NCAA Tournament CBB DFS Playbook & Core Plays: March 19
Published: Mar 19, 2022
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Welcome to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and full Saturday of CBB DFS! A couple of notes before we get into the playbook. DraftKings and FanDuel both have an all-day slate spanning the entire Saturday of games, beginning at 12:10 pm ET. Both sites also have smaller contests, though, if you prefer to break it up.
Keep in mind that some of the game times on DraftKings or FanDuel are earlier than the game itself may start in this tournament setup. So pay attention to when those games lock if making late lineup changes or pivots. Without further ado, let’s dive in!
THE SLATE (Odds via DK Sportsbook)
- 12:10 pm ET – North Carolina vs. Baylor (-5.5) – 149 O/U
- 2:40 pm ET – Creighton vs. Kansas (-12) – 139.5 O/U
- 5:15 pm ET – Michigan vs. Tennessee (-6) – 136 O/U
- 6:10 pm ET – Richmond vs. Providence (-3) – 134 O/U
- 7:10 pm ET – Saint Mary’s vs. UCLA (-3) – 126 O/U
- 7:45 pm ET – Saint Peter’s vs. Murray State (-8.5) – 129.5 O/U
- 8:40 pm ET – New Mexico State vs. Arkansas (-7) – 139 O/U
- 9:40 pm ET – Memphis vs. Gonzaga (-10.5) – 155 O/U
Top KenPom Projected Team Totals
- Gonzaga – 84
- Baylor – 78
- Kansas – 75
- Arkansas – 73
- Memphis – 72
- Tennessee – 71
- North Carolina – 71
Top Guards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Andrew Nembhard | GONZ | MEM | 8300 | 27.97 | 8000 | 26.10 |
| In the highest total of the slate with two uptempo offenses, Nembhard is a no-brainer in cash. The Gonzaga point guard is averaging 33 DK over the past ten games and now has at least 34 DK in five of the last seven outings. His DFS floor is among the best on this slate as he runs the high-scoring Zags offense. Nembhard also produces whether in a close game or a blowout, so we don’t have to worry about that. | ||||||
| James Akinjo | BAY | UNC | 8100 | 28.83 | 7400 | 26.40 |
| Baylor gets a nice pace-boost and favorable matchup vs. North Carolina, so Akinjo should be considered in all formats. The Bears’ point guard is doing even more offensively with LJ Cryer sidelined lately and he’s put up 43, 38, 32 and 31 DK the last four games. Expect a safe cash floor for Akinjo today in a high-total, uptempo matchup. | ||||||
| Jaime Jaquez Jr. | UCLA | STMRY | 7500 | 27.84 | 8200 | 26.25 |
| With Johnny Juzang still not at 100%, Jaquez has taken over as UCLA’s offensive alpha recently and it’s led to some stud DFS performances. He’s put up 40+ DK in four of the last six games and 38 DK in another. Jaquez is active as a rebounder, has a higher shot volume now and racks up enough ancillary stats for a better DFS floor than we’re used to. Even in a low-scoring and tough matchup vs. Saint Mary’s, Jaquez will still be plenty involved on both ends. | ||||||
| Teddy Allen | NMST | ARK | 7300 | 35.11 | 8100 | 31.41 |
| If New Mexico State wants to pull off another upset, it’ll have to do so on the back of Teddy Allen again. The WAC Player of the Year scored 37 points with 54 DK in the previous upset of UConn and could certainly put up similar numbers today. Though Arkansas’ defense is among the country’s best, Allen will see heavy offensive usage and should benefit from the pace-boost. Limit to GPPs though. | ||||||
| Santiago Vescovi | TENN | MICH | 7000 | 28.63 | 6400 | 25.86 |
| For some reason, Tennessee’s stud guard duo of Kennedy Chandler and Santiago Vescovi are priced down a little on both sites and present interesting bargains for GPP. Vescovi just put up 39 DK last game and has 30+ DFS point upside any time out when he’s draining from deep. Though Michigan’s perimeter defense is tough, Vescovi is worth a shot in tournaments at some affordable prices. | ||||||
Other Top Guards:
- JD Notae – Arkansas ($7,900 DK / $7,600 FD)
- Tevin Brown – Murray State ($7,700 DK / $8,100 FD)
- Kennedy Chandler – Tennessee ($7,400 DK / $6,500 FD)
- Tommy Kuhse – Saint Mary’s ($7,200 DK / $7,100 FD)
- Matthew Mayer – Baylor ($6,700 DK / $5,600 FD)
Value Guards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Leaky Black | UNC | BAY | 5600 | 16.98 | 5500 | 16.27 |
| Black is always a solid cash play with UNC playing in higher-total games and with his floor of ancillary stat production in regular 30-35 minutes of court time. Expect 20-30 DFS points yet again here, even if Baylor presents a tougher matchup. As long as he’s mid-5k or cheaper, Black is a decent value for cash. | ||||||
| Remy Martin | KU | CRE | 5400 | 15.83 | 5300 | 14.62 |
| After being limited most of the year with a knee injury, Martin is making a legit impact for Kansas while playing meaningful minutes. He’s put up 18, 30 and 26 DK the last three games with a notable uptick in playing time and offensive usage. Despite the good performances lately, Martin is still pretty affordable in the mid-5k range on both sites. He should put up 20-25 DFS points again tonight as Kansas wants to get him more and more comfortable going into later rounds. | ||||||
| Davonte Davis | ARK | NMST | 4700 | 18.5 | 4800 | 17.46 |
| Even though he comes off the bench, Davis is playing more than starter Trey Wade lately and he’s put up 21 and 26 DK the last two games. At sub-5k on both sites, the chance for 5x return is there for a guy that’s coming off a 14-point outing in the first round and is more involved offensively than previously. | ||||||
| Frankie Collins | MICH | TENN | 4200 | 7.53 | 4700 | 6.83 |
| If Devante’ Jones is out, expect Collins to start again at point guard for Michigan. The freshman got the start on Thursday with Jones out and put up 14 points and 26 DK over 31 minutes. Jones is a game-time decision with his concussion, but may even be limited if he does play (which could be off the bench). Collins is a decent value still for a possible 5x return or better. | ||||||
| Rati Andronikashvili | CRE | KU | 3000 | 5.8 | 3500 | 5.16 |
| With Kalkbrenner out, Creighton may go with more small-ball lineups today. That would mean more playing time and a much bigger role for Andronikashvili in the backcourt. The freshman has been getting more playing time lately with Ryan Nembhard out, but his offensive usage should increase now with Kalkbrenner out and Creighton needing to push the pace to keep up with Kansas. | ||||||
Other Value Guards:
- Trae Hannibal – Murray State ($5,600 DK / $5,300 FD)
- Alex Lomax – Memphis ($5,300 DK / $5,100 FD)
- Alex Ducas – Saint Mary’s ($5,100 DK / $4,800 FD)
- Clayton Henry – New Mexico State ($4,900 DK / $4,500 FD)
- Daryl Banks III – Saint Peter’s ($4,600 DK / $5,400 FD)
Top Forwards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Armando Bacot | UNC | BAY | 9200 | 39.31 | 8800 | 36.75 |
| Baylor’s defense doesn’t have many weaknesses, but the one area to target for DFS is with opposing bigs. The Bears’ interior defense and rebounding simply aren’t as strong with Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua out. So if UNC wants to win, expect Bacot to be leaned on offensively to take advantage of the paint mismatch. Bacot had 39 DK last game and is now averaging 40 DK over the past ten games. You can basically pencil him in for 35-40 DFS points every time out. | ||||||
| KJ Williams | MURR | STP | 8400 | 34.44 | 7500 | 32.61 |
| Saint Peter’s simply doesn’t have the size or skill down low to deal with KJ Williams today. It was evident against Kentucky when Oscar Tshiebwe went for 30 points and 16 rebounds on Thursday. Williams is no Tshiebwe, but he has the talent to exploit this matchup for a ceiling DFS performance. A double-double and 40 DK is certainly in the cards. | ||||||
| Drew Timme | GONZ | MEM | 7800 | 31.46 | 8700 | 29.58 |
| Both Chet Holmgren and Drew Timme smashed the DFS slate on Thursday and both have the floor/ceiling combos to be top performers today. It’s hard to argue for or against either one at this point, but Timme may find himself more involved offensively if Memphis makes it a point to stop Holmgren. He had 32 points, 13 rebounds and 53 DK last game and is weirdly underpriced on DK. | ||||||
| David McCormack | KU | CRE | 6700 | 22.9 | 5800 | 21.30 |
| McCormack is always a boom-or-bust DFS option, but today should be one of those good performances. Ryan Kalkbrenner is out and Creighton is without its starting center and shot-blocker. It puts McCormack in a great position for a double-double and a smash DFS outing if he has one of those ceiling games. The price is cheap enough to strongly consider in GPP. | ||||||
Other Top Forwards:
- Chet Holmgren – Gonzaga ($9,100 DK / $9,200 FD)
- Hunter Dickinson – Michigan ($8,200 DK / $8,300 FD)
- Brady Manek – North Carolina ($7,100 DK / $7,800 FD)
- Jeremy Sochan – Baylor ($6,900 DK / $6,700 FD)
- Jalen Duren – Memphis ($6,600 DK / $7,200 FD)
Value Forwards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Anton Watson | GONZ | MEM | 5300 | 19.22 | 4900 | 18.23 |
| As long as Watson remains affordable in the mid-5k and below price range, he’s a solid salary-saver. The Gonzaga power forward will be important defensively tonight vs. Memphis’ talented frontcourt, and that should keep Watson’s minutes higher than normal. He put up 21 DK last game and is always a candidate go for 20-25 DK with ancillary stat production in games he plays more. | ||||||
| John Fulkerson | TENN | MICH | 5100 | 18.22 | 5000 | 17.00 |
| Fulkerson is a bit too cheap on both sites for a guy that’s put up 23 and 22 DK in the last two games and has the talent to do so in any given game. The Tennessee center gets a favorable matchup as Hunter Dickinson and Michigan struggle to stop opposing bigs. Fulky should do just enough in cash to return value. | ||||||
| Cody Riley | UCLA | STMRY | 4400 | 15.31 | 3700 | 14.60 |
| Riley moved back into the UCLA starting lineup last game with Myles Johnson back on the bench. In the starting role, Riley put up 16 DK over 23 minutes and would be a decent value with that production today. The move back into the starting five is encouraging as it coincided with the NCAA Tournament beginning. Even in a low-scoring game, Riley could do enough to return value. | ||||||
| Keyshawn Feazell | CRE | KU | 3000 | 7.45 | 3300 | 7.00 |
| We may have to wait and see the Creighton starting lineup, but Feazell should see much more playing time at center now with Kalkbrenner out. The senior has barely played off the bench this season, but he’ll surely be needed in the paint to combat Kansas’ David McCormack today. The potential for 5x or 6x value is possible if he gets enough court time at these dirt-cheap prices. | ||||||
Other Value Forwards:
- Arthur Kaluma – Creighton ($5,700 DK / $5,100 FD)
- Nathan Cayo – Richmond ($5,400 DK / $5,000 FD)
- DJ Burns – Murray State ($5,200 DK / $4,600 FD)
DraftKings Core Plays
- Andrew Nembhard – Gonzaga ($8,300)
- James Akinjo – Baylor ($8,100)
- Rati Andronikashvili – Creighton ($3,000)
FanDuel Core Plays
- James Akinjo – Baylor ($7,400)
- David McCormack – Kansas ($5,800)
- Keyshawn Feazell – Creighton ($3,300)