What if I told you that you’ll almost certainly be rostering 2-3 players in your DFS CBB lineups tonight that you’ve never heard of? Rider travels west to face Washington State and boy is it a juicy matchup on paper.
As always, we’ll break down the games to target on Monday night’s 5-game DraftKings slate and FanDuel’s 4-game contests. Gardner-Webb vs. Georgia Tech is the outlier matchup available only on DK.
Then, we feature the guards and forwards you should prioritize in your lineup builds tonight with a particular focus on pricing and value at a player’s salary.
Let’s get to it!
Games To Target
Arizona State @ Vanderbilt - 7 pm ET (DK & FD) - Although this game has the second-highest expected total on the slate (157), we’re targeting these two teams for different reasons. A serious injury to star point guard Darius Garland has opened up value for Vandy’s other guards, who are all very underpriced considering the minutes they’ll get. For No. 20 Arizona State, a normally tight rotation puts all of the starters firmly in play in this pick’em matchup on the road - especially the two studs who we’ll outline below.
Rider @ Washington State - 10 pm ET (DK & FD) - If you’ve been following our CBB DFS advice this season, you know we LOVE to target up-tempo teams - and this one has two of the fastest in the country. KenPom’s ratings have Rider as the 12th-best team in terms of pace with Washington State as the 28th-highest - that’s out of 353 rated programs. Vegas also expects this game to be close and high-scoring with a 168 over/under and WSU as just 1-point home favorites. It’ll be a battle of two teams who both look to push the ball up the court and put up shots early in the shot clock. You’ll want at least 2-3 players from this game in your lineups - especially with it being the late-night hammer we love so much.
Guards
Luguentz Dort - ASU ($9,000 DK / $7,200 FD) - Dort has been a fantasy stud for Arizona State this season, averaging 35 fantasy points per game. The freshman standout has slowed down a bit recently, but he’s a safe bet for double-digit shot attempts with a real chance to contribute five boards and two steals on a nightly basis. His price on FanDuel makes him a near-lock in all formats and is more a tournament play on DraftKings.
Jordan Allen - RID ($5,900 DK / $6,000 FD) - As mentioned above, you’ll want a piece of this up-tempo game in your lineups tonight - and Allen provides some salary savings as one of the cheaper Rider guards on both sites. There’s real upside here, though, as Allen is shooting a ton from deep - launching 7.5 three’s per game at a 43% clip - and has double-digit attempts from the field in five of seven games this season. Rider will likely need to score from outside tonight as Washington State’s Franks is a force in the paint, and Allen is the biggest beneficiary of that game flow.
Saben Lee - VAND ($5,800 DK / $6,600 FD) - With Garland out of the picture, Lee has taken over as the starting point guard for Vandy and he should see close to 30 minutes tonight in what will be a close game vs. No. 20 Arizona State. As the team’s lead ball-handler, Lee provides a solid 20-25 fantasy point floor with his increased usage on the offensive end - both distributing and scoring the rock.
Viont’e Daniels - WSU ($5,100 DK / $5,700 FD) - If we ignore Daniels’ fantasy dud on Dec. 1 when he was in foul trouble for most of the game, Washington State’s top guard has been very consistent this season. In every other game, Daniels has logged 30+ minutes with 19 fantasy points in each contest as the Cougars’ best ball-handler. In such a high-scoring matchup vs. Rider and tons of possessions with Daniels at the point, he seems underpriced tonight - especially if he gets hot from deep when he’s launching 5-6 three-pointers nearly every game.
Chaundee Brown - WF ($4,700 DK / $6,700 FD) - After an up-and-down start to the season, Brown is coming off three straight strong fantasy performances. The sophomore has scored 14+ real points in 30+ minutes of action in each of the last three games. His outside shooting is a bit inconsistent still, but he’s starting to get to the line more and is more active around the ball on both ends of the floor. Over the last three, Brown is averaging 25 fantasy points per - giving a strong floor at this price. However, his salary is a lot more attractive on DraftKings for those playing on FD.
Maxwell Evans - VAND ($3,600 DK / $3,800 FD) - Evans is criminally underpriced on both sites tonight and we’re not sure why. Since Garland went down for Vandy, it’s Evans who has benefited the most with extended playing time as a reserve. In those four games sans its starting point guard, Evans is averaging 22 minutes and 18.8 fantasy points off the bench. Plus, he’s putting up at least seven shots in each of the last four - giving him a reasonable expectation to 4x his cheap salary once again and making him a cash game lock.
Carter Collins - DAV ($3,500 DK / $5,500 FD) - If Kellan Grady is out for Davidson, expect Collins to enter the starting rotation for the second straight game. In Saturday’s overtime loss to Temple, Collins logged 40 minutes and went 4-for-6 from three-point land. Davidson’s starters play heavy minutes so if Grady is sits again tonight, lock Collins in for 20-25 fantasy points as a strong value play - especially on DraftKings.
Forwards
Robert Franks - WSU ($10,700 DK / $8,700 FD) - Franks is the top scoring option on the team projected to score the most on tonight’s slate. Outside of potential foul trouble, there’s not a lot to dislike about Franks. He takes 15-20 shots consistently - nearly half coming from deep - and is a double-double threat nightly. Consider his “worst” game this year was a 32-point fantasy performance two games ago and Washington State’s big man is a near lock for your lineups - especially with a discounted price on FanDuel.
Tres Tinkle - OSU ($10,500 DK / $8,800 FD) - DFS players will likely have to choose between Franks and Tinkle at one of the forward spots tonight. Fading both is probably a mistake - particularly on FD where both are very affordable. Tinkle is coming off his worst game of the young season, but he’s scored in double-digits every game and is averaging 9.3 rpg, 4.3 apg and 1.1 spg - great numbers for a forward who scores as much as he does. Tinkle arguably has both a higher fantasy floor and ceiling than Franks.
Zylan Cheatham - ASU ($8,600 DK / $7,400 FD) - Cheatham’s matchup is a bit worrisome tonight as he’ll have to deal with Vandy’s freshman stud Simi Shittu down low - thus foul trouble being a real possibility. However, Cheatham is in the midst of an insane stretch of play lately, posting double-doubles in four straight games as more of a focal point in the ASU offense. At this price, he’s a better tournament play with real bust potential vs. Shittu. Still, he could 5x his salary if he plays as well as he has been.
James Banks III - GT ($6,100 DK Only) - Banks has earned more playing time at Georgia Tech’s center position as a real force in the paint. He has two 12-rebound performances over the last three and has at least three blocks in five of seven games this season. Against mid-major Gardner-Webb, expect Banks to dominate yet again in the middle of Tech’s defense.
Aaron Nesmith - VAND ($5,700 DK / $6,300 FD) - Nesmith is yet another Vandy player who’s seen increased usage with Garland out over the past four games. Although he doesn’t bring much raw scoring upside, Nesmith provides value on the defensive end - averaging 8.7 rebounds and 3.3 blocks/steals over the last three. Don’t expect a 51-fantasy point performance like he had in a Nov. 27 blowout victory, but 20-25 points at this price is cash-game viable.
Example Lineup on DraftKings
G: Luguentz Dort, ASU ($9,000)
G: Viont’e Daniels, WSU ($5,100)
G: Carter Collins, DAV ($3,500)
F: Tres Tinkle, OSU ($10,500)
F: Aaron Nesmith, VAND ($5,700)
F: James Banks III, GT ($6,100)
U: Maxwell Evans, VAND ($3,600)
U: Stevie Jordan, RID ($6,400)
Example Lineup on FanDuel
G: Viont’e Daniels, WSU ($5,700)
G: Maxwell Evans, VAND ($3,800)
G: Luguentz Dort, ASU ($7,200)
G: Carter Collins, DAV ($5,500)
F: Tres Tinkle, OSU ($8,800)
F: Robert Franks, WSU ($8,700)
F: Aaron Nesmith, VAND ($6,300)
U: Tyere Marshall, RID ($3,900)