THE SLATE (Odds & Totals via KenPom)

6 pm ET -- Boston College at Rhode Island (-7) -- 137 o/u (DK Only)

7 pm ET -- Michigan State (-1) at Butler -- 133 o/u

7 pm ET -- Drexel at Saint Joseph’s (-1) -- 145 o/u (DK Only)

8 pm ET -- NC State vs. Oklahoma State (-2) -- 138 o/u

8 pm ET -- Tulane at Florida State (-14) -- 140 o/u

8 pm ET -- VCU at Vanderbilt (-7) -- 139 o/u (DK Only)

9 pm ET -- St. John’s at Indiana (-4) -- 148 o/u

10:30 pm ET -- North Florida at UCLA (-23) -- 145 o/u (DK Only)

 

Top Implied Team Totals (per KenPom)

UCLA -- 84 points

Florida State -- 77 points

Indiana -- 76 points

Vanderbilt -- 73 points

Saint Joseph’s -- 73 points 

St. John’s -- 72 points

Drexel -- 72 points

 

Top Guards

Top Guards
PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
Julian ChampagnieSTJNIU870031.25830028.80
Champagnie was a stud all last season for St. John’s and is back doing his thing after putting off a pro career for another year. He’s scored 20+ real points and 29+ DK points in the first two games thus far and leads the Johnnies in usage and shots share like he did last season. Though the level of competition ramps up for him and this offense, expect Champagnie to be plenty involved in a game that’ll be fast-paced and high-scoring on both ends.
Scotty Pippen Jr.VANDVCU850033.75  
Unfortunately FD players can’t enjoy Scotty Pippen Jr. tonight. On DK, though, he’s a top play like he’ll regularly be this season if Vandy is on the slate. The preseason SEC POY is a walking bucket and just dropped 30 real points last time out. Though VCU could slow him down a bit tonight, his heavy usage on offense will keep his floor pretty high for cash.
Johnny JuzangUCLANFLA800033.17  
The preseason All-American has lived up to the hype so far this season, scoring 19+ real points in all three games and 25 in back-to-back contests coming into tonight. Even against an easier opponent like North Florida, we can expect Juzang and the UCLA starters to get plenty of run and being valuable for DFS. Though Juzang could be contrarian compared to other top-priced players on this slate, he’s an ideal late-night hammer to anchor your GPP lineup.
Dereon SeabronNCSTOKST620039.62810038.45
After mostly playing a reserve role as a freshman last year, Seabron is now arguably NC State’s best player this season and he’s putting up big stat lines with increased usage. He’s averaging 21 points and 10 rebounds through the first three games and has two double-doubles. Though he’s listed as a guard, Seabron plays a power forward/wing position for the Wolfpack and he has a lot more responsibility as a scorer and rebounder with Manny Bates out for the year.
Posh AlexanderSTJNIU640033.88800030.80
While Champagnie is the headliner for St. John’s, don’t overlook Alexander being plenty valuable for DFS while running the point in this offense. He’s put up 38 and 29 DK points in the first two games while averaging 15 points and eight assists with some ancillary stat production as well with his high usage rate. There’s a chance Alexander matches or is even better DFS-wise than Champagnie tonight - but he’s cheaper on both sites (especially DK).

Other Top Guards to Consider:

Anthony Polite -- Florida State ($7,400 DK / $6,100 FD)

Caleb Mills -- Florida State ($7,200 DK / $6,500 FD)

Jules Bernard -- UCLA ($6,300 DK Only)
 

Value Guards

Value Guards
PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
Xavier JohnsonIUSTJN520022.75580020.90
Johnson was one of the best players for Pitt last season and is now a backcourt anchor for Indiana following the offseason transfer. Though Jackson-Davis is the Hoosiers’ star and top offensive option, Johnson is quickly becoming a main piece while running the point and seeing the highest usage rate on the team thus far. He’s a bit too cheap on both sites for being the lead ball-handler in what should be an uptempo matchup vs. St. John’s tonight.
Matthew ClevelandFSUTUL480020.38540019.60
Similar to Scottie Barnes last year, Cleveland is a five-star freshman and future NBA lottery pick who comes off the bench for Florida State. He’s a super-sub of sorts for the ‘Noles and will likely log starter-level minutes in most games this season - even if he’s a reserve in the box score. Against Florida on Sunday, he had 24 DK points over 30 minutes and was FSU’s go-to offensive option at times. Expect him to do plenty against Tulane tonight to return value as he should be much more expensive.
Ishmael LeggettURIBC430028.38  
A DK only value here and one that seems to be a big oversight. Leggett has put up 26 and 30 DK points in the first two games while starting in Rhode Island’s backcourt. Though Jalen Carey being back could eat into his minutes tonight, Leggett has been one of URI’s better players so far and he should rack up plenty of ancillary stats to return value at sub-5k.
Aaron ThompsonBUTLEMSU38000600020.64
On the DK slate, Thompson is a massive bargain if he indeed plays tonight. His three-game suspension to begin the season should be in the books - all we need is confirmation beforehand. Thompson has been Butler’s starting point guard when healthy the last few years and we should expect him to step right back into that role. Maybe he doesn’t get the starting nod tonight, but the senior likely logs 30 mins or so in a marquee matchup vs. Michigan State.

Other Value Guards to Consider:

Terquavion Smith -- NC State ($4,100 DK / $6,500 FD)

Montez Mathis -- St. John’s ($5,000 DK / $6,100 FD)

Bryce Williams -- Oklahoma State (4,300 DK / $4,500 FD)
 

Top Forwards

Top Forwards
PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
Trayce Jackson-DavisIUSTJN790047.62890046.10
If Indiana is on the slate, then Jackson-Davis is automatically in consideration as the top play overall. Honestly, he’s still too cheap at these price tags for how good he is and how dominant he’s been already this season - putting up 50 and 45 DK points in the first two games. Expect Indiana’s big man to be popular in all formats tonight in a faster-paced matchup.
Taylor FunkSTJOEDREXE780033.38  
A DK only play here because for some reason we have this Philly rivalry game on the slate. Funk was a stud for Saint Joseph’s all last season and is now even more important to the offense with Ryan Daly gone. He’s already put up 34 and 32 DK points in the first two games and has already drained 10-of-18 from three-point range. This matchup vs. Drexel could be a sneaky good spot to target DFS-wise and make Funk lower-rostered than he should be.
Malik OsborneFSUTUL760036.38780033.40
After starting just four games last season and being the team’s sixth or seventh offensive option, Osborne is now playing a much bigger role for Florida State as he anchors the frontcourt with Balsa Koprivica and RaiQuan Gray gone. He’s put up 38 and 34 DK points in the first two games with 18 points scored in both - and that most-recent performance came against Florida. He presents a big mismatch for Tulane down low tonight and could be a nice GPP pivot off Jackson-Davis.
Joel SorianoSTJNIU640028.25660026.30
Though Jackson-Davis is a top play on this slate, the big man opposite him is also very much in play. After transferring from Fordham this summer, Soriano has stepped right into a starting center role for St. John’s. He has the size and athleticism to match Jackson-Davis and most bigs out there. While he’s only logged 17 minutes in both of the first two games, Soriano has been very efficient with that playing time - putting up 35 and 21 DK points. There’s a chance he makes life difficult for Jackson-Davis tonight and ends up with a big stat line at low rostership.

Other Top Forwards to Consider:

Jaime Jaquez Jr. -- UCLA ($8,800 DK Only)

Jericole Hellems -- NC State ($7,000 DK / $6,100 FD)

Jordan Wright -- Vanderbilt ($6,700 DK Only)

Race Thompson -- Indiana ($6,200 DK / $6,900 FD)

 

Value Forwards

Value Forwards
PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
Gabe BrownMSUBUTLE510022.38580020.65
Coming into this season, Brown was expected to be one of Sparty’s best players. He had a relatively quiet night in the opener vs. Kentucky and still put up 18 DK points. Then Brown was good last time out with 17 real points and 27 DK points. Maybe that performance gets him going in the right direction in a tough road matchup tonight. Michigan State will need him to make plays on both ends and be one of their leading scorers to win. Brown is still too cheap on both sites for his uptick in role from last year.
Peyton WatsonUCLANFLA47008.75  
On the DK slate, here’s a cheap way to get exposure to UCLA in the late-night hammer game. Watson is a highly-rated recruit who’s expected to be an NBA lottery pick in next year’s draft. Right now, he’s only playing a bench role for the Bruins and has even failed to get 10+ minutes in each of the last two games. Tonight, though, he could get more run in a likely blowout where Mick Cronin may let Watson play 20+ minutes. If that’s the case, he’s way too cheap at sub-5k for his talent against a lesser opponent like North Florida.
Aaron WheelerSTJNIU410021.62500019.55
The Purdue transfer is now playing a key bench role for St. John’s as one of their better rebounders and frontcourt players. Though 6-foot-11 Soriano starts at center, Wheeler plays a ton of small-ball five at 6-foot-9 and there’s a chance he’s used more to defend the similar-sized Jackson-Davis tonight. Despite not eclipsing 20 minutes in both of the first two games, Wheeler put up 20+ DK points each time with his rebounding and just enough ancillary stat production. He’s a decent bargain at 5k and below on both sites in a fast-paced environment tonight.

Other Value Forwards to Consider:

Sion James -- Tulane ($5,400 DK / $5,000 FD)

Makhi Mitchell -- Rhode Island ($5,000 DK Only)

Marcus Bingham Jr. -- Michigan State ($4,600 DK / $5,900 FD)

Ebenezer Dowuona -- NC State ($3,800 DK / $4,000 FD)

 

DraftKings Core Plays

Trayce Jackson-Davis -- Indiana ($7,900)

Posh Alexander -- St. John’s ($6,400)

Aaron Thompson -- Butler ($3,800)

 

FanDuel Core Plays

Julian Champagnie -- St. John’s ($8,300)

Trayce Jackson-Davis -- Indiana ($7,900)

Matthew Cleveland -- Florida State ($5,400)