This week’s DFS College Basketball slates have seen some pretty entertaining Big East, Big 12, ACC, SEC and Big Ten matchups so far. That just leaves one major conference left. Yep, tonight we get the Pac 12 and all it’s late-night glory.
DraftKings has a 9-game slate that tips off at 7 pm ET - including four Pac-12 games all starting at 9 pm ET or later. FanDuel’s main slate is just seven games, but still includes three of those West Coast tilts.
As always, with a particular focus on KenPom’s advanced metrics and overall recent game trends, we’ll point out the teams to target as a whole before breaking down the guards and forwards to prioritize in your DFS lineups today. The point spreads and over/under’s below are based on KenPom’s predictions for that matchup.
If you have any questions or comments on the day’s slate or anything college basketball-related, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @dan_servodidio or in the Fantasy Alarm CBB chat room.
Games To Target
Washington State @ Colorado - 9 pm ET (COL -10 / 156 Implied Total
Washington @ Utah - 10 pm ET (WASH -2 / 142 Implied Total)
USC @ Oregon State - 11 pm ET (OSU -4 / 146 Implied Total)
Games to Fade
Cincinnati @ Tulsa - 7 pm ET (CIN -5 / 133 Implied Total)
Old Dominion @ Florida Atlantic - 7 pm ET (ODU -4 / 124 Implied Total) - DK Only
Guards
Stephen Thompson Jr. - OSU ($7,500 DK / $7,500 FD) - With Oregon State stud Tres Tinkle (ankle) unlikely to play tonight, Thompson would see increased usage and shot opportunities in a game with one of the highest implied totals on the slate. The senior routinely logs 35+ minutes from the point guard spot and should have the ball in his hands a ton in the Beavers’ conference home-opener. Thompson is a little inconsistent with his scoring this season, but the added shot volume and usage around the ball gives him a pretty high floor. He’s also coming off a stretch where he put up 30 DK points in three of the last four games.
Jordan Poole - MICH ($6,700 DK / $6,700 FD) - Michigan is one of the top teams in the country and have been handily beating everyone in its path so far. They should do so again tonight vs. Illinois - but we can still target this Michigan offense as these blowouts haven’t really affected the DFS production for the Wolverine players. Poole provides a very safe cash option tonight because of his guaranteed playing time in a tight Michigan rotation - 34.4 mpg in last 10 games - and the efficient production he does with those minutes - averaging 17.2 points and 28.6 DK points over the last 10 on 58.7% shooting. Even if Michigan does blow out Illinois (again, they should), Poole will still be able to return DFS value per usual.
Sedrick Barefield - UTAH ($6,500 DK / $7,000 FD) - Considering Barefield’s recent offensive tear, he’s likely underpriced tonight in a weaker-than-normal guard pool. The senior point guard began conference play with back-to-back outings of 40 DK points and Utah has started to lean on his scoring a bit more in the last four games. During that stretch, he’s averaging 24.5 points and 36.7 DK points on 15 shot attempts per game - all numbers are up from Barefield’s season-long averages. Barefield’s increase in scoring is thanks to better three-point shooting as well - he’s hit 53% of his 30 three’s over the past three outings. This is really high shooting volume to give you a solid cash game floor at a very affordable price.
Chris Smith - UCLA ($5,300 DK / $5,700 FD) - Smith has been one of the main benefactors of UCLA’s mid-season coaching change. In the two games since Steve Alford was fired, the sophomore has started both conference games, increased his usage around the ball and put up 24.5 and 28.75 DK points in those two outings, respectively. Smith could 5x his salary tonight if he continues to stay active on both ends of the floor and continues to get 25-30 minutes.
Zach Reichle - OSU ($4,100 DK / $4,800 FD) - If Tres Tinkle is indeed out tonight, Reichle would likely move into the starting rotation with Alfred Hollins shifting over to the power forward position. The sophomore actually started Oregon State’s conference-opener vs. Oregon (his first career start) and he’s shown some bright spots this season in his 20-25 minutes off the bench. Reichle put up at least 20 DK points in two of the last four games - ironically one of them was not the one game he started - and shoots the majority of his shots from 3-point range. In a tight game at home vs. USC, Reichle’s 3-point shooting could be needed more - making him a solid value play tonight if Tinkle is out.
Other Guards to Consider:
Kris Wilkes - UCLA ($7,500 DK / $7,200 FD)
Matisse Thybulle - WASH ($7,100 DK / $7,300 FD)
Derryck Thornton - USC ($6,400 DK / $6,300 FD)
Ehab Amin - ORE ($4,700 DK / $5,200 FD)
Forwards
Bennie Boatwright - USC ($7,700 DK / $7,900 FD) - Boatwright is the one USC player who will benefit the most if Tinkle is out for Oregon State. The 6’10” senior should stay out of foul trouble without Tinkle to contend with and could see a higher shot volume than normal if Nick Rakocevic has to deal with OSU’s 7-footer, Kylor Kelley, in the paint. Boatwright has 35+ DK points in three of the last four games as he’s averaging 19.5 ppg during that span. Again, with this being the latest game on the slate, you’ll need to monitor if Tinkle plays or not. If he does, be ready to potentially pivot off Boatwright.
Isaiah Roby - NEB ($7,000 DK / $7,000 FD) - Nebraska is coming off back-to-back road losses to open up Big Ten play, but it gets a nice homecoming matchup vs. a soft Penn State team. Roby, meanwhile, has been hot offensively despite the Cornhuskers’ losses. The junior has scored in double-digits five times in the last six games and has four 30+ DK points in four of those outings. With not a ton of studs to pay up for at guard and forward tonight, you can easily fit Roby in your lineups despite a higher price tag than normal for him.
Louis King - ORE ($5,000 DK / $5,600 FD) & Paul White - ORE ($4,800 DK / $5,600 FD) - Ever since Bol Bol went down for the year, King and White have both provided great DFS value when Oregon is on the slate. Both are getting larger shares of minutes and shot volume per game and interestingly, both remain a bit underpriced. White has scored in double-figures and put up 22+ DK points in four of the last five games; meanwhile King exploded for 35 DK points in Oregon’s conference-opener thanks to 17 points and 10 rebounds - the first double-double of the freshman’s short career. For cash games, White is definitely in play for the 5x he should provide and the $200 salary savings. King is also in play for cash but is a better tournament play because of his inconsistent shooting despite the high ceiling he’s shown.
Alfred Hollins - OSU ($4,300 DK / $4,500 FD) - With Oregon State tipping at 11 pm ET as the latest game tonight, lineup building could become tricky as we’ll really need to monitor if Tres Tinkle sits or not. If he’s out, Alfred Hollins becomes a great value play tonight as he likely takes over Tinkle’s starting power forward role for the Beavers. After starting every game this season, Hollins was weirdly moved to the bench in OSU’s conference-opener. Still, Tinkle’s absence would leave a huge void in scoring and rebounding that Hollins would at least have a part in if he’s the starting power forward alongside Kylor Kelley down low.
Other Forwards to Consider:
CJ Elleby - WSU ($8,100 DK Only)
Moses Brown - UCLA ($7,700 DK / $7,400 FD)
Kylor Kelley - OSU ($6,800 DK / $7,200 FD)
Isiaha Mike - SMU ($5,800 DK / $6,100 FD)
Example Lineup on DraftKings:
G: Stephen Thompson, OSU ($7,500)
G: Sedrick Barefield, UTAH ($6,500)
G: Chris Smith, UCLA ($5,300)
F: Bennie Boatwright, USC ($7,700)
F: Isaiah Roby, NEB ($7,000)
F: Louis King, ORE ($5,000)
U: Jordan Poole, MICH ($6,700)
U: Zach Reichle, OSU ($4,100)
Example Lineup on FanDuel:
G: Stephen Thompson, OSU ($7,500)
G: Ehab Amin, ORE ($5,200)
G: Chris Smith, UCLA ($5,700)
G: Zach Reichle, OSU ($4,800)
F: Bennie Boatwright, USC ($7,900)
F: Isiaha Mike, SMU ($6,100)
F: Paul White, ORE ($5,600)
U: Kylor Kelley, OSU ($7,200)