The calendar has flipped to January, which means we're only two months from March. Football is winding down and we'll tune our attention more heavily on the hardwood. And, DraftKings is bringing it for our first weekend of heavy conference action. They've got three separate slates across the day which highlight 26 total games. We'll focus the attention on the eight-game main slate, which gets going at an early 11 a.m. EST, so be sure to get your lineup set early.
The slate includes five players priced in five-figures but just four more priced at $9,000 or greater, so we'll again see some different philosophies in lineup construction. We've got point totals north of 170 points in Kentucky vs. Alabama, St. John's vs. Providence, BYU vs. Kansas State and Auburn vs. Georgia, making for obvious games to target.
The low spot is Clemson vs. Pittsburgh at 134.5, but it comes with a 1.5 point spread, so it shouldn't be ignored. Only two games have large spreads, so it should be a competitive slate.
Injuries, at least at the top of the pricing, aren't much of a factor. Alabama F Labaron Philon's ($9,800) status needs to be confirmed, but he seems to be trending positively.
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College Basketball DFS Picks for Saturday, January 2
College Basketball DFS Top Players
Michael Ajayi, F, Butler ($9,500)
If you're able to afford it, or are entering multiple lineups, BYU's A.J. Dybantsa ($10,700) is the play, and it's a far better pace spot than what Ajayi has. But from the payup options, Ajayi has shown capable of providing a high ceiling to combat the likes of the Cougar's freshman star. Ajayi has three-straight double-doubles, one included 20 rebounds, illustrating the ceiling, and one came in 27 foul-laden minutes, showing an elite floor. Villanova plays incredibly slow (355th in tempo, per KenPom), but Butler will push some and both teams should reach 70+ points. Seemingly only fouls limit Ajayi's ceiling Saturday.
Juke Harris, G, Wake Forest ($8,200)
We curiously don't have lines on this game as of Friday evening, but KenPom has this as a 150-point total, so unless things come in drastically lower, I'm fine rolling out Harris. UVA and Virginia Tech just played a triple-overtime game Wednesday. I know these are young dudes, but that's a healthy bit of additional minutes for everyone, and we could see the defenses slide with tired legs. Harris is the Wake Forest offense, and he's quietly averaging 6.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals to boot. He's hit 4x this number in four of six and his low point has been 3.2, suggesting he's a safe known commodity.
Cameron Corhen, F, Pittsburgh ($7,400)
Clemson is 328th in tempo, and Pittsburgh is 348th, and as noted in the intro, this game is very unappealing with the understandably low point total. But it's going to give us incredibly low roster percentages which could offer an edge in GPPs. Corhen has been a reliable scorer all year, and while he doesn't have double-digit rebounds in any of his last six, he's averaging 7.2 in that span. He's played less than 30 minutes just three times all season, and has been around 30 DKP in nine of the Panthers 14 games.
Check out RotoWire's college basketball starting lineup data to view recent stats, usage trends and identify potential DFS value plays.
Middle Tier
Darrion Williams, F, North Carolina State ($6,700)
Just a great price break on a player with upside. Williams has been priced as high as $9,200, and has admittedly struggled in his new surroundings, topping 27 DKP just twice in his last nine games after a white-hot start. But I'm buying the dip. He's two games removed from an injury absence and saw a nice 27.8 percent usage rate last time. While this isn't Tony Bennett's Virginia, the Cavaliers do offer some pace struggles, ranking 244th. But we know Williams is going to shoot often, he just needs them to start going in (hes 3-for-20 over the last two). UVA is off a three-overtime game and could struggle with their legs, while the Wolfpack are still expected to flirt with 80 points.
Christian Gurdak, F, Virginia Tech ($5,900)
The Hokies are a bit of a mash unit; we know Tobi Lawal and Tyler Johnson are out, Neoklis Avdalas has now popped up as "probable" late Friday, and there's no word yet on Antonio Dorn. Gurdak is only a preferred play if Dorn is out, but the big 260 pound freshman looks like an ascending play. He posted 17 points and 19 rebounds in his last outing, playing a massive 46 minutes. He's averaging 15.7 points and 11.0 boards over his last three, and if the minutes are again there based soley on need, not current form, Gurdak seems likely to out-perform this price
Abdi Bashir, G, Kansas State ($5,100)
I'm a touch worried the Wildcats get blown out here, as they've previously been hammered by Seton Hall and Indiana, so it's keeping me off of their top-priced options. But they rank 17th in tempo, and 23rd in assists to made field goals, so I'll target Bashir for a cheaper entry point. He's averaging only 2.5 assists overall, but has five in two of his last four while scoring in double-digits in five straight. He's largely a 3-point shooter, and BYU defends the arch well (31.2 percent), but if the pace is pushed, there should be enough open looks.
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College Basketball DFS Value Plays
Latrell Wrightsell, G, Alabama ($4,900)
In five games back since a four-game absence, Wrightsell has a terrific 28.4 percent usage rate, averaging 12.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists. It's always inconsistent, he's shooting just 34.0 percent, but the floor has been right at a 3x return at this price, and it's a cheap entry into the Tide in this pace boosted spot. Volume shooting and a handful of boards are seemingly a lock.
Somto Cyril, F, Georgia ($4,900)
One of two repeat inclusions in this bargain section. Cyril's game logs are remarkably consistent for a guy that isn't a go-to scorer. He's averaging 11.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.7 blocks over his last seven, including two double-doubles and four blocks in each of the last two. UGA is third in tempo and the Tigers are likely willing to oblige that pace. Cyril has massive potential and an emergingly safe floor.
Jaland Lowe, G, Kentucky ($3,700)
If you've been reading this column regularly, you'll know I list Lowe here almost every time Kentucky is on the slate. Yes, it's burned me on occasion as he's been hurt, taken some maintenance days resulting in out of the blue DNPs. But he's set to go and the price remains too low to ignore. He doesn't have to do much to outperform the number, and it makes sense to take a secondary piece with low risk in Kentucky's attack as their production is heavily spread out across the rotation. 'Bama is 10th in tempo and allow assists on 47.4 percent on the baskets they give up. Lowe should be good for 3+ dimes and a handful of points at a minimum, and he's returned at least a 4.9x value in four of his six appearances.
