This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
The marquee matchups seem to continue Wednesday evening following Tuesday's quality slate. DraftKings treats us to a manageable six-game slate with an early 6:00 p.m. EST tip, featuring a nice mix of mid-majors looking for upsets and some Power 5 schools looking to continue shaking off the early season rust.
Top Tier
Hunter Dickinson, F, Michigan ($9,300)
The debate between Dickinson and Drew Timme ($10,500) should be fierce on this slate. Timme's price is prohibitive, but the game figures to be far closer, so his minutes should be more plentiful. Ultimately, I'm siding with Dickinson at the reduced rate while still fully expecting 35+ DKP. He's a near lock for a double-double, sports a robust 29.0 percent usage rate and should overwhelm Pitt's inexperienced Fede Federiko.
Adrian Baldwin, G, VCU ($7,200)
Outside of the top two forwards mentioned above, I don't find this slate to have any must-use options, so why not target someone that surely comes with low roster numbers? VCU makes games ugly, and this should be a bit of a grinder for the Sun Devils. Baldwin has an established history of being a stable distributor and defender, and the scoring appears to be trending upward. He has played all but 10 minutes in their first two games, averaging 12.0 points, 7.0 assists and 5.0 steals. Perhaps the defense isn't sustainable, but he should be paired against Frankie Collins ($7,700), who has already turned it over 15 times in three outings.
Middle Tier
Landers Nolley, F, Cincinnati ($6,800)
Nolley may be a hair pricey to be considered a mid-tier option, but he's also too cheap to be a top option. The bottom line is he's just a rock solid option, having put up between 26.75 and 34.5 DKP in each of the Bearcats' first three games. Double-digit points and five rebounds are the floor, and he finds ways to chip in across other categories, setting him up for nightly stability. And this matchup with Northern Kentucky isn't a pushover, so he'll be needed for 30+ minutes.
Kris Murray, F, Iowa ($6,300)
Iowa's first two games have resulted in a combined 201-129 margin, giving us five starters all averaging in double-digits, but I'm not sure what to make of that production against inferior opponents. Murray is the most expensive of those five, and looks to be emerging from his brother's shadow from last season, so I'll bank on him over Patrick McCaffery ($6,000) for the modest price increase. This game has a narrow spread and decent total, and I like Iowa's 23rd-ranked tempo, per KenPom, to force the issue, boosting Murray in the process.
Value Plays
Makhi Mitchell, F, Arkansas ($5,000)
Mitchell has been a consistent across the board producer to date against inferior competition, and there isn't much to suggest Wednesday will be any different. He's put up eight points and four boards in both of his starts, adding three steals, three assists and two blocks, resulting in 23.3 DKP on average. That's nearly a 5x return without being elite anywhere. With multiple options for production, paired with soft competition, I'll trust that Mitchell finds a way.
Nolan Hickman, G, Gonzaga ($4,300)
Hickman continues to start over Malachi Smith ($6,600), playing slightly less minutes but averaging .795 DKP/minute against Smith's .846 DKP/minute, while coming at a huge discount. This is a game we want at least a piece of given the 144.0 point total, but neither side has obvious options outside of the high-priced Timme. Hickman was better against Michigan State than he was against North Florida, and I'll bank on him rising to the occasion again against top competition.
