THE SLATE
5p- Northern Arizona @ Gonzaga (-33.0) 142 O/U
8p- Northwestern State @ Baylor (-38) 145 O/U
8p- Notre Dame (-3.5) @ Pittsburgh 127.0 O/U
8:30p- Lehigh @ Maryland (-21.5) 138.0 O/U
8:30p- Incarnate Word @ Texas (-31.5) 129.0 O/U
TOP TEAM IMPLIED SCORES
Baylor- 91.50
Texas- 80.25
Maryland 79.7
Notre Dame- 65.25
Pittsburgh- 61.75
TOP GUARD PLAYS
James Akinjo (Baylor) Opp NWST ($8.7K DK)
Akinjo is the on-floor leader for Baylor. The 6’1” point guard is leading the Bears in assists (6.1) and steals (2.2) and minutes per game (30.2). He also leads with a 24.1% usage rate and should have no problem with Northwestern State as they are the biggest favorites of the slate. Minutes may be a problem tonight in the blowout factor making Akinjo probably more suited for GPPs.
Fatts Russell (Maryland) Opp LEH ($6.6K DK)
Russell and Eric Ayala make a great backcourt tandem for the Terps, and both are in play tonight. If having to choose I would lean Russell due to a cheaper tag and his end-to-end speed that can take over games. He is coming off his best scoring performance (19 points) since an early season win against Vermont and is now the team usage (25.0%) and assist (23.8) leader. Russell is in play in all formats tonight in a pace up game with Lehigh.
Donta Scott G/F (Maryland) Opp LEH ($6.6K)
Scott, Russell, and Eric Ayala are all in play tonight against a Lehigh team that is 1-9 and ranked 327 in KenPom. Scott is eligible at guard or forward and leads the Terps in rebounding with 7.2 per game plus is averaging 10.4 points and over 30 minutes. With Bryce Fowler and Sacramento State being cancelled Scott would be the next in line as a top point per dollar play on the slate.
Other Top Guards to Consider:
Eric Ayala (UMD) $7.0K Cash/GPP
Timmy Allen G/F (UT) $8.1K GPP
Andrew Nembhard (GONZ) $7.4K GPP
Femi Odukale (PITT) $7.1K GPP
TOP VALUE GUARDS
Blake Wesley (Notre Dame) Opp @PITT (5.4K DK)
Wesley, only a freshman, is now the clear Alpha of the Fighting Irish. After being inserted into the starting lineup five games ago against Boston College he hasn’t looked back and is undeniably the spark of the team. Coming off back-to-back games with over 30 DKFP, Wesley now has a usage rate of 30.3% and a shot rate of 31.1%- both elite numbers and usually reserved for players in the $8K or above range. Lock Wesley in as your top value guard of the slate in a close game against Pittsburgh.
Evan Taylor (Lehigh) Opp @UMD ($4.9K DK)
Taylor may not be the biggest player to be playing the four, but he can stretch the floor and isn’t afraid to shoot. The junior is averaging over 12 points over his last five games and has scored 33+ DKFP in two of his last three. With a 25.6% shot rate, Taylor has connected on 33.3% of the 39 3-pointers he’s attempted this season and he also leads the team in rebounds with 5.9 per game. Expect Taylor to play over 30 minutes in a pace up game with Maryland tonight.
Hakim Hart G/F (Maryland) Opp LEH ($4.9K DK)
Hart is in the midst of an excellent stretch of games for Maryland. He has now played 30+ minutes in five straight games with two of them being over 30 DKFP. He won’t take down a GPP for you, but Hart should be safe enough in a high tempo game to make value on his $4.9K salary tonight. This is a game that Maryland should control from start to finish giving Hart plenty of fantasy point opportunities.
Other Guard Values:
Reed Fenton (LEH) $3.2K Punt
Cormac Ryan G/F (ND) $4.7K GPP
Prentiss Hubb (ND) $5.1K Cash/GPP
TOP FORWARD PLAYS
Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga) Opp NORTA ($9.7K DK)
Blowout factor comes into play tonight especially when Holmgren is nearly $10K. He’s still a top play for GPPs though against an undersized North Alabama frontcourt as he has stuffed the stat sheet, averaging 13.3 points on 62,5% shooting, 8.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 3.6 blocks per game.
Qudus Wahab (Maryland) Opp LEH ($6.9K DK)
Through 10 games, Wahab has averaged 10.1 points and 6.9 rebounds while shooting 59.7% from the field. Since Danny Manning took over as interim coach his minutes have gone up as Wahab has now played 23+ minutes in five straight where he only went above that threshold just once in the first five games. Playable in all formats tonight against a much smaller Lehigh team.
Mouhamadou Gueye (Pittsburgh) Opp ND ($6.2K DK)
12 games into his Pitt career and Gueye has surprised many observers. The Stony Brook transfer has become more aggressive and assertive offensively and has even shown an ability to score off the dribble and drive to the basket with a good deal of poise for a man his size. He’s now fourth on the team in scoring (7.3), second in rebounding (6.1) and first in blocks (1.7). But more importantly it’s what he has done over the last four games- 11 points per game, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks while concluding these four games with his first double-double at Pitt going for 15 points and 12 rebounds against Jacksonville on Tuesday.
Other Top Forwards:
John Hugley (PITT) $8.4K Cash/GPP
Donta Scott G/F (UMD) $6.6K Cash/GPP
Drew Timme (GONZ) $9.0K GPP
Timmy Allen G/F (UT) $8.1K GPP
Kendall Brown (BAY) $6.8K Cash/GPP
Paul Atkinson (ND) $6.5K GPP
TOP VALUE FORWARD
Dane Goodwin G/F (Notre Dame) Opp @PITT (5.8K DK)
Goodwin is coming off ACC Player of the Week honors after averaging 19.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and shooting .692 (9/13) from three-point range in two games last week. He will play as many minutes as possible and is the teams leading scorer at 15.0 ppg to go along with a 25.8 DKFP average.
Cormac Ryan (Notre Dame) Opp @PITT ($4.7K DK)
Ryan has found a home as the Fighting Irish sixth man and is averaging 32 DKFP over his last two games. He came off the bench going 4-for-5 from long distance enroute to 14 points in last Wednesday’s 83-73 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. He filled the stat sheet in the game before that with 11 points, five rebounds, three blocks and three assists against Western Michigan.
Other Value Forwards:
Hakim Hart G/F (UMD) $4.9K Cash/GPP
Julian Reece (UMD) $4.2K Value GPP
Dallas Howell (NORTA) $4.4K Value GPP
Nic Lynch (LEH) $4.0K Value
Hunter Sallis (GONZ) $4.0K Value GPP
DRAFTKINGS CORE
Blake Wesley (Notre Dame)
Fatts Russell (Maryland)
Evan Taylor (Lehigh) Value