This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
Saturday's DraftKings main slate tips off at 12 p.m. EST and comes with a $2,000 first-place and $7,000 in total prizes. We've had some moderate success in this space over the last two weeks, so let's see if we can keep it going and find the perfect combo.
11 games are included in this contest, highlighted by the most obvious game stack we've seen all season in Alabama-Kentucky that projects a ridiculous 179.5 point total and narrow 2.5 spread. You're likely going to need a share or two here, and can almost guarantee there will be many lineup builds that will load up as much as possible here. North Carolina-Stanford and Texas Tech-Arizona are the only two other matchups over 150 points, though Marquette comes with a 79.5 expected total to provide another high-scoring option.
Top Players
Maxime Raynaud, F, Stanford ($9,700)
UNC's Jalen Washington has played better and stronger of late by racking up 13 blocks over his last four, but it's difficult to see him being a problem for the bigger and taller Raynaud. The Tar Heels are small beyond Washington and they'll be focusing on Raynaud, though there aren't enough bodies to slow him down. UNC plays at the 12th fastest pace, per KenPom, so we know there will be scoring. They also rank 109th in offensive rebounds allowed, meaning Raynaud will earn some second chances even if he's forced to pass. He's posted 14 double-doubles in 17 games, so we're paying for stability with a tremendous ceiling in this matchup.
Mark Sears, G, Alabama ($9,100)
I'm likely only taking Sears at the top of this game and just moving on to try to be different. Kentucky is far more balanced in their production, making it difficult to single anyone out, yet they're also cheaper to stack. Sears is coming off a miserable 2-for-8 shooting night against Ole Miss, and surely wants to heat things up Saturday. He's averaging 20.4 points over his last five and should reach that threshold if the game plays out as expected. Sears is also contributing 6.0 assists per outing during that stretch to give us a chance at a 4x return. He's the most stable option in the most targetable matchup. High roster spots, high upside, assume everyone uses Sears and take the free square.
Elijah Hawkins, G, Texas Tech ($7,400)
The rising salary is slightly worrisome, but Hawkins is still in a positive spot with the Red Raiders expected to flirt with 80 points. He's been a touch more aggressive offensively by averaging 9.2 shot attempts and 7.3 assists across his last six. Arizona is allowing assists on 53.8 percent of their opponent-made baskets, so Hawkins could flirt with a double-double with a few rebounds to boot.
UNC's RJ Davis ($7,700) has been wildly inconsistent, but we know his upside as an interesting, likely low-rostered selection.
Middle Tier
Dayvion McKnight, G, Xavier ($6,700)
A high salary for stability, but McKnight has only been under 20 DKP twice through 18 games. He averaged 31.75 against Marquette last season for a cool 4.7x return, so that seems to give us a nice margin of error for a fair return. Marquette plays sound defense (18th) and slow tempo (178th), yet rank 353rd in assists-to-made-field goals at a whopping 62.8 percent.
Henri Veesaar, F, Arizona ($6,000)
This is a tough sell with the mid-tier forwards leaving a lot to be desired, so we'll take a stab on potential with Veesaar. He doesn't start and is only averaging a 20.9 percent usage rate from his last five while logging 22.9 minutes, though he's contributing across the board during this run averaging 12.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.8 blocks. It gives Veesaar many paths to a minimal 3x return, and he's topped 5x in three of those five appearances.
Reyne Smith, G, Louisville ($5,200)
We don't usually want to target anything against Virginia and their 363rd rank in pace, but the Cardinals still list an expected point total of 71.5 and shouldn't be completely overlooked. And they will be to put their high-end options as contrarian plays, but I'll take a shot on Smith. He's started two straight while averaging 17.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists. Smith has been worth at least 22.5 DKP over six of seven and his salary fell $400 from midweek. It's a risk as he's largely a scorer against a slow and sound defense, but even a 3x return at this number won't hurt.
Bargain Options
Ben Gold, F, Marquette ($4,900)
The value is slightly higher than I'd like, but Gold has actually been frequently over $5,000 this season. He's earned 21 or more fantasy points in three straight and four of five while a lock for 25 minutes. Gold is only averaging 1.0 blocks overall, yet has seven across his last three. Xavier has an oddity here as their offense ranks 349th in blocked shots allowed, with 13.1 percent of their attempts getting rejected. All we need from Gold is six-to-eight points, a few boards and some blocks.
Tarris Reed, F, Connecticut ($4,900)
Reed hasn't been under 10.0 DKP all season, so we likely immediately start with a modest 2x return. The Huskies don't have much size outside of Reed to combat Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner, so it's fair to think he'll see as many minutes as fouls allow. And that's a concern as he's prone to not defend straight up. Rebounds and blocks are the path to stability, so any points Reed contributes boost his ceiling. But frankly, we're looking for punt frontcourt options on this slate, which is not where I like to live.
AJ Storr, G, Kansas ($3,500)
Complete punt play, and one that will be popular as Storr is expected to start with KJ Adams out. He's only averaged 6.8 points and 1.0 rebounds across 23.3 minutes in his four previous starts, so there's no upside. It just seems like a move many will lean on for additional salaries elsewhere, so why not also do it? Perhaps Rylan Griffen ($3,900) offers a slightly higher floor regardless if he starts while coming with far less roster percentages.
Kentucky's Koby Brea ($4,400) enters the mix if we get word Lamont Butler is out while Travis Perry ($3,200) could be a deep dart throw.
