THE SLATE (Odds & Totals via DraftKings Sportsbook):
- 7 pm ET -- Incarnate Word at Purdue (-38) -- 145 o/u
- 7 pm ET -- Alcorn State at Baylor (-34.5) -- 139 o/u
- 7 pm ET -- Western Carolina at Georgia (-11.5) -- 147 o/u
- 9 pm ET -- Northern Arizona at Gonzaga (-34.5) -- 146 o/u
Top KenPom Projected Team Totals
- Purdue -- 94
- Gonzaga -- 92
- Baylor -- 84
- Georgia -- 77
- Western Carolina -- 67
Top Guards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| James Akinjo | BAY | ALC | 8400 | 26.88 | |||
| Even though there’s blowout risk, Akinjo has to be considered tonight as he runs the point for Baylor’s offense. He’s coming off two great performances vs. Villanova and Oregon but hasn’t been as good for DFS when facing easier opponents. There was the 49 DK and near triple-double in a previous blowout win this season, though, so the GPP upside is there. | |||||||
| Jaden Ivey | PUR | INCWO | 8300 | 32.54 | |||
| If Purdue is on the slate, then Ivey has to be in the top-tier conversation as one of the best NBA-ready talents in the sport. Of course there’s blowout risk here, which limits the DFS expectations for Ivey as he sometimes takes a back seat against these lesser opponents. However, there’s enough value to jam in Ivey and the other studs tonight. | |||||||
| Nick Robinson | WCU | UGA | 6600 | 31.46 | |||
| Even on a slate with so many well-known teams and players, Robinson could end up being the best DFS play in cash because he’s arguably the best player competing in the tightest game. Though he’s listed as a guard, Robinson plays a wing/power forward role for Western Carolina and is shooting 43% from three. The matchup vs. Georgia shouldn’t scare us off much for a guy that will likely be WCU’s go-to scorer. | |||||||
Other Top Guards to Consider:
- Julian Strawther -- Gonzaga ($7,500)
- Aaron Cook -- Georgia ($7,400)
Value Guards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Jalen Cone | NAZU | GONZ | 5000 | 27.11 | |||
| The Virginia Tech transfer is now the best player at Northern Arizona, leading the team in usage rate and shots share while averaging 17.6 PPG in a score-first point guard role. Obviously it’s tough to trust any player on the wrong end of a blowout, but Cone should do plenty to return value as the main man for NAZU in a pace-boost matchup. If we’re going to target anyone against Gonzaga, do it with the guards rather than the bigs. | |||||||
| Noah Baumann | UGA | WCU | 4300 | 8.22 | |||
| With Jailyn Ingram out for the season, Baumann moved into the starting lineup last game and immediately had a season-high’s in minutes (21) and points scored (11). Though he’s still a role player for Georgia, the increase in playing time puts Baumann firmly in the cash value range of this slate and he could end up being popular at sub-5k. | |||||||
| Nolan Hickman | GONZ | NAZU | 4200 | 13.23 | |||
| A lot of the Gonzaga starters are hard to trust on tonight’s slate because they likely won’t return value at elevated price tags in a blowout win. Instead, it might be smarter to take a chance on some of the Zags’ freshmen who tend to get more run and usage against lesser opponents. Hickman tops the list with all that in mind as he’s had some of his best DFS performances in blowouts and can easily return value. | |||||||
Other Value Guards to Consider:
- Vonterius Woolbright -- Western Carolina ($5,500)
- Travion McCray -- Western Carolina ($5,200)
- Hunter Sallis -- Gonzaga ($3,500)
Top Forwards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Chet Holmgren | GONZ | NAZU | 9600 | 34.66 | |||
| We’ve mentioned this multiple times before this season when Gonzaga is on the slate against a soft opponent with a blowout coming. Holmgren is still a great play for DFS because his length, size and talent simply take over vs. easy competition and smaller frontcourts. Plus, Gonzaga’s offense tends to feature him more in these blowouts while Drew Timme and others take a back seat. On a slate without many lock studs, Holmgren is worth paying up for tonight. | |||||||
| Trevion Williams | PUR | INCWO | 8600 | 32.27 | |||
| After coming off the bench all season, Williams entered Purdue’s starting lineup last game with Zach Edey interestingly heading to the bench. Well it paid off in real life with the Boilermakers beating Butler by 33 points. For DFS, though, Williams only had 22 DK in 18 minutes as Edey had the better stat line off the bench. Even if he starts again tonight, the ceiling is very high for Williams in a talent mismatch vs. an easy opponent and he can easily smash the slate with a double-double and 40-50 DK points. | |||||||
| Zach Edey | PUR | INCWO | 7400 | 27.9 | |||
| As mentioned above, Edey moved to the bench last game for the first time all year with Williams getting the starting nod. Despite being a reserve, Edey still logged 20 minutes with 32 DK and a double-double as he out-performed Williams. Whether or not he starts or comes off the bench tonight, Edey is a great play against a lesser opponent. Like Chet Holmgren, Edey’s size and talent have proven to be too much vs. easy competition and he’s a better cash play than Williams with the price differential. | |||||||
| Kendall Brown | BAY | ALC | 6400 | 22.62 | |||
| Brown’s NBA-level talent was on full display over the weekend when he was dunking all over Oregon. Like most top-tier players on this slate, there’s blowout risk here with Brown and the Baylor starters. However, the freshman phenom has dominated lesser competition previously this season and presents an athletic mismatch tonight vs. Incarnate Word. The price tag is cheap enough for all formats considering the 30+ DK upside. | |||||||
Other Top Forwards to Consider:
- Drew Timme -- Gonzaga ($8,800)
- Braelen Bridges -- Georgia ($6,300)
Value Forwards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| LJ Cryer | BAY | ALC | 5400 | 21.65 | |||
| Baylor’s sixth-man regularly plays starter-level minutes and is a nice bargain in the 5k range tonight. His best offensive performances this year have come against easier opponents, including 20 real points scored in three different blowout wins. There’s upside here as Cryer is Baylor’s best three-point shooter (45.6%) and can get hot to return value. | |||||||
| Kario Oquendo | UGA | WCU | 4500 | 19.25 | |||
| The Jailyn Ingram season-ending injury should benefit multiple UGA players moving forward considering how much usage and shot volume is up for grabs. One player that should benefit the most in real life and DFS is Oquendo, who leads the team in shots share and is now second in usage with Ingram out. He’s been a bit inconsistent DFS-wise, but the sub-5k tag is cheap enough because 20+ DK points is a very real possibility and something he’s done multiple times this season. | |||||||
| Nik Mains | NAZU | GONZ | 4500 | 22.32 | |||
| If you’re looking for a cheap forward in the sub-5k range, Northern Arizona has two worth looking at in Carson Towt and Nik Mains. Though both could have a tough time against Gonzaga’s stud frontcourt of Chet Holmgren and Drew Timme, the pace-boost and solidified playing time for both could be enough to return value. Mains gets the slight edge over Towt because he can get hot from three-point range, plays the most minutes for NAZU outside of Jalen Cone, and costs $300 less than Towt for likely similar production. | |||||||
Other Value Forwards to Consider:
- Carson Towt -- Northern Arizona ($4,800)
- Anton Watson -- Gonzaga ($4,600)
- Jabri Adbur-Rahim -- Georgia ($3,600)
- Flo Thamba -- Baylor ($3,500)
DraftKings Core Plays
- Chet Holmgren -- Gonzaga ($9,200)
- Zach Edey -- Purdue ($7,400)
- Kario Oquendo -- Georgia ($4,500)