NOTE: This playbook is for Friday’s DraftKings CBB slate. FanDuel has a one-game showdown slate for the UConn/Xavier matchup, but those prices aren’t included here.
THE SLATE (Odds & Totals via DraftKings Sportsbook)
- 7 pm ET -- Connecticut at Xavier (-1) -- 138 O/U
- 9 pm ET -- Nevada at Utah State (-11) -- 145 O/U
- 9 pm ET -- St. Bonaventure at St. Louis (-5) -- 138.5 O/U
- 11 pm ET -- UNLV at Boise State (-8.5) -- 130.5 O/U
Top KenPom Projected Team Totals
- Utah State – 80
- Saint Louis – 75
- Xavier – 71
- Connecticut – 70
- Boise State – 69
Notable Injuries to Monitor:
- Emmanuel Akot, Boise State -- QUESTIONABLE (knee)
- Donovan Williams, UNLV -- QUESTIONABLE (knee)
- Victor Iwuakor, UNLV -- QUESTIONABLE (undisclosed)
- Warren Washington, Nevada -- QUESTIONABLE (finger)
- Brock Miller, Utah Stat -- DOUBTFUL (back)
- Rashad Williams, Saint Louis -- QUESTIONABLE (back)
- Akok Akok, Connecticut -- QUESTIONABLE (foot)
Top Guards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Bryce Hamilton | UNLV | BSU | 8600 | 32.46 | |||
| Even as a sizable underdog and as the highest-priced player, Hamilton is the clear stud guard to consider in cash tonight. His offensive usage and shot volume are so high as UNLV’s alpha and it keeps his DFS floor a lot higher than most guys. He’s averaging 25 PPG and 38 DK over the past ten games and has performed a bit better on the road vs. at home this season. Hamilton should still put up numbers despite facing a tough Boise St defense. | |||||||
| Desmond Cambridge Jr. | NEV | UTST | 7900 | 32.47 | |||
| The majority of Nevada’s offensive production centers on Grant Sherfield and Desmond Cambridge and they’re priced similarily tonight. Normally we’d opt for Sherfield, but he recently returned from a foot injury and wasn’t the regular DFS stud last time out. Cambridge, though, dropped 36 points and 51 DK in that game and is now averaging 32 DK over the past ten. The matchup vs. Utah St is a tad concerning, but he did have 30 DK in the previous meeting. | |||||||
| Paul Scruggs | XAV | UCONN | 7400 | 27.95 | |||
| People may opt to play Scruggs or other players from the Xavier/UConn matchup because of the familiarity, so keep that in mind in terms of rostership percentages. On this slate, though, Scruggs is more a GPP play with the upside to put up 20+ points and 40+ DK or struggle to even reach 25-30 DK. He’s done both in the past few games and can be inconsistent for cash. | |||||||
| Yuri Collins | STL | STBON | 7100 | 33.45 | |||
| Collins may wind up very chalky in cash considering how much cheaper he is compared to other top players on this slate. For similar production, there’s really no reason for the dynamic point guard to be $800 cheaper than Cambridge or $1500 cheaper than Hamilton. Just a few games ago, Collins dropped a 72 DK performance with his 35 points and 13 assists. He’s also put up 35+ DK in seven of the last eight games and six straight. | |||||||
Other Top Guards:
- R.J. Cole -- Connecticut ($7,600 DK)
- Jaren Holmes -- St. Bonaventure ($7,100 DK)
- Tyrese Martin -- Connecticut ($6,600 DK)
Value Guards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Steven Ashworth | UTST | NEV | 5100 | 19.04 | |||
| Ashworth’s DFS floor is much safer since he joined Utah St’s starting lineup in mid-January. He’s put up 22 DK or more in six of the last seven games while filling up the stat sheet in multiple categories. He had 29 DK vs. Nevada in the prior meeting and is a very solid cash value bit at just over 5k. | |||||||
| Gibson Jimerson | STL | STBON | 4800 | 22.95 | |||
| Jimerson brings in a ton of three-point upside into this matchup and he’s the ideal boom GPP value play tonight. The Saint Louis shooting guard is shooting 41% from three this season and 48% during conference play - and now faces a St. Bonaventure team that’s among the nation’s worst at defending the three. Jimerson’s 27% shot rate leads the team during conference play as he also does more than just shoot from deep. | |||||||
| Fred Thatch Jr. | STL | STBON | 4100 | 18.2 | |||
| How about another cheap Saint Louis option? Thatch is weirdly underpriced for a guy that’s averaging 21 DK over the past ten games and is coming off a 34 DK double-double performance last time out. Expect him to be popular in all formats at this cheap salary for the possible 6x return or better. | |||||||
| Sean Bairstow | UTST | NEV | 3000 | 17.12 | |||
| This is a notable mispricing for Bairstow at the bare minimum. Though he sat out last game due to a non-COVID illness, the junior wing is expected back tonight. Assuming he plays, Bairstow is way too cheap considering he’s averaging 20 DK over the past ten games and had 17.5 DK vs. Nevada in the first meeting. It's basically a free square in cash. | |||||||
Other Value Guards:
- Marcus Shaver Jr. -- Boise State ($5,400 DK)
- Jordan McCabe -- UNLV ($4,700 DK)
- Jordan Nesbitt -- Saint Louis ($4,400 DK)
- Justin Webster -- UNLV ($3,600 DK)
- Max Rice -- Boise State ($3,500 DK)
Top Forwards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Justin Bean | UTST | NEV | 8300 | 39.87 | |||
| Bean has been a stud all season for Utah State and we have no reason to expect that to stop tonight at home. He’s put up 36, 54 and 45 DK in the last three games, is averaging 16 PPG and 37 DK over the past ten and is averaging 20 PPG and 43 DK at home this season. Though he “only” had 31 DK vs. Nevada previously, expect a better DFS performance this time as a cash anchor that should be popular. | |||||||
| Adama Sanogo | UCONN | XAV | 8000 | 32.53 | |||
| Sanogo reminded us last game of his high-upside DFS ceiling as he put up 48 DK with 24 points and 15 rebounds vs. Marquette. If the UConn big man is dominating the paint on both ends, the sky’s the limit for his DFS production. Unfortunately, though, he can drop down to the 20 DK range in tougher matchups and is tough to trust in cash. Xavier has the size and talent in the frontcourt to limit Sanogo, but the GPP upside is always there. | |||||||
| Abu Kigab | BSU | UNLV | 6900 | 27.99 | |||
| This higher price tag should make Kigab a contrarian play among the top forwards, but he could easily be the slate’s best big man at the end of the night. Boise St’s senior power forward is coming off a 45 DK double-double last time out and has the upside to go for 30+ DK in any given game. UNLV’s banged-up front court and lack of talent down low could help Kigab assert himself on both ends. Still, it’s an expensive tag for cash. | |||||||
| Brandon Horvath | UTST | NEV | 6400 | 27.34 | |||
| Considering the recent run Horvath is on, he’s a bit underpriced tonight and may wind up a popular cash option. The Utah St big man has 38, 37, 51 and 38 DK over the past four games with at least 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists in each. That’s some consistent production and he’s doing it despite Justin Bean doing his regular thing. Maybe he slows down a bit tonight, but this hot streak is tough to fade at an affordable price. | |||||||
Other Top Forwards:
- Osun Osunniyi -- St. Bonaventure ($7,700 DK)
- Jack Nunge -- Xavier ($7,200 DK)
Value Forwards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Francis Okoro | STL | STBON | 5500 | 24.22 | |||
| Okoro is a bit underpriced for how he’s been performing lately - even at this above-5k price tag. The Saint Louis center has 29 DK or more in four of the last five games, he’s averaging 27 DK over the past ten, and he’s bound to play a key role tonight in a matchup down low vs. Osun Osunniyi. Hopefully he stays out of foul trouble and smashes value like he’s been doing plenty lately. | |||||||
| Will Baker | NEV | UTST | 4900 | 20.82 | |||
| Even though he’s coming off a dud outing of less than 10 DK in the previous game, Baker is still a solid value on a slate without many cheap forwards worth playing. He had 22 DK or more in five of the previous six games with the lone outlier being 18 DK (vs. Utah St in the first matchup). As Nevada’s 7-foot big, he usually does just enough as a rebounder and scorer to return cash value. | |||||||
| Tyson Degenhart | BSU | UNLV | 3900 | 18.85 | |||
| Degenhart is another player tonight who’s way underpriced. He’s averaging a solid 21 DK over the past ten games and just dropped 23 points and 39 DK in the previous outing. Does that sound like a guy who’s priced below 4k? Expect him to be popular tonight. | |||||||
Other Value Forwards:
- Terrence Hargrove Jr. -- Saint Louis ($3,800 DK)
- Tre Coleman -- Nevada ($3,600 DK)
DraftKings Core Plays
- Justin Bean – Utah State ($8,300)
- Yuri Collins – Saint Louis ($7,100)
- Sean Bairstow – Nevada ($3,000)