This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
With no football on the Sunday slate for the first time in a while, let's turn our attention to a six-pack of college basketball games that tips at 1:00 p.m. EST, with DraftKings putting up a $3k top prize in the $15 Pull Up Jumper.
Targets
1.Noah Williams, G, Washington State ($7,100 DK)
This is a bit of a roll of the dice after Isaac Bonton sat out Wednesday with a non-COVID-19 illness, but if he sits again, Williams has the backcourt to himself where he'll be free to dominate the touches. While Washington has looked a bit better lately after picking up its second and third victories of the year, the Huskies still play at a faster tempo than WSU, in addition to having the worst defensive unit in the Pac-12 (per KenPom's efficiency metric).
2. Thomas Allen, G, North Carolina State ($5,200 DK, $4,100 FD)
The real question here is -- what NC State guard benefits in the absence of Devon Daniels, who suffered a knee injury Jan. 27 and has been ruled out for the season? Prices haven't adjusted yet, and Allen is one option after returning to the starting lineup two games earlier. He has the second-highest usage rate among starters over the last ten games, plus had the second-highest usage rate (only to Daniels) in the aforementioned contest where Daniels went down. You'll also want to take a look at Jericole Hellems ($6,900 DK, $5,900 FD), starting point guard Braxton Beverly ($4,400 DK, $3,900 FD) and reserve guards -- one of which will likely start -- Cam Hayes ($4,900, $4,400 FD) and Shakeel Moore ($5,700, $4,600 FD).
3. Justin Lewis, G, Marquette ($5,500 DK, $5,200 FD)
The primary sixth-man for the Golden Eagles, Lewis has a higher usage rate off the bench than all but one Marquette starter. He's averaging 10.5 points and 7.3 rebounds over his last four games, plus the freshman already has a game of 26.8 DK points against St. John's earlier this year. Marquette boasts the day's highest implied total, but the usual suspects here are inconsistent. Lewis, on the other hand, has a steady floor and can save you some cash for the rest of the lineup.
Fades
1. Kendric Davis, G, SMU ($8,300 DK)
Davis had a solid 42-point fantasy day back on Jan. 3 against Houston, but he's cooled down quite a bit since, scoring in single digits in back-to-back games against Memphis. He's absolutely talented enough to prove me wrong, but I'm not betting on it when his team has the lowest implied total of the entire slate. KenPom pegs Houston as the third-highest-rated defensive efficiency in the entire country, and the Cougars allow opponents to shoot just 25.4 percent from beyond the arc.
2. Joey Hauser, F, Michigan State ($5,400 DK, $6,400 FD)
Has the price depressed enough on DraftKings to put Hauser back in play? Not the way the Spartans are struggling, especially with Hauser scoring 15 DK points or less in four of his last five games. The Spartans have the day's second-lowest implied total, so this isn't the spot to gamble on Hauser finding his early-season form, especially on FanDuel, where the price has barely responded to his rough stretch of play.
3. Pete Nance, F, Northwestern ($7,600 DK, $7,000 FD)
Nance is priced like an elite forward, but after the pounding Rutgers laid on Michigan State on Thursday, it's not a matchup I'm looking to target. Myles Johnson looked like an NBA-caliber talent on both sides of the court, and now has five blocks in back-to-back games. For depth, early-season starter Cliff Omoruyi also provides a big body in the post. This is projected to be one of the lowest-scoring games on the slate, due largely to Rutgers having the No. 17-ranked defense nationally in KenPom's efficiency metric. Not a lot to like here, even with some of the guards more reasonably priced.