5 DK points over the last ten games after a few monster performances in the past couple weeks - including 40 DK points vs. Arkansas, 56 DK points vs. LSU and 42 DK points vs. Georgia in his last time out. When he faced tonight’s opponent (Kentucky) earlier this year, Johnson had 33 DK points with 19 points scored, nine rebounds and two steals. The sophomore has benefited a ton this year from playing alongside the bigger-bodied Blackshear - who will guard opposing centers and allow Johnson to be better offensively from the wing with easier defensive assignments. That was certainly the case against Kentucky in that previous meeting as Blackshear handled Nick Richards down low and Johnson presented a mismatch for UK’s mostly undersized starting unit.
Sandro Mamukelashvili - Seton Hall ($7,100 DK / $6,600 FD)
Ever since he returned from injury at the beginning of February, Sandro Mamukelashvili has become a focal point of Seton Hall’s offense as a dynamic scoring big man to complement Myles Powell’s style of play. In the past four games in particular, he’s averaging 19.3 real points, 8.8 rebounds and 35.8 DK points with a noticeable uptick in shot volume, minutes and offensive usage. We mentioned above how Powell hasn’t been having his usual monster games recently, and Mamukelashvili’s emergence as a legitimate scorer from the post and from the perimeter is a big reason for that. His DFS salaries have appropriately increased during this hot streak, but he’s still viable in all formats in what will be a high-scoring affair with Creighton. The 6-foot-11 junior only had 20.5 DK points against Creighton earlier this season, but he only played 15 minutes in that game as he battled foul trouble. We should expect a better performance from Mamukelashvili this time around as he’s settled into his new offensive role and has been staying away from foul issues since that game.
Qudus Wahab - Georgetown ($4,500 DK / $4,800 FD)
As long as Georgetown’s starting center Omer Yurtseven remains out, there’s a path for Qudus Wahab to return value with his extended playing time. Yurtseven has now missed five of the past six games with an ankle injury and it seems likely he’s out again today as we’ve yet to receive an update on his status. At least we’ll know early if he’s out with Georgetown tipping at noon ET. In Yurtseven’s absence, the freshman Wahab has moved into the starting lineup and he’s coming off his best game of the year when he recorded season-highs in points (14) and rebounds (12) against Creighton on Wednesday. Wahab’s 34.5 DK points last time out would be a huge value at these price tags - but he’s usually been providing 15 DK points or so since becoming a starter. However, the 6-foot-11 big man put up 24 DK points in just 15 minutes off the bench against Villanova earlier this season - a performance that would also be welcomed on this slate.
Jayce Johnson - Marquette ($4,400 DK / $4,700 FD)
There aren’t many safe value forwards on this slate, but Marquette’s 7-footer has been getting it done lately and he’s a favorable matchup today. Jayce Johnson comes off the bench, but he usually plays 20 minutes and the path to value is there if he’s seeing that amount of playing time solely because his taller build allows him to rack up rebounds and easy buckets around the rim. The senior has recorded double-digit rebounds in each of the last three games and he’s averaging 22 DK points across those outings. Today, Johnson will benefit from facing a St. John’s team that plays fast and does not rebound well with an undersized frontcourt. This matchup sets up well for Johnson to grab double-digit rebounds and get easy points with his size advantage - that was evident in this season’s earlier meeting when he had 19 DK points with nine rebounds. This type of production becomes a lot more attractive with Johnson’s salaries at sub-5k on both sites - and he should be safe for cash games.
Other Forwards to Consider:
Saddiq Bey - Villanova ($7,500 DK / $6,300 FD)
Trendon Watford - LSU ($7,100 DK / $5,700 FD)
Austin Wiley - Auburn ($7,100 DK / $6,500 FD)
Damien Jefferson - Creighton ($5,600 DK / $5,700 FD)
Marcellus Earlington - St. John’s ($5,200 DK / $4,900 FD)
Jaylin Williams - Auburn ($3,500 DK / $3,800 FD)
DraftKings Example Lineup:
G: Markus Howard - MARQ ($9,200)
G: Jared Butler - BU ($7,400)
G: Both Gach - UTAH ($5,000)
F: Keyontae Johnson - UF ($7,700)
F: Sandro Mamukelashvili - SHU ($7,100)
F: Jayce Johnson - MARQ ($4,400)
U: Chris Clarke - TT ($4,500)
U: Qudus Wahab - GU ($4,500)
FanDuel Example Lineup:
G: Markus Howard - MARQ ($8,500)
G: Myles Powell - SHU ($7,400)
G: Jared Butler - BAY ($6,800)
G: Justin Moore - NOVA ($5,000)
F: Keyontae Johnson - UF ($7,100)
F: Qudus Wahab - GTWN ($4,800)
F: Jayce Johnson - MARQ ($4,700)
U: Trendon Watford - LSU ($5,700)