Highest Scoring Teams:
(by Implied Points & Spreads per KenPom)
North Carolina -- 82 points (-13 vs. UNLV)
St. John’s -- 75 points (-1 vs. Boston College)
Stanford -- 75 points (-1 vs. Alabama)
Boston College -- 74 points (+1 vs. St. John’s)
Alabama -- 74 points (+1 vs. Stanford)
Auburn -- 72 points (-2 vs. UCF)
Mississippi State -- 72 points (-6 vs. Texas State)
Games To Target:
North Carolina St. John’s (-1) vs. Boston College -- 149 total
Stanford (-1) vs. Alabama -- 149 total
Auburn (-2) vs. UCF -- 142 total
Top Guards
| Top Guards |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Caleb Love | UNC | UNLV | 8000 | 28.25 | 6900 | 27.20 |
| It’s tough to get a good read on this UNC team after their 19-point opening win over Charleston, but it seems like Caleb Love is the Heels’ next great one-and-done freshman point guard. In that first game, Love led the team in offensive usage rate (27%) and assist rate as he manned the point with the starters. The youngster should have a high DFS floor and ceiling every game because of his high usage on offense. In the opener, Love led the team in scoring and assists - with a 17-and-4 line - while also taking the most shots on the squad. Expect that trend to continue tonight. The expensive price tag makes him more of a GPP play, but a high-upside one with a solid floor as well. |
| Jaden Shackelford | ALA | STAN | 7500 | 39.75 | 7500 | 36.20 |
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| Jahvon Quinerly | ALA | STAN | 6900 | 26.25 | 5000 | 24.70 |
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| Bryce Hamilton | UNLV | UNC | 6700 | 40.5 | 8000 | 36.60 |
| Although UNLV is a sizable underdog tonight, we shouldn’t ignore the Runnin’ Rebels for DFS because of their opponent. North Carolina likes to play fast-paced games with plenty of scoring on both ends of the floor, which allows opposing teams to still have fantasy value even if they lose by double-digits - much like Charleston last week. In that game, Charleston’s starting guards - Payton Willis and Brevin Galloway - were both viable DFS options and Bryce Hamilton should have no problem having a good statistical game. He’s the star for UNLV, with a 35% usage rate and shots share in the opener - resulting in 40.5 DK points and stat-stuffed line. He was also a high-usage player for the team last season and should have no problem putting up 30+ DK points in this high-scoring matchup. The price discrepancy on Hamilton tells us a lot with FD showing him a lot more respect than DK - making him more of a value on the latter site. |
| Vince Cole | STJN | BC | 6600 | 32.62 | 7300 | 30.70 |
| Vince Cole has emerged as a go-to scorer for St. John’s with both Rasheem Dunn and Julian Champagnie out. He’s scored 21 and 19 points over the first two games with DK point totals of 28 and 38, respectively. Cole was on the bench for the Johnnies’ first game but entered the starting rotation last time out with Dunn sidelined. In both outings, though, Cole led the team in scoring with a team-high 29% shots share thus far. At 6-foot-6, he provides some size on the wing as a versatile scorer who’s clearly going to be heavily involved for St. John’s moving forward - as long as Champagnie and Dunn are out, which seems likely tonight. |
Value Guards
| Value Guards |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Greg Williams Jr. | STJN | BC | 5300 | 21.12 | 5800 | 18.95 |
| With Rasheem Dunn out tonight, we can bank on Williams being more involved offensively in the St. John’s backcourt. On Thursday with Dunn out, Williams saw his usage rate increase to 34% - from 15% the game before when Dunn was active - as he put together a solid stat line of 13 points on 4-for-10 shooting and 21 DK points. In a matchup that should be tightly contested vs. Boston College, expect Williams to provide even more DFS production and maintain a high usage rate offensively as St. John’s looks towards the backcourt to get buckets in crunch time. He’s a great cash play at these prices with the Dunn injury making him a value. |
| Bryce Wills | STAN | ALA | 4900 | 0 | 5600 | 16.90 |
| It remains to be seen how Stanford’s starting lineup will look for its season opener tonight, but we should expect Bryce Wills to be in there in some fashion. Wills started all 31 games a year ago as he mostly manned the small forward spot. This season, though, we may see Wills play more shooting guard with five-star freshman Ziaire Williams joining as an elite wing scoring talent. As a role player last year, Wills was always a solid cash game guard because of his decent stats across all categories playing a ton of minutes in a short rotation. The Cardinal has to replace point guard Tyrell Terry and Wills’ playing time should be safe as he and Daejon Davis share the backcourt. |
| DeMarr Langford Jr. | BC | STJN | 4000 | 10 | 3700 | 8.60 |
| One of the biggest injuries to monitor tonight centers around Jay Heath for Boston College. Heath is dealing with a foot injury and missed BC’s last game - allowing Langford to get the start and become a massive value. Langford only played nine minutes in the first game and then saw 36 minutes with Heath out. Although he’s not a high-volume scorer or ball-handler, the increased playing time will allow any player to have a higher DFS floor. Langford did just that as his 15 DK points last game (filled with ancillary stats) is plenty at this cheap salary. If Heath is out, Langford is a great salary-saver for cash. |
Other Guards to Consider:
John Petty Jr. - Alabama ($7,800 DK / $7,500 FD)
Allen Flanigan - Auburn ($7,700 DK / $6,400 FD)
Posh Alexander - St. John’s ($7,000 DK / $6,500 FD)
Wynston Tabbs - Boston College ($6,500 DK / $5,700 FD)
RJ Davis - UNC ($5,500 DK / $5,500 FD)
Darin Green Jr. - UCF ($5,800 DK / $4,800 FD)
Tyrell Jones - Auburn ($4,400 DK / $4,200 FD)
Top Forwards
| Top Forwards |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Tolu Smith | MSU | TXST | 8100 | 31.88 | | |
| It’s amazing what a change of scenery can do for a college player. Smith was a backup to Charles Bassey at Western Kentucky two years ago and chose to transfer to Mississippi State - and sit out a season - in hopes of more playing time. Well, he instantly entered the Bulldogs’ starting rotation this season and the 6-foot-10, 245-pound big man has been pretty dominant so far - even though MSU has lost both games to begin the year. Smith has 30+ DK points in both outings while averaging 16 points, 8.5 boards and two blocks as he’s formed a terrifying frontcourt pairing with 6-foot-11 Abdul Ado. If playing on DK, consider Smith for GPP’s as he should have no problem dominating Texas State as a scorer and rebounder in the paint. |
| Ziaire Williams | STAN | ALA | 7500 | 0 | 4700 | 0.00 |
| You may not know the name yet, but Ziaire Williams will be a household name this time next year as he should be an NBA Draft lottery pick as one of the best freshmen in the country. The five-star recruit surprisingly chose Stanford over other top-tier programs and he’ll be an exciting wing-scoring talent all year. It remains to be seen exactly how much usage and shot volume he sees in a Stanford offense that brings back the bulk of last year’s squad - but there’s reason for optimism because of his raw talent. On DK, he’s more of a GPP play because of how high-priced he is - but he’s a lock button on FD where he’s criminally priced. |
| Armando Bacot | UNC | UNLV | 6500 | 27.5 | 6600 | 26.60 |
| Entering the season, it seemed like Armando Bacot and Garrison Brooks would be UNC’s two-headed frontcourt monster that terrorized the rest of the country. Nowe have a third big man to worry about with Day’Ron Sharpe entering the mix with a dominant opening game. However, Sharpe is a bit overpriced now after one good game - which came in a blowout win over Charleston - and he may be more popular than both Bacot and Brooks on DK because of the cheaper price tag. Meanwhile, Brooks is still too expensive because his DFS production won’t be that of a top-tier player simply due to the presence of Bacot and Sharpe playing down low as well. So we come to Bacot has being the best GPP option among North Carolina’s forwards as he owns the proven talent to explode in any given game - and he’s still priced as a bargain considering how good he was last season. |
Value Forwards
| Value Forwards |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| C.J. Walker | UCF | AUB | 4800 | 0 | 5800 | 8.51 |
| Simply put, the DFS sites dropped the ball on this pricing tonight and Walker might end up being the most popular play in cash or GPP because of it. The Oregon transfer is immediately eligible to play after the NCAA granted his waiver - and he’ll presumably slot right into the starting lineup for UCF from Day 1. Walker was a five-star recruit out of high school but chose to leave Oregon because he was used as a rotational piece without much guaranteed playing time on a talented Ducks squad. For UCF, though, he’ll be one of the team’s best offensive players and likely a go-to scorer as a versatile playmaker who showed flashes of brilliance a year ago. Based on his projected usage and shot volume, this is probably the cheapest we see him all year after he outperforms the salary tonight. |
| CJ Felder | BC | STJN | 4500 | 20 | 5700 | 18.80 |
| It’s not often we get a starting player priced this low on DK, but he’s a solid cash value on that site and more a GPP option on FD. He’s the starting power forward on a team that runs a short rotation without much proven frontcourt depth outside of Steffon Mitchell at the center spot. Felder has logged 24 and 28 minutes in the first two games and put up 15+ DK points in both outings. Against Villanova in the opener, Felder’s defense came in handy as he had four blocks and two steals for 24.5 DK points. That type of performance would make him a great value. His versatility in the frontcourt will be needed against a St. John’s team without much size and plenty of wing players for Felder to switch on to. |
| Alonzo Sule | TXST | MSU | 3900 | 17.38 | | |
| Over on DK, we have a starter priced below 4k and he could be a clutch salary-saver to fit in more studs. Although the matchup vs. Mississippi State’s lengthy frontcourt is a tough one, we should see Sule log enough minutes to provide a solid DFS floor at this price tag. In Texas State’s last game (which was a closer one than the opener), Sule played 20 minutes and provided 19.5 DK points with plenty of complimentary stats to go along with 14 real points scored - which was second on the team. Texas State doesn’t have much size so they’ll need Sule to handle all the minutes he can to give them a chance at the upset. |
Other Forwards to Consider:
Oscar da Silva - Stanford ($8,800 DK / $7,200 FD)
Steffon Mitchell - Boston College ($8,500 DK / $7,000 FD)
Marcellus Earlington - St. John’s ($6,000 DK / $6,000 FD)
Day’Ron Sharpe - UNC ($5,900 DK / $7,600 FD)
Cameron Matthews - Mississippi State ($5,000 DK Only)
