Highest Scoring Teams (DK ONLY):
(by Implied Points & Spreads per KenPom)
Memphis -- 81 Points (-9 vs. Georgia)
Penn State -- 77 Points (-1 vs. Iowa)
Marquette -- 77 Points (-2 vs. Villanova)
Iowa -- 76 Points (+1 vs. Penn State)
Kansas -- 75 Points (-10 vs. West Virginia)
Oregon -- 75 Points (-6 vs. Utah) **DK ONLY**
Villanova -- 75 Points (+2 vs. Marquette)
Maryland -- 74 Points (-7 vs. Indiana)
Top Guards
Markus Howard - Marquette ($8,600 DK / $8,100 FD)
There’s not much more than can be said about Markus Howard that we haven’t already covered this season. The senior point guard is so heavily involved in Marquette’s offense that his DFS floor and ceiling remain very high any time he’s on the court. Howard’s 37% usage rate and 39% shots share are both top five marks in all of college basketball as the Golden Eagles’ offense revolves around his ability to shoot from deep, drive to the rim and dish it to his teammates. He’s averaging 36 DK points per game this season but his DFS ceiling is much higher than that as he’s put up 44 or more DK points in five of the last eight games and is a daily threat to score 30 or more points from the field with his high shot volume. Howard will have the ball in his hands a ton in this matchup against Villanova - but he’s proven he can have success against his Big East rivals over the course of his college career. Howard dropped 38 and 25 real points in his two games against ‘Nova last season.
Devon Dotson - Kansas ($8,300 DK / $7,900 FD)
If you’re not playing Markus Howard - or even if you are - moving over to Devon Dotson is still very viable in all formats today. The Kansas point guard is averaging 35 DK points in his last 10 games while averaging 18.6 real points, 4.8 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.5 steals over that span. He’s doing it all for the Jayhawks right now as he leads the team in usage rate (27%), shots share (25.5%) and assist rate (25%). Kansas will need to lean heavily on Dotson’s ball-handling and playmaking today in a tough matchup against West Virginia’s press defense - something that he has experience doing twice last season.
Lester Quinones - Memphis ($5,100 DK / $5,600 FD)
Memphis’ freshman guard was a regular starter before he broke his hand in late November. After missing five games, though, Quinones has been back for the last two games and is showing no signs of rust. He’s played 18 and 28 minutes off the bench in his two games back and has put up 23 DK points in both outings. While he’s yet to return to the starting rotation, he’s still seeing a ton of usage and was back to playing crunch-time minutes for Memphis against Tulane last game. Whether or not he starts today, he’s still one of the best backcourt options for the Tigers and will likely shoulder another big workload against Georgia. He’s a solid play on both sites, but his DK price tag still has not increased despite exceeding value in his two games back. Quinones looks like a safe cash game play on this big slate as he should provide 4x value with ease in a fast-paced matchup.
CJ Fredrick - Iowa ($4,900 DK / $5,900 FD)
We wondered how Iowa’s backcourt would look after Jordan Bohannon underwent season-ending surgery in mid-December - and Fredrick is seeing a big increase in production with his teammate out. Fredrick has put up 30 and 27 DK points in the two games without Bohannon and he’s seen an uptick in usage and shots share in Iowa’s offense. The freshman has been a regular starter this season before Bohannon’s injury, but he’s now taken on a bigger role on both ends for the Hawkeyes’ backcourt. Joe Toussaint ($4,400 DK / $4,500 FD) has entered the starting lineup and is also in play as a value option. However, Fredrick is the higher-upside play after he scored 21 points vs. Cincinnati in his first game without Bohannon. He’s especially a nice value on DK, where his price tag is $1,000 cheaper than on FD.
Nick Weatherspoon - Mississippi State ($3,000 DK Only)
If you’re playing on DraftKings today, Weatherspoon might be the ultimate free square on that site and will be hard to get away from as he should be very popular. Weatherspoon sat out the first 10 games of the season while serving a suspension, but he’s since started both of his games back with the team. In those two games, the junior played 18 and 24 minutes from the starting rotation and put up 14 and 24 DK points, respectively. Weatherspoon played a big role for the Bulldogs last year when he started 23 of his 24 games and he should continue this starting role moving forward now that he’s back from suspension. Again, he need to strongly consider him as a near-lock at his min price on DK.
Other Guards to Consider:
Payton Pritchard - Oregon ($8,400 DK Only)
Anthony Cowan - Maryland ($7,800 DK / $6,800 FD)
Ashton Hagans - Kentucky ($7,800 FD Only)
Collin Gillespie - Villanova ($7,100 DK / $6,800 FD)
Joe Toussaint - Iowa ($4,400 DK / $4,500 FD)
Davonte Gaines - Tennessee ($3,900 DK / $3,900 FD)
Top Forwards
Luka Garza - Iowa ($8,900 DK / $8,400 FD)
If you have the salary to fit him in, Garza might be the safest high-end forward play on this slate. Considering the amount of value today, though, it might actually be fairly easy to pay up for Garza and still put together a very comfortable lineup. The Iowa center is AVERAGING 40.9 DK points per game this season and has posted 41 or more DK points in five straight games. He’s a double-double machine and leads the Hawkeyes in usage rate (30%) and shots share (33%) this season. Some may think that Garza could struggle in today’s matchup vs. Penn State’s center Mike Watkins - but he should have the upper hand. Garza draws a ton of fouls when he’s dominating the interior and Watkins is susceptible to fouling opposing bigs - he commits three fouls per 40 minutes this season and got into foul trouble against Alabama, Syracuse and Ohio State. In this high-scoring, fast-paced matchup vs. PSU, there will be a ton of opportunities for rebounds for Garza and he will be Iowa’s main scoring option when they have the ball.
Precious Achiuwa - Memphis ($8,200 DK / $7,500 FD)
We’ve pointed it out every time Memphis is on the slate after James Wiseman left the team. Precious Achiuwa deserves to be strongly considered for DFS every game now because of his massive usage in the Tigers’ offense as the main guy post-Wiseman. Achiuwa leads Memphis in usage rate (26%) and shots share (27%) by a big margin and is by far the best rebounder on the team. Over the last 10 games without Wiseman in the lineup, Achiuwa is averaging 15.6 points and 10.9 rebounds with 37 DK points per game - and he’s recorded a double-double in six of the past nine. Even though he has to match up with Georgia’s big man Rayshaun Hammonds today, Achiuwa is still safe for 30 or more DK points because of his high involvement on both ends. Plus, the freshman should also benefit from playing at home today as he’s averaging eight more DK points and shooting much better in his home arena than on the road this season. Achiuwa will likely go lower-owned on this slate because of the plethora of expensive players in the player pool today, but this makes him a very attractive GPP option with legit 45-50 DK point upside.
Toumani Camara - Georgia ($5,000 DK / $4,100 FD)
Camara’s price is slowly beginning to rise but he’s still a huge value on both sites - especially on FD - and is an easy cheap option to help open up your lineups today. The freshman has now started the past three games for Georgia following Amanze Ngumenzi’s departure from the program and he’s performed well with the increase in playing time. In these three recent starts, he’s averaging 24 DK points, 9.3 real points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks/steals in 30 minutes per game. He’s been a solid value ever since joining the Bulldogs’ starting rotation as he stuffs the stat sheet in his increased time on the court, despite not being a high-volume scorer. Georgia will certainly need his length and rebounding today against Memphis and their strong frontcourt duo of Precious Achiuwa and D.J. Jeffries.
Donta Scott & Chol Marial - Maryland
With the Mitchell twins transferring away recently, Maryland needs another forward to step up and provide support in the frontcourt alongside stud Jalen Smith. So far, it’s been Donta Scott ($4,100 DK / $3,900 FD) who has started the past two games and saw 22 minutes last Sunday - the Terps’ first without the Mitchells. Scott had been getting solid playing time off the bench previously, but he will be thrust into a bigger role now with Maryland dealing with a lack of depth at forward. In that last game vs. Bryant, the 6-foot-7 freshman put up 18 DK points thanks to his nine points scored and seven rebounds with a 21% usage rate. He’s a good value play on both sites today and should get a third straight start.
Another intriguing player on this slate, though, is Chol Marial ($3,000 DK / $3,000 FD). The 7-foot-2 freshman from the South Sudan is a big mystery right now for what he can possibly be for Maryland this season. Marial sat out the first 12 games as he recovered from stress fractures in his shins, but he’s now cleared to play and saw his first game action on Sunday. In that outing, Marial played 14 minutes off the bench and put up 15 DK points with his six points scored, five rebounds, one block, one assist and one steal. With the Mitchell twins now gone, the Terps will need Marial to play a bigger role than first anticipated. The coaching staff is still bringing him along slowly, but he’s definitely worth a flier today at min price on both sites as he should see another 15 minutes off the bench in a Maryland frontcourt without any depth.
Other Forwards to Consider:
Timmy Allen - Utah ($8,400 DK Only)
Lamar Stevens - Penn State ($8,300 DK / $7,600 FD)
Malik Williams - Louisville ($5,100 DK / $5,200 FD)
Jordan Tucker - Butler ($4,400 FD Only)
Olivier Nkamhoua - Tennessee ($4,000 DK / $4,100 FD)
DraftKings Example Lineup:
G: Markus Howard - MARQ ($8,600)
G: Devon Dotson - KU ($8,300)
G: Nick Weatherspoon - MSU ($3,000)
F: Luka Garza - IOWA ($8,900)
F: Precious Achiuwa - MEM ($8,200)
F: Toumani Camara - UGA ($5,000)
U: Chol Marial - MD ($3,000)
U: CJ Fredrick - IOWA ($4,900)
FanDuel Example Lineup:
G: Markus Howard - MARQ ($8,100)
G: Devon Dotson - KU ($7,900)
G: Ashton Hagans - UK ($7,800)
G: Lester Quinones - MEM ($5,600)
F: Luka Garza - IOWA ($8,400)
F: Donta Scott - MD ($3,900)
F: Toumani Camara - UGA ($4,100)
U: Davonte Gaines - TENN ($3,900)