Welcome back, college basketball fans!! While it may seem like just yesterday when Virginia was cutting down the nets as champs - the 2019-20 CBB season is finally here and we’re back for another year of DFS College Hoops!
Each week we will cover three or four of the bigger DFS CBB slates on DraftKings and FanDuel throughout the season. We’re now a night into the season after last night’s entertaining matchups - and we’re back for another solid slate of college hoops. DK has a five games on its Wednesday night slate while FD includes four of those games.
With a specific eye towards expected rotations and usage rates, implied point totals, matchups and KenPom’s advanced stats, we’ll outline the guards and forwards to prioritize in your DFS CBB lineups today for both sites. We’ll also point out the games to generally target and fade today based on pace of play, spread and implied point totals as predicted by KenPom.
If you have any questions or comments about CBB DFS strategy or college basketball in general, feel free to hit up my Twitter @dan_servodidio. Good luck!
Teams To Target:
Purdue -- 89 Implied Points vs. Green Bay **DK ONLY**
North Carolina -- 82 IP vs. Notre Dame
Ohio State -- 73 IP vs. Cincinnati
Florida State -- 72 IP vs. Pittsburgh
Notre Dame -- 71 IP vs. UNC
GUARDS
Jarron Cumberland - Cincinnati ($7,800 DK / $8,100 FD)
The American Conference’s preseason player of the year is one of the most expensive players on this slate for a reason - he’s a DFS stat-stuffer and owns some of the highest ceilings and floors in the country anytime he’s in action. Cumberland averaged 32.6 DK points per game last year as he dominated the shots share and usage for Cincinnati. The Bearcats add a few new faces this season, but Cumberland will still be the main playmaker for this team. He chose to skip the NBA Draft to return for his senior season and he will look like a man amongst boys on most nights. He led Cincy in minutes played, scoring, assists, steals and three-pointers made last season and will provide that production tonight in a tough season opener against Ohio State. The Bearcats will need Cumberland to have the ball in his hands a ton to keep this one close and that gives him a pretty high DFS floor for us - with the upside the be the slate’s highest-scoring player.
Cole Anthony - North Carolina ($7,600 DK / $7,000 FD)
UNC lost its top five scorers from last season and true freshman Cole Anthony comes in to be the best offensive playmaker while running the point for the Heels. Anthony, a five-star recruit, will have the ball in his hands a ton and should be relied on heavily to be the primary scorer and distributor. He’ll step right into the point guard void left by Coby White as a dual passer/scorer for UNC and the motor to keep the offense stable. In last week’s exhibition game, Anthony led the team in minutes played and shot attempts as he stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, seven assists and five rebounds. We should expect him to be involved in nearly every offensive possession tonight with the Tar Heels dealing with a slew of injuries in the backcourt.
Prentiss Hubb - Notre Dame ($6,200 DK / $5,900 FD)
While John Mooney steals the headlines for Notre Dame, it’s Hubb who is the best pure shooter on this team. The Irish will need Hubb’s sharp shooting more than ever in this opening matchup vs. North Carolina - a team that plays at a fast pace and scores often. That trend, though, also benefits the Notre Dame players because of the up-tempo pace the game will be on both ends. Hubb only averaged 8.1 points per game last year but he showed he can light it up from three-point range in matchups that favor quick shooting from deep. When he faced UNC last season, Hubb scored 18 points while going 4-for-10 from three-point distance. In one of Notre Dame’s exhibition games last week, he had 18 points, eight assists and five made three’s in a team-high 38 minutes. Much of the Irish’s offensive production will feature Hubb and Mooney and this gives him a high floor in a fast-paced game with a large share of the usage and shot attempts.
Andrew Platek - North Carolina ($3,800 DK / $3,200 FD)
The Tar Heels enter this game with a ton of injuries in their backcourt and it should open some key minutes for Platek off the bench tonight. Brandon Robinson is out with an ankle injury, Sterling Manley hasn’t practiced this week as he battles a knee injury, and freshmen Jeremiah Francis and Anthony Harris also have injury issues right now. In UNC’s exhibition game last week, Platek logged 24 minutes off the bench with his teammates out and put up a decent stat line of eight points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal. Yes, that performance came against an inferior opponent in Winston-Salem - but it’s definitely encouraging to see Platek contributing that much with extended playing time. He looks like one of the better value plays on this slate.
Tomas Woldetensae - Virginia ($3,000 DK / $4,800 FD)
Virginia lost its three best players from last year’s championship team and it will need some of their new faces to step up. Woldetensae isn’t expected to start for the Cavaliers tonight, but he will be a key shooter off the bench. One way to beat Syracuse’s famed 2-3 zone is to get points from three-point range and this is where Woldetensae’s skill set could come in handy. The JUCO transfer averaged 17.6 points per game and made 47.6% of his three-pointers last year for Indian Hills Community College. Obviously the level of competition wasn’t as tough for him, but he’s already one of the better deep-ball threats for Virginia - a team that lacks elite shooters following the departure of Kyle Guy. At min price on DK and a cheap tag on FD, Woldetensae doesn’t need to do much to return value and if he hits a few three’s he will smash his respective price tags.
Other Guards to Consider:
Christian Keeling - North Carolina ($6,400 DK / $7,500 FD)
Casey Morsell - Virginia ($5,200 DK / $6,400 FD)
D.J. Carton - Ohio State ($5,200 DK / $5,300 FD)
Ryan Murphy - Pittsburgh ($4,400 DK / $4,400 FD)
Anthony Polite - Florida State ($4,600 DK / $3,400 FD)
FORWARDS
John Mooney - Notre Dame ($8,000 DK / $8,300 FD)
If you played CBB DFS last season, you probably remember Mooney being a double-double machine on a nightly basis. That won’t stop this year with Notre Dame bringing back most of their rotation and Mooney returning as one of the top offensive options and beast on the glass on both ends. In the Irish’s two exhibition games, Mooney recorded a double-double in both as his big body remains a tough matchup for any opposing frontcourt. He should have a ton of opportunities for rebounds tonight against North Carolina - a team that plays at a fast pace which will result in more defensive board chances than usual. Last season vs. the Heels, Mooney had 16 points, 19 rebounds and four blocks. Plus, UNC has rehauled their starting unit and doesn’t have a proven rebounder right now that can contest with Mooney down low. The Notre Dame offense should run through Mooney which also gives him a high DFS floor.
Kaleb Wesson - Ohio State ($7,500 DK / $7,800 FD)
Wesson is expected to be the top scoring option for the Buckeyes this season and his performance in last week’s exhibition is a great sign for us DFS players. Wesson led Ohio State in scoring with 23 points on a team-high 11 shot attempts - and he added seven rebounds, two assists and four blocks+steals. He’s one of the best forwards in the Big Ten this year with some really good paint-scoring skills and rebounding tendencies. Wesson could put up some big numbers against a Cincinnati team without much talent in their own frontcourt to match up with him down low. Wesson was a unanimous All-Big Ten preseason nominee and he should improve upon his numbers from a year ago when he averaged 14.6 points, 6.9 boards, 1.8 assists and 1.7 blocks+steals per game.
Mamadi Diakite - Virginia ($7,400 DK / $6,500 FD)
With Virginia losing Kyle Guy, Ty Jerome and DeAndre Hunter from last year’s team, it leaves Diakite as the main holdover (alongside Kihei Clark) and he’ll likely need to be a leading scorer for the Cavaliers this season. Because his teammates dominated the offensive production last season, Diakite wasn’t needed to do much scoring-wise - but the door is now open for him to get a ton of usage. He also could be utilized more than usual in this matchup vs. Syracuse and their 2-3 zone defense. Diakite can be that zone killer every team craves when facing ‘Cuse because he can hit the mid-range shots, attack the baseline and step back from three-point range. Outside of Diakite and Clark, Virginia has a ton of unproven and inexperienced players rounding out the rotation - so the DFS production may likely be centered on just 2-3 guys tonight until some of the newcomers prove their worth.
Garrison Brooks - North Carolina ($6,800 DK / $6,300 FD)
Outside of Cole Anthony, the Tar Heels will need someone to fill the offensive void left by Luke Maye, Coby White, Cam Johnson and Nassir Little. The door is wide open for Brooks to become the main pick-and-roll partner with Anthony and the team’s leading rebounder this season. In UNC’s exhibition game last week, Brooks led the team with 18 points, 11 rebounds and four steals as he went 8-for-10 from the field. Anthony is the main distributor in this offense but he could wind dishing it to Brooks in the paint a ton until the Heels’ rotation firms up in the coming weeks. Plus, this team is dealing with a slew of injuries at the guard position which should only raise the usage and scoring opportunities for Brooks as the player with the most experience and familiarity in Roy Williams’ system.
Aaron Wheeler - Purdue ($4,600 DK Only)
If you’re playing on DK, we definitely want exposure to this Purdue team with the most implied points on that slate in an easy matchup vs. Green Bay. With Carsen Edwards now in the NBA, there’s a ton of usage and shot attempts up for grabs for the Boilermakers and Wheeler has a chance to become one of the top scorers for them this year. Wheeler saw inconsistent playing time off the bench for Purdue last year, but Edwards’ absence gives him the opportunity to be a key wing scorer. In last week’s exhibition game, Wheeler led Purdue in scoring with 17 points and added four rebounds, three blocks and a steal. He was 4-for-4 from three-point range and tied for the team lead in shot attempts. Keep in mind, he put up those stats with Nojel Eastern sitting out - but it’s definitely encouraging to see Wheeler as the top scoring option for Purdue. Eastern is expected to play tonight, but that shouldn’t take away from Wheeler’s production from the wing position as Eastern will slot in as the starting point guard and facilitate more often than not.
Other Forwards to Consider:
Elijah Hughes - Syracuse ($6,800 DK / $6,300 FD)
Armando Bacot - North Carolina ($6,300 DK / $5,800 FD)
Juwan Durham - Notre Dame ($5,800 DK / $5,500 FD)
Trevion Williams - Purdue ($5,000 DK Only)
DraftKings Example Lineup:
G: Cole Anthony - UNC ($7,600)
G: Jarron Cumberland - CIN ($7,800)
G: Tomas Woldetensae - UVA ($3,000)
F: John Mooney - ND ($8,000)
F: Kaleb Wesson - OSU ($7,500)
F: Aaron Wheeler - PUR ($4,600)
U: Mamadi Diakite - UVA ($7,400)
U: Andrew Platek - UNC ($3,800)
FanDuel Example Lineup:
G: Jarron Cumberland - CIN ($8,100)
G: Cole Anthony - UNC ($7,000)
G: Tomas Woldetensae - UVA ($4,800)
G: Ryan Murphy - PITT ($4,400)
F: John Mooney - ND ($8,300)
F: Kaleb Wesson - OSU ($7,800)
F: Garrison Brooks - UNC ($6,300)
U: Andrew Platek - UNC ($3,200)