This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
Anyone basketballed-out yet? While the first two days of the Dance haven't been as exhilarating and upset-filled as we've grown to expect, perhaps the predictability of outcomes gives us angles to lean on as the field is set to be cut by eight more teams on Saturday. DraftKings again has $75,000 in total prizes available in their main full slate with $25,000 for the winner where you only need to beat 4,410 other lineups.
Friday was a letdown for me. I was shocked to find that in my single-entry contest, Colorado State's Nique Clifford was rostered by 49.8 percent of entrants and he crashed where he sinked my build and most others. And that's a perfect reminder to be different in builds.
Saturday's slate is more manageable. It gives us what I believe is our first five-digit player of the tournament in Auburn's Johni Broome ($10,100) with only six others at $9,000 or greater, so the need to spend isn't overwhelming. The totals are pretty low with two sitting no greater than 130 and most around 140 with only Creighton-Auburn and BYU-Wisconsin at 150 or higher. That actually seems ideal as there's no obvious spot to target/stack.
Top Players
RJ Luis, G, St. John's ($9,000)
This is a difficult/weird slate. No games and no players are must-uses, and I find myself flirting with a build of balance and heavy mid-tier options. Luis's matchup with Arkansas isn't elite, and we know the Red Storm won't push pace while the Razorbacks rank 20th in defensive efficiency. But Luis profiles as safely as we can find in this top tier by averaging 21.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and a handful of assists and steals over his last eight games with a large 30.5 percent usage rate. Presumably he's a safe set-it-and-forget-it anchor to build around.
Danny Wolf, F, Michigan ($8,500)
Wolf - and Vladislav Goldin ($8,000) - are the opposite of Luis's stability as their floors have been far more volatile of late. But I look for both big men to feature prominently Saturday, at least on the glass as Texas A&M lives on offensive rebounds. The ceiling for Wolf is a 40-plus DKP via a double-double, and he's averaging that over his last six at 15.7 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists with a 27.2 percent usage rate.
Wade Taylor, G, Texas A&M ($7,600)
I've had a season-long affinity for Taylor in DFS circles, and it's not always been fruitful. But on this slate where I don't feel it necessary to choose high-end options, he fits in well. We know Taylor will get volume shots having taken 13.2 attempts across his last 12. Whether they go in or not, who knows as he's only hitting 34.8 percent during that stretch. But Taylor is capable in other categories, and at sub 8k we don't need more than 30 DKP to provide a fair return. This matchup should be tight and back-and-forth, so Taylor will at least log a healthy amount of minutes.
Middle Tier
Jonas Aidoo, F, Arkansas ($6,800)
The salary is soaring, but at sub 7k there's still enough potential from Aidoo to merit his inclusion in builds. His usage all season was puzzling, yet he appears to have finally been unleashed averaging 18.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.0 blocks in his last four with a 25.3 percent usage rate while never failing to reach 30.75 DKP. While the matchup is challenging against a tough St. John's defense, Aidoo's big body is exactly what Arkansas needs to compete.
Richie Saunders, F, BYU ($6,600)
Saunders has seen a $10,000 valuation this season, so this immediately presents as a massive bargain. He's provided at least a 3.8x return in four of the Cougars' last five matchups, and this game comes with the slate's highest projected total. Saunders is seemingly a lock for 30 minutes, double-digit points and a decent amount of other counting stats.
Quadir Copeland, G, McNeese State ($5,600)
The salary here makes Copeland a play despite the fact we know how slow McNeese wants this game to be played at. And when he logs 30-plus minutes, he's registered at least 27 DKP in his last three. Copeland hasn't seen heavy minutes in other outings due to fouls and blowouts - with the former likely anticipated on Saturday, but not the latter. He's vital to what the Cowboys do and isn't valued as an ace.
Braden Huff, F, Gonzaga ($5,300)
We know the matchup with Houston is far from ideal, though Huff is surging and the salary hasn't quite caught up to his last two games' production. He's been inserted into the starting lineup, where he's put up 18.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks across 28.5 minutes. We're not seeking 30-plus DKP due to the matchup, with 20 being a fine total.
Bargain Options
Jasen Green, F, Creighton ($4,700)
A presumed paced-up spot for the Blue Jays against Auburn, and Green has done well of late by averaging 12.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals over 31.3 minutes during the last three. March brings us tigher rotations, and Creighton only carries two reserve options with 10-plus minutes across their last five. We'll pay a marginal cost for Green just for big minutes and hope the production comes along with it.
Chaney Johnson, F, Auburn ($4,200)
Auburn is the only team on Saturday with an expected point total of at least 80 points, so getting some shares of their lineup outside of Broome makes sense. Johnson is incredibly volatile, so don't chase the 21.25 DKP he notched on Thursday - but also don't expect the minimal fantasy contributions during his five previous games where he only averaged 3.2 points and 2.6 rebounds. With this slate's upper and lower tiers challenging, try to live in the middle as best you can. Johnson should get us 20-plus minutes and at least be somewhat involved if Auburn reaches their offensive projection.
Agree with these value-play recommendations? Give them a spin in the RotoWire College Basketball DFS Lineup Optimizer.
