This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
Sunday sees a four-game slate on DraftKings and a three-game slate on FanDuel, with the Florida State-Loyola Marymount game being the only game in both slates. Florida State has the highest implied total on the DraftKings side with 73.5 projected points. Draftkings offers their $10 Big Jam Contest with $2,000 in total prizes, while FanDuel offers their $7 All American Contest with $1,000 in total prizes. Let's get on to the action.
Top Players
Tanner Groves, F, Oklahoma ($8,800 DK)
Groves is the most expensive player on the slate for a reason. He has a team-high 30.2 percent usage rate among starters, averaging just shy of 25 minutes/game. In his last contest, he put up 42.5 DK points against Indiana State. The Eastern Washington transfer has posted at least 32.3 DK points in three of his four games this season. He is averaging 18 points, seven rebounds and two assists. The talent pool is shallow on this slate and their are plenty of value plays that make Groves' salary easily affordable.
Malik Osborne, F, Florida State ($8,000 DK, $7,400 FD)
Florida State has the highest implied point total on the slate, so it's ideal to target at least one person on their team. It can be difficult to choose just one Seminole, as they are great at sharing the ball and getting everyone involved. However, Osborne has been the most consistent offensive threat early in the season. Through three games, he leads the team with 15.0 points and 9.7 rebounds, averaging 32.8 DK points/game. He's played at least 32 minutes in the last two contests. In addition, he's been able to do all this with just an 18.2 percent usage rate, a number that he could see increase as the season goes on. His FanDuel discount makes him even more appealing for a three-game slate that has more star power.
Middle Tier
Justin Bean, F, Utah State ($6,600 DK)
Chalk up Bean for one of the best plays on the slate. The Aggies face their toughest opponent yet in Oklahoma, but Bean has been nearly unstoppable. In his most recent contest, he had his worst game of the season, but still posted 17 points, seven rebounds and three assists in 29 minutes for 29.8 DK points. He is averaging 47.5 DK points through four games, and averaging a double-double with 24.0 points and 12.5 rebounds. Bean is clearly the top target on Utah State, and he leads the starters with a 25.1 percent usage rate. On top of this, his salary doesn't reflect his recent dominance and you can get him for quite a steal.
Taz Sherman, G/F, West Virginia ($6,200 DK)
Sherman has been a model for consistency through four games this season. He has scored between 29.3 and 39.0 DK points in each contest. The Mountaineers have been heavily relying on him to constantly put up points. He's averaging 20.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 34.5 minutes while leading the team with a whopping 34.1 percent usage rate. Also, he's shooting just 39 percent from the field and 20 percent from three-point range. It's realistic to think his shooting percentage will increase. Sherman is a safe bet to produce around 30 DK points, which presents a safe path to 5x at his price point.
Values
Joe Quintana, G, Loyola Marymount ($5,500 DK, $6,500 FD)
Quintana has a chance to be as big of a value as Justin Bean if he can produce like he has recently despite matching up against a tougher opponent in Florida State. Quintana appears to be mispriced at a discount due to fact that he plays for a lesser-known school. After struggling in the season opener, he's erupted over the last pair of games, posting at least 25 points and 46.5 DK points in both. His 24.5 percent usage rate, along with averaging 20 points, 33 minutes and 36.8 DK points, are all higher than his teammate Eli Scott, who is $2,500 more expensive.
Tosan Evbuomwan, F, Princeton ($3,800 DK)
Much like Joe Quintana, Evbuomwan is underpriced for being on a lesser team. He doesn't stand out as the main offensive threat on his team. However, he consistently outperforms his extremely cheap salary. He's played at least 25 minutes in three of his four games, and has scored double-digits points in two of them. He has a decent 23.5 percent usage rate and is second on the team in rebounds (5.3) and DK points (24.3). The main issue lies with the return of Darius Gakwasi, who may cut into Evbuomwan's playing time. Gakwasi could be another nice value play at $4,600. He posted 30.3 DK points in 18 minutes in the season opener.
