This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
Wednesday's College Basketball action features tournament games at three different venues with a pair of top-10 teams including Baylor and Memphis highlighting the slate. DraftKings' main contest is the $10 Big Jam with a six-game slate and a $2,000 top prize, with FanDuel starting an hour earlier at 5 p.m. EST for the $5.55 All-American and $1,000 to first.
Top Players
James Akinjo, G, Baylor ($8,500 DK, $8,100 FD)
Akinjo has the upside potential to pay up for in GPPs due to his ability to produce fantasy points across the stat sheet. He's capable of scoring 25 points on a given night and is coming off back-to-back double-digit assist games – a rarity in the college game. Akinjo's minutes have been slightly limited with Baylor having four blowout games to start the season, but the Sun Devils are good enough to keep it close. Assuming they do, expect Akinjo to see a season-high 35+ minutes and potentially deliver 40+ fantasy points.
Jared Rhoden G/F, Seton Hall ($7,000 DK)
Rhoden has been the star of the show for Seton Hall this season and is starting to look like a future NBA player. He's combined for 45 points in his last two games against tough opponents in Ohio State and Michigan, and he posted 10 rebounds in his first game of the season after being eased back in from an ankle injury that cost him the season opener. This is a good matchup against a Cal team that has been a mess this season and has allowed 75+ points four times already.
Middle Tier
Kimani Lawrence, G/F, Arizona St. ($6,700 DK, $7,900 FD)
Lawrence is simply too underpriced on DraftKings to avoid, with a $1,200 discount compared to FanDuel. While the expectations were high on Toledo transfer Marreon Jackson to make a big impact, it has been the fifth-year senior who has been the most reliable for Sun Devils, as Lawrence looks much improved from a season ago. While this is a tough matchup against Baylor, Lawrence is coming off a 14-point, 12-rebound game against a stout San Diego State defense for his third double-double of the season. It also helps his case that Marvin Bagley (knee) was unable to make the trip to the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.
Emoni Bates, G/F, Memphis ($6,000 DK, $5,900 FD)
Bates was the fifth-ranked prospect (via 247 sports) in the 2021 class, and the freshman has looked the part early on with three 15+ point games already on 17-of-36 (47 percent) shooting. In what should be a closely-contested game against Virginia Tech, I expect Bates to see at least 30 minutes with Memphis not being a particularly deep team. Bates' salary is only going to climb as the season goes on, so get him at this price while you can.
Values
Warren Washington, F, Nevada ($5,500 DK)
Tonight's matchup between the Huskies and the Wolf Pack features the highest over/under on the DFS slate, as both teams like to push the pace, and Steve Alford's Nevada squad has struggled defensively. With AJ Bramah recently being dismissed from the team, there's plenty of value to stack a few players from this game. Washington has already recorded three 15-point games and the 7-foot center is capable of posting another a double-double tonight.
Tyrese Hunter, G/F, Iowa St. ($5,000 DK)
Hunter is one of the primary targets at this price tag, as the freshman point guard has made a quick impact with the Cyclones, averaging 1.12 fantasy points per minute through four games. He hasn't been shy about shooting the ball with over 11 attempts per game over his last three, and he has also been great at facilitating the offense with at least five assists in every game thus far.
