In the words of Austin Powers, “allow myself to introduce… myself”. My name is Mike Surette and I’m a certified CBB junkie. I attended Providence College where I worked for the hoops team by keeping statistics for practices. Unfortunately for me the Friars were a Big East bottom feeder when I attended. These days I write a blog and host a podcast covering the team but my love of CBB extends way beyond Friartown. In the winters I always find myself watching college hoops. Pac-12 after dark? You bet! University of Hawaii 12am tip-offs? Why not!? If college basketball is on you best believe I am watching.
Being from Massachusetts daily CBB is currently illegal however that was not always the case. When the game was available in MA it was my favorite daily sport to play. One of my favorite daily fantasy moments ever occurred with CBB. In my third time playing I had a top-10 finish thanks to a value play of Washington big man Bob Upshaw having a monster night. The very next day he was kicked off the team but at least he made me some money on the way out!
Having said all that we have a great main slate for the first Saturday of the college hoops season for DraftKings. The slate kicks off with LSU vs St. Louis at 3pm and the night will end with Villanova vs Virginia Tech at 8pm (est). Check out our playbook for Saturday and hopefully win yourself some cash!
Vegas Totals For DraftKings Main Slate
3:00pm ET: LSU at St. Louis (-3.5) – O/U 146.5
4:00pm ET: Liberty at South Carolina – N/A
5:30pm ET: URI at USF (-1) – O/U 139.0
6:00pm ET: North Texas at Arkansas (-8.5) – O/U 148.5
7:30pm ET: Tulsa @ TCU – N/A
8:00pm ET: Notre Dame at Michigan State (-10.5) – O/U 147.5
8:00pm ET: Virginia Tech at Villanova (-9) – O/U 137.5
| Top Guards |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Jalen Tate | ARK | NTEX | 8500 | 29.57 | | |
| The one thing that that has been a constant since Eric Musselman took the Arkansas job is guards that can score. Mason Jones and Isaiah Joe combined for 38.9 ppg last season out of the backcourt. With both of them gone in steps in Northern Kentucky transfer Jalen Tate. While him only scoring 12 points in the opener scares me with the price tag they routed Mississippi Valley by 80 points and he only logged 17 minutes. |
| Jordan Goodwin | STL | LSU | 8200 | 37.17 | 7500 | 31.20 |
| Similar to teammate Hasahn French, Jordan Goodwin is a double-double machine as he averaged 15.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game from the guard position. Goodwin was ESPN's 55th rated recruit in 2017, so he should have no problem competiing with the talent of LSU |
| David Collins | USF | URI | 7400 | 24.45 | 7500 | 22.25 |
| David Collins has been a steady contributor throughout his career at USF, averaging 13.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 2.5 apg over his three year career. At 6-4 look for head coach Brian Gregory to try and get URI's Fatts Russell to guard Collins and take advantage of a serious size advantage. |
| AJ Lawson | SCAR | LIB | 7300 | 23.39 | | |
| AJ Lawson has certainly been consistent in two years in Columbia averaging 13.4 ppg in both his freshman and sophomore campaigns. Now a junior, the Canadian guard is looking to take a big leap for the Gamecocks. Liberty doesn't have the guards with the size or athleticism to handle Lawson and he should be a matchup nightmare. |
| Prentiss Hubb | ND | MSU | 7200 | 24.77 | 6500 | 21.65 |
| Prentiss Hubb had high expectations going into South Bend and while he hasn't been a star he has been solid for Mike Brey. Hubb averaged 12.1 ppg and 5.1 apg in his sophomore year. John Mooney did it all for ND last year but with him gone guys like Hubb are going to need to have big years. His turnovers do worry me as he averaged an alarming 2.7 per contest. Hopefully against a disciplined team like MSU his TOs won't hinder what should be a good stat line. |
| | | | | | | | |
| Value Guards |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Cartier Diarra | VT | VU | 6400 | 27.73 | | |
| New Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young had to replace a starter when Landers-Nolly announced his intent to leave the program. He did just that by bringing in Kansas St transfer Cartier Diarra. Diarra is a guy who can do a little bit of everything and if you remember he was an integral piece to K-State's Elite 8 run in 2018 as a freshman. |
| Joshua Langford | MSU | ND | 6100 | 0 | 4200 | 9.90 |
| Michigan State certainly missed Joshua Langford last season as he was lost for the year due to injury. Langford was a bit rusty in his return to action with 10 points (2/7 3pt) but look for a bounce back game here. |
| Jeremy Sheppard | URI | USF | 6000 | 0 | 4500 | 19.35 |
| Fatts Russell gets all the attention in Kingstown and rightfully so but Sheppard has put together a nice start to his senior season averaging 14.5 ppg in two games. Sheppard won't give you the type of game Russell can but the ECU transfer is a nice alternative at a much smaller pricetag. |
| Seventh Woods | SCAR | LIB | 4900 | 0 | | |
| Seventh Woods couldn't quite figure it out at UNC and failed to live up to high expectations. Now that Woods has returned to his home state to play for the Gamecocks look for him to have a nice season. Explosive athletes don't always come at a $4900 price tag. |
| Christian Shumate | TLSA | TCU | 3000 | 0 | 3000 | 0.00 |
| When you go with a guy that is priced this low a lot of times you are throwing your money away. Christian Shumate was a Chicago high school basketball standout averaging 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 blocks per game his senior year. Shumate is known as an elite athlete and good rebounder. Against a team in TCU that will have better athletes than Tulsa, lets see if coach Frank Heath will turn to the freshman to help out. |
| | | | | | | | |
| Top Forwards |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Jeremiah Robinson-Earl | VU | VT | 8900 | 28.14 | | |
| JRE is a bit pricey but for good reason with a healthy 28.14 fppg so far and it feels like he is a guy with a very high floor. You can probably pencil JRE in for 10+ points 7+ rebounds every game. While this being a game that was scheduled at the last minute makes me a tad hesitant. Va Tech doesn't have much size and JRE should feast. |
| Trendon Watford | LSU | STL | 8300 | 27.64 | 7800 | 41.90 |
| Trendon Watford is a load for the LSU Tigers at 6-9 240 pounds and probably would have heard his name called on draft day had he not withdrawn. Expect an absolute war between him and St Louis' Hasahn French and the fantasy points to follow. |
| Kevin Samuel | TCU | TLSA | 7700 | 28.39 | 6400 | 26.50 |
| The 6-10 big man had a very strong 2019-2020 campaign for the Horned Frogs as a sophomore. Samuel finished 1st in the Big 12 and 11th in the country in blocked shots averaging 2.7 blocks per game. He has a very appetizing matchup vs a Tulsa team that lost their two best forwards from last season. |
| Joey Hauser | MSU | ND | 7300 | 0 | 5800 | 23.80 |
| Joey Hauser and his brother Sam surprisingly transferred from Marquette right before last season began. While Sam is at Virginia and known as the better Hauser, Joey is the younger brother and has a lot of promise. He is a big bodied forward that can play both inside and out, in his debut for the Spartans he had 15 points, 9 rebounds and even chipped in 2 assists. |
| Hasahn French | STL | LSU | 7000 | 35.52 | 7900 | 33.31 |
| French has a tough matchup going against Watford and LSU. However the guy is a double-double machine. In three seasons at St. Louis he has recorded 27 double-doubles including 13 last season that included an absurd 21 point, 24 rebound and 7 block performance vs Belmont. While he is among the higher costing forwards, $7,000 is still excellent value. French is a gametime decision, however, due to a recent concussion so something to monitor but if healthy he is a great play. |
| |
| Value Forwards |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Juwan Durham | ND | MSU | 6800 | 19.23 | 4600 | 18.36 |
| John Mooney was the big man that did it all for the FIghting Irish last season. With him gone, in slides Juwan Durham. The 6-11 senior averaged 7.8 pts and 4.6 rebounds per game last season and will need to have a much bigger role in the offense. |
| Zachary Simmons | NTEX | ARK | 5800 | 18.58 | | |
| Simmons had a bit of a down season for the Mean Green after a strong sophomore campaign. As the second highest scorer returning to the roster he's going to need to fill the stat sheet. Last year vs. Arkansas he had 6 points and 9 rebounds, but he had a very strong showing against a top team in Dayton scoring 18 points and grabbing 6 rebounds. |
| Jermaine Harris | URI | USF | 4400 | 10.77 | 3400 | 10.02 |
| Jermaine Harris (foot) has missed URI's first two games this season and they certainly missed him, as they dropped both games. Coach David Cox said that the hope is he returns this weekend as they "miss his physicality". May be something to monitor but if Harris can go for URI they will look to get him involved. |
| Shareef O'Neal | LSU | STL | 3900 | 7.04 | 3400 | 8.00 |
| This one may be a stretch, as the son of the Hall of Famer Shaq has had a really rough college career. In his debut for the LSU Tigers he played 14 minutes tallying 3 points and 5 rebounds. It is a gamble but O'Neal has skill and you arent going to find former top-40 recruits at this price tag. |
| Alexis Yetna | USF | URI | 3800 | 0 | 6600 | 0.00 |
| Yetna missed all of last season due to a torn ACL but he was a stud his freshman year with the Bulls averaging 12.3 ppg and an AAC best 9.6 rpg. Yetna should be able to have a nice day against URI, especially if big man Jermaine Harris doesn't play for the Rams. |
EXAMPLE LINEUPS
The EXAMPLE lineups are meant to show different roster constructions that are made with drivers from the Playbook. These are not meant to be plugged and played.
| DK Cash |
| Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| G | Jalen Tate | ARK | NTEX | 29.57 | $8,500 |
| Pivot | Joshua Langford | MSU | ND | 0 | $6,100 |
| G | David Collins | USF | URI | 24.45 | $7,400 |
| Pivot | | | | | |
| G | Jeremy Sheppard | URI | USF | 0 | $6,000 |
| Pivot | | | | | |
| F | Hasahn French | STL | LSU | 35.52 | $7,000 |
| Pivot | | | | | |
| F | Kevin Samuel | TCU | TLSA | 28.39 | $7,700 |
| Pivot | Zachary Simmons | NTEX | ARK | 18.58 | $5,800 |
| F | Jermaine Harris | URI | USF | 10.77 | $4,400 |
| Pivot | Trendon Watford | LSU | STL | 27.64 | $8,300 |
| Util | Alexis Yetna | USF | URI | 0 | $3,800 |
| Pivot | | | | | |
| Util | Seventh Woods | SCAR | LIB | 0 | $4,900 |
| Pivot | | | | | |
| | | | | Total | $49,700 |
| | | | Pivot Total | $49,300 |
| | | | | | |
| DK GPP |
| Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| G | Jordan Goodwin | STL | LSU | 37.17 | $8,200 |
| Pivot | Joshua Langford | MSU | ND | 0 | $6,100 |
| G | AJ Lawson | SCAR | LIB | 23.39 | $7,300 |
| Pivot | Javion Hamlet | NTEX | ARK | 26.21 | $7,200 |
| G | Cartier Diarra | VT | VU | 27.73 | $6,400 |
| Pivot | | | | | |
| F | Zachary Simmons | NTEX | ARK | 18.58 | $5,800 |
| Pivot | | | | | |
| F | Joey Hauser | MSU | ND | 0 | $7,300 |
| Pivot | | | | | |
| F | Juwan Durham | ND | MSU | 19.23 | $6,800 |
| Pivot | Hasahn French | STL | LSU | 35.52 | $7,000 |
| Util | Alexis Yetna | USF | URI | 0 | $3,800 |
| Pivot | | | | | |
| Util | Jermaine Harris | URI | USF | 10.77 | $4,400 |
| Pivot | Cormac Ryan | ND | MSU | 0 | $6,200 |
| | | | | Total | $50,000 |
| | | | Pivot Total | $49,800 |
| FD Cash |
| Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| G | Cormac Ryan | ND | MSU | 0 | $5,500 |
| Pivot | | | | | |
| G | Fatts Russell | URI | USF | 32.45000076 | $7,900 |
| Pivot | | | | | |
| G | Joshua Langford | MSU | ND | 9.899999619 | $4,200 |
| Pivot | | | | | |
| G | Javonte Smart | LSU | SLU | 20.29999924 | $5,400 |
| Pivot | | | | | |
| F | Trendon Watford | LSU | SLU | 41.90000153 | $7,800 |
| Pivot | Darius Days | LSU | SLU | 35.20000076 | $7,500 |
| F | Juwan Durham | ND | MSU | 18.35806373 | $4,600 |
| Pivot | | | | | |
| F | Hasahn French | SLU | LSU | 33.31333415 | $7,900 |
| Pivot | | | | | |
| Util | Brandon Rachal | TULS | TCU | 23.24333293 | $6,700 |
| Pivot | | TCU | TULS | 26.79999924 | $6,900 |
| | | | | Total | $50,000 |
| | | | Pivot Total | $49,900 |
| | | | | | |
| FD GPP |
| Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| G | Jeremy Sheppard | URI | USF | 19.35000038 | $4,500 |
| Pivot | Fatts Russell | URI | USF | 32.45000076 | $7,900 |
| G | Jordan Goodwin | SLU | LSU | 31.20000076 | $7,500 |
| Pivot | Rocket Watts | MSU | ND | 7.900000095 | $3,800 |
| G | Prentiss Hubb | ND | MSU | 21.65483832 | $6,500 |
| Pivot | | | | | |
| G | Mike Miles | TCU | TULS | 26.70000076 | $6,100 |
| Pivot | | | | | |
| F | Joey Hauser | MSU | ND | 23.79999924 | $5,800 |
| Pivot | | | | | |
| F | Nate Laszewski | ND | MSU | 14.11612923 | $4,900 |
| Pivot | | | | | |
| F | Trendon Watford | LSU | SLU | 41.90000153 | $7,800 |
| Pivot | | | | | |
| Util | | TCU | TULS | | $6,900 |
| Pivot | | | | | |
| | | | | Total | $50,000 |
| | | | Pivot Total | $49,700 |
