A second straight day with a manageable eight-game slate wraps up the Tournament's first weekend, and DraftKings again has a $80,000 total prize pool on the docket with $20,000 to one lucky winner. We top at 12:10 EDT.
College Basketball DFS: DraftKings Picks & Preview for Sunday, March 22
No player comes with a five-figure price tag, and the slate's most expensive option (Joshua Jefferson) appears unlikely to play, so it's open season on how you want to build your lineup. I'm personally infatuated with the middle tier options and think we can build a very well-rounded lineup with guys priced at $6,000-$7,000. But if I'm feeling that, so are others, so multi-entry guys must build a few stars and scrubs lineups.
It's largely a low-scoring slate; only two games come with totals north of 150 points and only three teams have expected totals of 80+. That's not a bad thing however, as it suggests we have no games to ignore and the spreads suggest we'll have a more competitive slate overall than what Saturday presented.
College Basketball DFS Top Players
Christian Anderson, G, Texas Tech ($9,100)
The Red Raiders won by 20 on Friday and Anderson player 39 minutes. Now we've got a highly competitive environment that's super paced up against 'Bama's fourth-ranked tempo, per KenPom. I don't see how Anderson isn't one of the most heavily rostered players Sunday. He's averaging 13.4 shot attempts over his last 10, resulting in 17.9 points while adding 4.4 rebounds and 7.2 assists. An elite floor with an elite ceiling based on game script. Anderson is an elite late night hammer, but all of Texas Tech's starting five are. If you're a multi-entry player, perhaps build a few around him, and a few with their secondary pieces while taking some shots on upper tier options in less obvious spots.
Otega Oweh, G, Kentucky ($8,500)
Guards win in March. The top two priced options Sunday are forwards, and loyal readers know my preference is to build an elite frontcourt and find our guards a the lower end. That creates quite the conundrum. But Oweh is Kentucky's offense. He took 24 shots Friday and is averaging 17.8 attempts, 37.1 minutes and a 30.7 percent usage rate over his last 12. Points and rebounds are a given here, and if he facilitates as he did in the opening round, he's poised to far exceed this price.
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Middle Tier
Milan Momcilovic, F, Iowa State ($6,500)
This feels a bit academic with Joshua Jefferson unlikely to play for the Cyclones. Momcilovic should see increased usage and his size on the wing and in the interior looks like a problem for the Wildcats to matchup with. Take all of that away and he's still taken 29 shots over the last two games. He's inconsistent, but that should be taken out of the equation with Jefferson out, and the upside is that of a guy that's earned a $8,600 price tag previously.
Shelton Henderson, F, Miami ($6,100)
Henderson was featured here Friday and responded with 29.5 DKP, his highest total in eight games. This is a strict matchup play/guess. Malik Reneau and Trey Kaufman-Renn will match up. Ernest Udeh and Oscar Cluff will also match up. That leaves Henderson as a bully to draw some portion of Purdue's undersized three-guard lineup. I'm a bit of a homer, but I think the 'Canes are very live dogs Sunday, and Henderson is the linchpin to that outcome.
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College Basketball DFS Value Plays
London Jemison, F, Alabama ($3,800)
Jemison drew the start with Aden Holloway away from the team and returned 17 fantasy points. That's unfortunately the extent of this write up. He really hasn't shown much upside throughout the year, and is averaging 5.0 points and 4.1 rebounds in 11 starts. The price is low enough to where Jemison still has appeal with the likely increased role, but there's really no ceiling to speak of.
Malachi Smith, G, Connecticut ($3,600)
This is completely dependent on Silas Demary missing the game, as Smith simply won't have a role if Demary returns to action. Smith had a massive 42.4 percent usage rate in the Big East Championship, and followed it up with 19.25 DKP in the Huskies' opener. He's scored in double-digits just three times all season, so it's incredibly volatile. But if the role is clear, he can be a tremendous bargain.
Check out RotoWire's college basketball starting lineup data to view recent stats, usage trends and identify potential DFS value plays.
