DraftKings again offers us three slates on Saturday to sort through, and while I may argue the matchups are more watchable in the afternoon or evening slates, the noon main slate brings the heat with a $5,000 first-place prize and $15,000 overall up for grabs. We tip at noon EST, and the main slate features nine games.
College Basketball DFS Picks for Saturday, January 31
Led by Cameron Boozer ($11,000) and JT Toppin ($10,500), four players are priced in five-figures. Those two are by far the safest of the pay ups while also having slate-breaking upside, so Saturday presents where I'd probably enter multiple lineups using different strategies; stars and scrubs and then a more balanced approach.
Texas A&M at Georgia is our paced up scoring spot with a total of 173.5 and narrow 3.5 point spread. Somewhat conveniently, only Duke and Texas Tech come with 80+ point expectancies outside of this contest, further bolstering the legitamcy of the slate's two highest priced options. Four team's come with point totals in the 60s, low-lighted by Cincinnati at 59.5, making for clear avoidance spots rather than a place where you could consider low-rostered differentiation.
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College Basketball DFS Top Players
Christian Anderson, G, Texas Tech ($9,400)
Regular readers know I prefer to build with high-priced forwards, and you've got your two choices above. But we've got a few high-producing guards if you want to get a bit different in Anderson and Houston's Kingston Flemings ($9,700) that can provide elite ceilings at a bit of a price reduction. Just at a surface level, Anderson should feast here. UCF is allowing assists on 53.6 percent of their opponents field goals, and rank 171st in defending the 3-point line. The higher pace expectancy leads me to Anderson over Flemings, and I wouldn't hate trying to pair him with Toppin if you can find enough value elsewhere.
Thijs De Ridder, F, Virginia ($8,200)
De Ridder is surging, possessing a 31.7 percent usage rate over his last seven, averaging 18. ppg overall while topping 20 points in three of his last five, adding six or more boards in five of those. There's the potential for a blowout here, but Boston College has been surprisingly competitive at home which can seemingly get this to a 4x floor. De Ridder offers some stability in the frontcourt if you're not paying premium dollars.
Check out RotoWire's college basketball starting lineup data to view recent stats, usage trends and identify potential DFS value plays.
Middle Tier
Jeremiah Wilkinson, G, Georgia ($6,100)
Wilkinson's game logs are all over the map, bottoming out with 9.75 DKP mid-week, but spiking at 47.75 DKP two weeks prior. That makes for the ideal GPP swing to win big money in the game with by far the highest point expectancy. He's a volume shooter and not much more but even stumbling into a few rebounds, assists and/or steals, he's got 4x floor with the assurance he's taking double-digit shots. Mix in A&M's Pop Isaacs ($5,300) for a nice little game mini-stack for nice value.
RJ Godfrey, F, Clemson ($5,800)
There's absolutely no upside to Godfrey; both Clemson and Pitt play incredibly slow (319th and 326th in tempo) and this game doesn't profile as being particularly close. But Godfrey has scored in double-digits in eight of his last nine, the one downer being his last outing where fouls limited his minutes. He's averaging 4.3 boards in that stretch to boot, and with the price not elevating, he seems to offer a safe 4x frontcourt option.
Vince Iwuchukwu, F, Georgetown ($5,100)
I went to this well last Saturday and it returned 23.5 DKP, a cool 4.6x return. Iwuchukwu didn't follow suit mid-week, but the price has remained stable. He's scored in double-digits in five of seven since returning, seemingly making him a safe 3x floor option and his minutes are ticking up over Julius Halaifonua despite the latter starting.
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College Basketball DFS Value Plays
Azavier Robinson, G, Butler ($4,900)
I'd like this price to be a touch lower, but it's still a nice price dip from $5,700 thanks to his last game's downer. He's averaging 10.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals over his last four, which is elite for a sub-5k price. Butler should flirt with 80 points and play from ahead, giving Robinson 20-point fantasy potential.
Aidan Shaw, G/F, Boston College ($4,700)
Shaw has moved to a reserve role over the last six, but is still averaging 26.7 minutes. At 6-foot-9, it's interesting he has G/F eligibility, but I'm assuming Shaw is needed to defend De Ridder at a minimum. This slate has very few value options to me, which makes me willing to pay for minute guarantees and hope production follows or is stumbled into.
All Wright, G, Xavier ($3,900)
I've stared at this slate for far too long; there does't seem like elite value to be had. Wright has started 16 of 21 games and we're simply paying for 20+ minutes with the hope whomever we pay up for explodes. Wright is averaging 5.8 points, 2.3 boards and 2.5 assists over his last four, which is more than enough for a fair return.
