I thought last week was a light week, but we're really short on games in DraftKings main slate Saturday afternoon, as only three games are featured. There's still a $1,000 first-place prize available in the $3,000 Big Jam, and it's only 352 entries, so you have to like your odds. Add to that that a lot of these early-season slates aren't filling, and it's rather foolish to not take a stab at things. We tip off at 4 p.m. EST, and if contests don't fill, you can even throw a haphazard lineup together and still get a nice return.
As of Friday evening, we didn't have lines on two of the three games. Providence - Penn State has a nice 160.5 point total, and if we use KenPom.com as a guide, we're at 141 for San Francisco - Minnesota, and 159 in Milwaukee - Wichita, so none of the games should be ignored.
College Basketball DFS Picks for Saturday, November 22
College Basketball DFS Top Players
Kayden Mingo, G, Penn State ($8,600)
I'm certainly not fading Cade Tyson ($8,800), who our advanced lineup tool doesn't favor but may not have caught up to him just yet, but it's at least enough to press pause. Mingo, not so much. The freshman is off to a terrific start, seeing a 29.4 percent usage rate, taking 13 shots on average, never scoring less than 14 while adding 4+ boards and assists. He's also shooting just 18.2 percent from 3-point range, so there's room for growth.
Jason Edwards, G, Providence ($8,000)
Pairing Mingo and Edwards looks like it could be chalk city, but that doesn't make it wrong. Providence likes to run, and it's lowest point total this season is 88 in a loss at Colorado. Edwards has a robust 27.1 percent usage rate, and his peripheral stats are up across the board. The price doesn't match the output, as he's earned a 4.7 return in three of five, which should continue in a high-scoring, close game.
Middle Tier
Karon Boyd, F, Wichita State ($6,800)
With no players priced in five-figures, we can afford to target a little higher priced options in the middle tier. And if we're rolling with a Mingo/Edwards combo, we need some help in the frontcourt. Boyd is the preference from the Shockers for minutes alone, having seen at least 27 in his first four games. The usage isn't great, and the production has been inconsistent, so a 4x return would surprise. It's more of a floor play than ceiling.
Danilo Jovanovich, F, Wisconsin-Milwaukee ($6,000)
Jovanovich is a bit of a big fish in a small pond, having previously played at Miami and Louisville. His usage isn't massive, but it's ticked up in each game, as has his scoring. The rebounding leaves some to be desired, but it's consistent enough to expect a 4x return. He seems like a lock to flirt with 30 minutes.
College Basketball DFS Value Plays
Junjie Wang, F, San Francisco ($4,300)
The beauty of this slate is its simplicity; we don't have to force any sub-$5,000 players into our lineup because we aren't paying up heavily for elite options. But Wang looks stable at the low end to possibly allow a third $8,000 tier option. He's had at least 11.25 DKP in every game to date, and at 250 pounds, he's likely to get as many minutes as he can handle to combat Minnesota's Jaylen Crocker-Johnson and his 12 nightly rebounds. Only fouls concern me, which haven't been an issue to date.
Dillon Battie, F, Wichita State ($3,200)
We're digging really deep here, which again isn't necessary. Getting clean information this early in the year isn't easy for non top-tier teams, which the Shockers clearly qualify. Battie went for 19.5 and 20.25 DKP in his first two games before seeing just three minutes and a DNP afterwards, so something is clearly going on despite a lack of an injury tag. But would we have interest in 19 fantasy points for this price? Scour local news sources and do your due dilligence. If we can get confirmation he's available, even 15 minutes would likely provide a very nice return while freeing up massive spending throughout the rest of your build.
