Nine games comprise DraftKings Saturday main slate, with tip-off at noon EST. We've got a slightly elevated $7,500 total prize pool with a standard $2,000 first-place prize in the daily Heating Up tournament. This is becoming pretty regular, and we're likely a month away from some random spike prize pools where major rivalry games are present before we get those massive March increases. Let's keep trying to build a bankroll with those in mind.
College Basketball DFS Picks for Saturday, January 17
Led by column regular Michael Ajayi ($10,300), just him and SMU's Boopie Miller ($10,100) are priced in five-figures with seven more options coming in at $9,000 or greater. It's a lower-scoring slate overall than we've seen, with Alabama-Oklahoma the clear outlier at 171.5 points. KenPom's projections have this game going slightly over, and with the Sooners specifically being priced down, it's an obvious spot to grab multiple pieces. Two games sit at 153.5 or greater, and only Minnesota-Illinois (139.5) looks like a spot to avoid. Illinois' production is too deep to trust, and the Gophers have a paltry 62.5-point total.
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College Basketball DFS Top Players
Tarris Reed, F, Connecticut ($9,200)
Truth be told, I think Ja'Kobi Gillespie ($9,500) and/or Bruce Thornton ($9,900) are safer/better plays, but they're guards, and this slate is severly lacking frontcourt options. Reed remains a heavy usage option for the Huskies (26.5 percent over his last nine), will score and rebound, and his defensive stats make up for the fact he'll likely not reach double-double territory. It's not an elite matchup; Georgetown doesn't play fast, and isn't likely to be overly competitive. But, Reed is efficient even if the minutes are limited, and should be a nice contrarian play with low roster percentages.
Amari Allen, F, Alabama ($9,100)
Y'all know me, and my preferred preference to pay for stability in the frontcourt. Allen is an elite cash game play, and merits GPP consideration, as well given the expected scoring in this game. I'm not sure we can pair him with Reed in tournaments however, but it's worth exploring. It's a game we want shares on from both sides, and instead of chasing any of the 'Bama guards, it seems prudent to take the safety down low. Allen is averaging 15.0 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.2 blocks over his last five.
Quadir Copeland, G, NC State ($7,500)
I've been beating the Darrion Williams drum for a while, and I still like him a lot given the forward eligibility, but he's back in form and the price is rising, so let's pivot. Copeland wasn't needed in NC State's last outing, but he's distributing at an elite level, averaging 6.1 dimes to go with double-digit points. The Pack come with a nice 85.5 point expectancy, as Georgia Tech plays faster than I realized, sitting at 48th in tempo. He's priced low enough for a "top" option that he doesn't need 30 minutes to provide a fair return, though we'll take it for a ceiling.
Check out RotoWire's college basketball starting lineup data to view recent stats, usage trends and identify potential DFS value plays.
Middle Tier
Johann Grunloh, F, Virginia ($6,600)
I'm apparently unintentionally loading this column up with a variety forward options, which honestly should be the purpose, we can always find guards. The seven-foot freshman is a solid source of blocks and rebounds, and should see an uptick in minutes if fouls don't render an ugly head against SMU's big, but depth lacking front court. This isn't Tony Bennett's Virginia, they'll play with SMU's pace. It's a narrow spread and a game I think we can invest in on both sides. I like Grunloh for a 3x floor with higher potential.
Tobi Lawal, F, Virginia Tech ($5,800)
Lawal was an absolute monster before his ankle injury in late November, and unfortunately for him, Amani Hansberry blossomed in his absence. He's not a 44.75 DKP, double-double play at this point. But he's still been highly productive since returning, at least as it relates to this decreased price, averaging 10.0 points and 7.5 rebounds over the last two despite some foul trouble. The Irish play slow (320th in tempo) and rebound well (5th lowest opposing offensive rebound percentage), so it's not an elite matchup, but Lawal is trending positively and the minutes should only increase the further he's removed from injury.
Nijel Pack, G, Oklahoma ($5,700)
Pack's game logs leave plenty to be desired through four conference games, with two games where he barely, or didn't, reach a 4x return. But it's created a targetable price decrease as he's been as high as $8,300 this season. As the intro noted, this is a spot to go all-in on multiple Sooners, so perhaps craft your roster elsewhere first, then grab a few pieces here to finish the build. They're home underdogs with an 83.5 point expectancy thanks to Alabama's 11th ranked tempo. Oklahoma also only has six guys playing 20+ minutes and none are priced north of $7,100. If Pack gets hot, he can give us 5x or better.
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College Basketball DFS Value Plays
Andrija Jelavic, F, Kentucky ($4,200)
These columns are a lot of fun to pen, especially in this section. Sometimes we're targeting a handful of floor plays for the cheap, but this Saturday hasn't emerged as such. We're shooting for the moon with zero floor. Kentucky's rotation is an absolute mess; we have no clue who will eat minutes and produce. Jelavic started Kentucky's last game and showed enough to merit more minutes, and I like his stretch ability to extend Tennessee's defense here. A cheap frontcourt option with some potential in a competitive game, and the Wildcats are seem desperate enough to roll with their advanced-aged "sophomore" to see if he can provide a secondary spark to Otega Oweh.
Ivan Njegovan, F, Ohio State ($4,000)
This is a placeholder more than anything else. Christoph Tilly ($6,800) is uncertain to play due to a head injury, and while I find him a viable option if healthy, the price is a touch rich. If he's out, this isn't a to-the-moon play, but Njegovan put up 15.5 DKP in 25 minutes last time out after Tilly's injury, clearly flirty with a 4x return. UCLA doesn't have a ton of size, and rank 236th in offensive rebound percentage allowed, potentially giving Njegovan some stick-back opportunities.
Houston Mallette, G, Alabama ($3,900)
An upside dart throw to give us cheap exposure to the Tide's pace and 3-point prowess. And, 53.5 percent of Alabama's shots come from behind the arc, the second-highest mark in the country, and Mallette is averaging 5.2 attempts on the season (4.5 in conference play), but the shots haven't been falling of late (27.8 percent). Oklahoma doesn't defend the arc at an elite rate, ranking 202nd in percentage allowed. Mallette should flirt with 20 minutes and has shown enough rebounding potential to create a 5x ceiling. The floor is crateringly low, but his minutes also don't appear linked to the availability of Latrell Wrightsell.
