THE SLATE (Odds & Totals via DraftKings Sportsbook)
- 8 pm ET -- Ohio State (-6.5) at Minnesota -- 134 O/U
- 9 pm ET -- California at UCLA (-16) -- 130 O/U
- 9 pm ET -- Purdue (-2) at Iowa -- 153 O/U
- 11 pm ET -- Loyola Marymount at Gonzaga (-29) -- 158 O/U (DK Only)
- 11 pm ET -- Stanford at USC (-10.5) -- 139 O/U
- 11 pm ET -- Colorado (-2.5) at Washington -- 136.5 O/U
Top KenPom Projected Team Totals
- Gonzaga – 91
- Purdue – 81
- Iowa – 80
- Wisconsin – 78
- USC – 74
- UCLA – 72
- Ohio State – 71
Notable Injuries to Monitor:
- Jaden Ivey, Purdue -- QUESTIONABLE (hip)
- Jamari Wheeler, Ohio State -- GAME-TIME DECISION (foot)
- Meechie Johnson, Ohio State -- GAME-TIME DECISION (face)
- Jamison Battle, Minnesota -- GAME-TIME DECISION (non-COVID illness)
- Eylijah Stephens, Minnesota -- QUESTIONABLE (undisclosed)
- Eric Curry, Minnesota -- DOUBTFUL (ankle)
- Jaylen Clark, UCLA – OUT (concussion)
Top Guards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Terrell Brown Jr. | UW | COL | 9200 | 37.03 | 8100 | 35.54 | |
| If Washington is on the slate, then Brown Jr. should automatically be considered a top overall play despite his expensive price tags. The guy sees such a heavy shot volume and usage as the Huskies’ offensive catalyst and it makes his DFS floor/ceiling so much higher than most. Despite a “dud” performance on the road at Oregon last game, Brown had 36 DK or more in six of the previous seven games and he’s averaging 19.9 PPG and 36 DK over the last ten. He had 36 DK with a stat-stuffing effort vs. Colorado earlier this season. | |||||||
| Jaden Ivey | PUR | IOWA | 8500 | 30.83 | 7600 | 28.56 | |
| Ivey is expected to play tonight after missing the last game with a hip injury. That’s good news in a pace-boost matchup here vs. Iowa. Assuming he’s close to full strength and won’t be limited too much, Ivey should be popular in cash with his consistent DFS production and not many other top-tier guards to choose from. He had 19 points and 28 DK in the first meeting vs. Iowa. | |||||||
| Payton Willis | MINN | OSU | 7800 | 32.92 | 7800 | 30.19 | |
| Depending on who’s available for Minnesota, a large majority of the shot volume and offensive usage could fall on Willis tonight. That was the case last game and Willis went off for 32 real points and 50 DK. Even if Stephens, Battle and/or Curry play, they could be limited and Willis will likely take on an increased offensive role once again. Even still, he’s averaging 32 DK over the last ten games and should be a safe cash play. | |||||||
| Jaime Jaquez Jr. | UCLA | CAL | 7400 | 26.1 | 6600 | 24.45 | |
| Admittedly, it’s a tough read game-to-game as to which UCLA guard to play in cash or GPP. It seems like Juzang, Jaquez, Bernard and Campbell are all capable of being the team’s top performer on any given night and they end up trading off good performances. The lower total of tonight’s matchup vs. Cal makes it even harder to trust any in cash. Jaquez, though, has come on strong lately with 28 DK vs. Arizona last game and 29 DK the game before. All the Bruins’ top guys are GPP plays on this slate. | |||||||
Other Top Guards:
- Andrew Nembhard -- Gonzaga ($8,200 DK Only)
- Johnny Juzang -- UCLA ($7,700 DK / $8,000 FD)
- Drew Peterson -- USC ($6,900 DK / $7,100 FD)
Value Guards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Malaki Branham | OSU | MINN | 5300 | 18.75 | 5700 | 17.36 | |
| The Ohio State backcourt has some key injury situations to monitor and we could have Branham being the Buckeyes’ lead ball-handler more often than not if one or both of Jamari Wheeler and Meechie Johnson are out. Even with his teammates healthy, Branham has been one of OSU’s top playmakers with multiple scoring outbursts during conference play. The sub-6k price tags mean he’s still a nice value. | |||||||
| KJ Simpson | COL | UW | 4300 | 14.81 | 4900 | 13.36 | |
| Though he comes off the bench, Simpson has been one of Colorado's best offensive players lately. The freshman is second on the team in usage rate during conference play (behind only Jabari Walker) and his 31% assist rate vs. Pac 12 opponents is higher than starting PG Keeshawn Barthelemy. He’s a solid value at sub-5k on both sites with 21 and 25 DK in the last two games. | |||||||
| Luke Loewe | MINN | OSU | 3600 | 15.42 | 4500 | 14.36 | |
| We’ll have to monitor Minnesota’s injury situation tonight, but Loewe could be an excellent value depending on who’s in and who’s out. He had 19 points scored, 27 DK and heavy shot volume over 40 minutes last game with Eylijah Stephens out. Stephens is reportedly going to play tonight, but who knows how much and if he starts. | |||||||
| Nolan Hickman | GONZ | LYM | 3600 | 13.56 | |||
| In Gonzaga’s blowout wins, Hickman usually has his better DFS performances as the freshman runs the point more often in the second half with Andrew Nembhard, Julian Strawther and Rasir Bolton resting/not needing to do much with the game in hand. Hickman, though, gets the chance to shine but plays like it's a one-possession game instead of a 20-point lead. He can easily give you 20 DK to smash value. | |||||||
| Jimmy Sotos | OSU | MINN | 3000 | 6.54 | 4000 | 6.09 | |
| Sotos could see a major increase in playing time and usage in the Ohio State backcourt tonight if one or both of Jamari Wheeler and Meechie Johnson are out. Both guys are game-time decisions and we may not know who’s playing until pregame warmups or the starting lineup is announced. Sotos saw extended playing time last game vs. IUPUI and put up 25 DK in 20 minutes. | |||||||
Other Value Guards:
- Keeshawn Barthelemy -- Colorado ($4,800 DK / $5,400 FD)
- Rasir Bolton -- Gonzaga ($4,800 DK Only)
- Jordan Bohannon -- Iowa ($4,200 DK / $4,500 FD)
- Sean Sutherlin -- Minnesota ($3,400 DK / $3,900 FD)
- Hunter Sallis -- Gonzaga ($3,300 DK Only)
Top Forwards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Keegan Murray | IOWA | PUR | 9500 | 42.9 | 8400 | 40.71 | |
| Murray will likely be less popular in cash than normal because he has to go up against the tough Purdue defense. Zach Edey and Trevion Williams could make life difficult in the paint and Mason Gillis guarding him isn’t ideal. At least we know Murray will inevitably see heavy shot volume and usage rate as Iowa’s go-to scorer - but maybe limit exposure to GPPs. | |||||||
| Chet Holmgren | GONZ | LYM | 9100 | 35.1 | |||
| Holmgren will have a massive size advantage over Loyola Marymount, whose tallest rotational player is 6-foot-8. The blowout risk is real here, but Holmgren’s best DFS performances this season have mostly come in Gonzaga’s easier matchups as big favorites. That’s the case tonight while Drew Timme may take his foot off the gas a bit in the second half. Plus, LMU gets its shots blocked often and is a poor rebounding team - both playing right into Holmgren’s strengths. | |||||||
| E.J. Liddell | OSU | MINN | 9000 | 38.64 | 8200 | 35.81 | |
| The Ohio State big man should have a ton of success in this matchup considering Minnesota will be down one or two frontcourt starters, is a poor rebounding team and allows the large majority of opposing scoring inside. Liddell is averaging 17.6 PPG, 8.0 RPG and 37 DK over the past ten games and should post similar or better numbers in this favorable matchup. | |||||||
| Jabari Walker | COL | UW | 8300 | 29.03 | 7200 | 26.34 | |
| Though Walker doesn’t have the same name brand recognition as other top forward studs on this slate, he could easily wind up being the best option. As Colorado’s go-to offensive threat, the sophomore power forward has the nightly potential to put up 35-40 DFS points and a double-double at his best. He did just that last game vs. Oregon with 24 points, 11 boards and 43 DK. Walker had 30 DK vs. Washington earlier this season and should take advantage of the favorable interior matchup once again. | |||||||
| Trevion Williams | PUR | IOWA | 7900 | 29.68 | 7000 | 27.59 | |
| Williams had a massive performance against Iowa’s undersized frontcourt earlier this season, putting up 43 DK with 13 points and 18 rebounds. We could easily see a repeat performance this time around with how dominant he can be in the paint. Though Edey has been more consistent for cash lately, Williams' upside makes him a really attractive GPP play - especially at the FD discount. | |||||||
Other Top Forwards:
- Isaiah Mobley -- USC ($9,400 DK / $7,900 FD)
- Drew Timme -- Gonzaga ($9,300 DK Only)
- Zach Edey -- Purdue ($8,100 DK / $8,300 FD)
- Harrison Ingram -- Stanford ($7,600 DK / $5,600 FD)
Value Forwards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Kris Murray | IOWA | PUR | 5200 | 21.57 | 5900 | 20.29 | |
| Frankly, the “other” Murray is impossible to trust for cash because he can just as easily bust your lineup as go off for 25-30 DFS points. The GPP upside is there, since he’s put up 26+ DK in three of the last five games including a slate-breaking 59 DK a couple weeks ago. However, he has 10.5 and 4.0 DK in the two other games recently with only 11 minutes in both and almost no ancillary stats recorded. It’s the definition of boom-or-bust. | |||||||
| Zed Key | OSU | MINN | 5000 | 19.19 | 5200 | 18.41 | |
| We mentioned Liddell benefiting from tonight’s matchup vs. Minnesota’s shorthanded frontcourt, but both Zed Key and Kyle Young can take advantage as well. Both are solid cash values, but Key gets the slight edge for cash since he’s been more consistent. The Ohio State center is averaging 20 DK over the past ten games with just enough scoring, rebounding and ancillary stats to be DFS relevant. | |||||||
| Tristan da Silva | COL | UW | 4400 | 16.99 | 4800 | 15.32 | |
| When Colorado faced Washington earlier this season, da Silva broke the slate with his 22 points scored and 35 DK at the same salary he’s at tonight. Now we’re not calling for a duplicate performance, but that’s certainly some good mojo for this rematch. Either way, da Silva is averaging 17 DK over the past ten games and could give you 4x or 5x value. | |||||||
| Mason Gillis | PUR | IOWA | 4300 | 14.17 | 4900 | 13.06 | |
| Gillis is still a solid cash value and a bit too cheap on DK. He’ll benefit from the pace-boost matchup tonight where Purdue will need his defensive versatility and size to guard Keegan Murray. Since joining the starters, Gillis has 20+ DK in four of seven games and 14+ DK in two others. He had 19 DK against Iowa earlier this season, and that was before he took on a starting role over Caleb Furst. | |||||||
| Charlie Daniels | MINN | OSU | 3500 | 8.14 | 4700 | 7.63 | |
| Daniels has started the last two games with Eric Curry sidelined and put up 19 and 20 DK in those starts with a significant increase in playing time. Since Curry is unlikely to play again tonight, expect Daniels to see plenty of minutes in the Minnesota frontcourt - especially if Jamison Battle is out as well. Even in a tough matchup vs. Ohio State’s bigs, the value might be too good to pass up. | |||||||
Other Value Forwards:
- Chevez Goodwin -- USC ($6,600 DK / $5,500 FD)
- Kyle Young -- Ohio State ($4,900 DK / $4,700 FD)
- Max Agbonkpolo -- USC ($4,600 DK / $4,300 FD)
- Cody Riley -- UCLA ($4,100 DK / $4,700 FD)
- Treyton Thompson -- Minnesota ($3,000 DK / $4,400 FD)
DraftKings Core Plays
- Chet Holmgren -- Gonzaga ($9,100)
- Jabari Walker -- Colorado ($8,300)
- Charlie Daniels -- Minnesota ($3,500)
FanDuel Core Plays
- E.J. Liddell -- Ohio State ($8,200)
- Jabari Walker -- Colorado ($7,200)
- Mason Gillis -- Purdue ($4,900)