This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
There's a five-game Sunday college basketball slate on DraftKings, with a $2,000 top prize available in the $12 Sunday Slam. Even FanDuel has a $1,000 top prize in the All-American. The slate also features the return of Baylor, a top program shut down due to COVID protocol which picked up a 112-82 victory over Louisiana on Saturday. Let's take a look at some of the targets and fades.
Targets
1.Davion Mitchell, G, Baylor ($5,600 DK, $6,000 FD)
While Jared Butler gets most of the attention, Mitchell saw more time running point in the opener, putting up an efficient 18 points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals in 27 minutes. We don't expect the Bears to score 112 points here, but it's still a pace-boosted matchup against Washington where the starters should see more minutes.
2. Isaiah Miller, G, UNC-Greensboro ($8,200 DK)
Miller went off for 43.0 DK points in the opener against a Little Rock team ranked just nine spots below Sunday's opponent, Winthrop (per KenPom rankings). I'll take the senior point guard to keep it up here against the Eagles, who with a No. 26 overall ranking in KenPom's adjusted tempo metric, are the fastest-paced team on the slate. Winthrop surprisingly finished in among the top-32 teams in the country in both offensive and defensive rebounding last season, so attacking the guards is the way to go. The other starting guard to see the most minutes in the opener was Kaleb Hunter ($6,400).
3. Alexis Yetna, F, South Florida ($3,700 DK)
The salary-relief special of the slate, Yetna mysteriously saw just 12 minutes off the bench in the opener. When the competition got tougher against URI, the 6-8 junior started and played 30 minutes, collecting 10 points and six rebounds before fouling out. Yetna missed the entire 2019-20 season due to a knee injury, but started 34 of 36 games as a freshman, producing 12.3 points and 9.6 rebounds. The matchup against Virginia Tech won't do him any pace favors, but I'll definitely take the risk at this price, especially with VT playing the second of a back-to-back. It's purely narrative-based, but there may be a bit of a hangover for VT too after knocking off No. 3-ranked Villanova in OT the day before.
Fades
1.Nahziah Carter, G, Washington ($7,400 DK, $5,600 FD)
It appears Carter is suspended for the opener, but even if he plays, it's wise to fade most of Washington in this matchup. Baylor had a top-10 defense last season and that's projected to be the case once again. The Bears have experience and athleticism at the win that will make things tough on opposing guards all season.
2. Cartier Diarra, G, Virginia Tech ($6,900 DK)
Diarra is a high-profile transfer that filled up box scores with Kansas State, but for reasons I can't explain, he saw just 19 minutes off the bench in the opener against Radford. He saw 25 minutes in VT's upset over Villanova on Saturday, but fouled out after going 1-for-8 from the field. Meanwhile, Keve Aluma put up 23 points in 39 minutes, while Nahiem Alleyne scored 20 in 30 minutes off the bench. It seems there are still some growing pains in getting acclimated with the new system, so I'm not going to pay top dollar this season until those get worked out. Not to mention, USF sits at No. 312 in KenPom's pace metric.
3. Antwan Walker, F, Rhode Island ($6,700 DK)
Walker had a big opening day, but was held to single digits in the two games since, scoring 14.0 and 12.75 DK points. The return of Jermaine Harris ($4,000 DK) is enough to scare me away, as the two operate in a similar capacity. It's no coincidence Walker had his worst DK game of the year following Harris' return. Not to mention, the Dons have a tempo ranking of 265 (per KenPom) and have seven-footer Samba Kane to defend the post.