This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
While not as massive overall, Friday's main slate at DraftKings again features a $25,000 first-place prize and $75,000 in overall payouts. The contest spans the entire day, including all 16 tournament games, while DraftKings also has some smaller early and late contests.
No player draws a five-figure price tag, and when paired with the slate's depth, there will be a wide range of lineup builds. The highest scoring expectations come from Alabama, Florida and Arizona at 94, 91 and 90, respectively. Still, given that at least two of those are likely blowouts, they become a little tricky to target. Narrow spreads in Baylor - Mississippi State, Colorado State - Memphis and North Carolina - Ole Miss may be better bets for stars to shine in heavy minutes.
There are injuries in a handful of games, so check on player availability. But I am not considering Duke's Cooper Flagg ($9,600). Perhaps that makes him a nice target for this large GPP with incredibly low roster percentages, but it's a risk I'm not willing to take. He simply isn't needed for the Blue Devils to advance.
Top Players
Nique Clifford, G, Colorado State ($9,000)
There are a plethora of high-end guards to target Friday, with the likes of Marquette's Kam Jones ($9,200) and Memphis' PJ Haggerty ($8,900) options, and I wouldn't hate a build with two of them. But if forced to choose just one, I'm rolling with Clifford. He simply does it all for the Rams and is on a heater to boot, averaging 27.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.3 steals across his last four, playing 36.7 minutes and posting a 35.7 percent usage rate. He's arguably underpriced, and despite a lower game total, expecting a 5x return is fair.
Zach Freemantle, F, Xavier ($8,200)
This game has a 160.5-point total and narrow spread, so it should be an obvious target, but I don't get a feeling it will be. Xavier has scored 80+ in consecutive games, while Illinois has allowed at least 80 in three straight and ranks 18th in tempo, per KenPom. Illinois also has five double-digit scoring starters, while the Musketeers only have three, two of which average 18+. Freemantle is a safe floor play to build around, taking double-digit shots in all but three games to date, adding seven boards and two assists, but with only five double-doubles, the ceiling isn't elite.
Tayton Conerway, G, Troy ($7,500)
Let's use this portion of the column to warn those of you newer to the CBB DFS space. Use players from lower seeds at your own peril. Yes, there will be upsets, and someone will flash and become a household name. But it's far more likely you end up using a roster spot on a player/team that gets overwhelmed and underperforms expectations. Conerway seems to fit that, as Troy played Oregon, Arkansas and Houston early on and averaged 50.7 points. Conerway went 8-for-34 in those three games, failing to return 4x at this price, though he did have at least a 23.1 percent usage rate in total. We expect Troy to score more here against Kentucky's 28th-ranked tempo, but it's no guarantee. Conerway's ceiling is high for this price, averaging 19.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 3.0 steals over his last seven, but reaching that is the concern. Keep expectations in check.
Middle Tier
Tamin Lipsey, G, Iowa State ($6,600)
I don't love the price, and I also don't feel fully confident in Lipsey's health. But he's allegedly cleared, and Iowa State will be without Keshon Gilbert, so Lipsey is needed for minutes and production. He's taken a back seat for most of the season but was a DFS darling a year ago, and even in a down year, he's contributing in four categories. I think Lipscomb is a surprisngly live underdog Friday, which only means more is needed from Lipsey. He's posted at least 28.0 DKP in three of his last four.
Tarris Reed, F, Connecticut ($6,100)
If you're playing it safe at the high end, you have to take shots on upside in the middle tier, and Reed is just that. He's a GPP dart, just four games removed from consecutive double-doubles and a ridiculous 61.5 DKP game against Providence. He's seen his minutes slide over the last four, and I'd have no issue targeting teammates Solo Ball ($6,100) or Hassan Diarra ($5,600), as both have safer roles and higher floors. But we need some high-potential forwards in this column, and Reed seemingly just needs minutes for that to occur. The Huskies are targetable across their lineup, with a 77-point expectancy.
Elliot Cadeau, G, North Carolina ($5,800)
On a slate as deep as this, where prices are down across the board, I hate the rising cost for Cadeau, who was $4,600 just two games prior. But it speaks to his very recent form, where he's averaging 12.0 points, 8.5 assists, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.5 steals and an encouraging 1.5 turnovers. He's far from consideration if you're reading this and playing in 50/50 contests, but for GPPs, he's put up 33.25 and 37 DKP in his last two. He's never been an elite shooter but has hit all four of his 3-point tries over this mini stretch. There's a low floor because he is foul and mistake-prone, but there's a high ceiling at a sub-6k price. Ole Miss allows assists on field goals made at a 57.8 percent mark. Only nine tournament teams allow more.
Bargain Options
Morez Johnson, F, Illinois ($4,800)
For as tight as Illinois' rotation is, Johnson started eight straight games before a five-game absence and averaged a solid 9.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. He's played two games in his return to action and collected 28 minutes against Maryland, earning 29.25 DKP. Rebounds and blocks are his jam, and he's underpriced if we get the full version that the coaches afforded him in their last outing. Sticking with our theme of this column in the mid and bargain tier...upside over floor.
Jarin Stevenson, F, Alabama ($3,600)
Stevenson has a 21 percent usage rate or greater in his last two games, averaging 13.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals. He's given fantasy managers at least a 3x return in six of his last eight games, all as a reserve. He may remain a bench option Friday, but it's equally possible he starts with Grant Nelson's availability uncertain. Form suggests a safe floor regardless of Nelson, and there's a ceiling if he gets additional run, be it for the injury or a blowout nature, with the Tide using their bench more heavily.
Travis Perry, G, Kentucky ($3,200)
This is more of a fade for me than a recommendation, but how exactly do you fade someone at this low of a price? Perry gets column space to hopefully provoke thought in lineup builds. He's slated to start Friday, and as a starter, he's averaged 28,0 minutes, 8.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 steals; elite numbers for the bottom tier price. Kentucky's scoring expectancy is around 80 points, so everything seems ideal. But Lamont Butler is expected to be active and available. Perry is utterly irrelevant if he sees less than 20 minutes, and as a reserve, he's seen double-digit minutes five times in 26 games.
Baraka Okojie ($3,400) can be in the mix if we get confirmation Dante Harris is out. Okonie started the Tigers' last game out of necessity and put up 14.75 DKP in 28 minutes. Baylor also has four guards priced at $4,300 or less, and all make sense as a last man in your lineups.
Agree with these value-play recommendations? Give them a spin in the RotoWire College Basketball DFS Lineup Optimizer.
