DFS College Basketball: Sunday Preview

Unfortunately, it's almost time to say goodbye to the first weekend of the NCAA tournament. Fortunately, you can still win some money on a slate that features Duke and North Carolina. There are surprisingly a lot of defensive teams in action and that could lead to some interesting lineups, albeit Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett will dominate most.

Top Players

Zion Williamson ($10,000 FD, $10,900 DK) and RJ Barrett, Duke ($9,600, $10,700 DK):

It wouldn't be surprising if some people went with both Williamson and Barrett, but that'd sacrifice the rest of the roster. The main worry for these guys is that that they have to go around Tacko Fall at the rim. There's a chance Duke will settle for threes early and if those don't fall, that could limit the upside of both Williamson and Barrett. Then again, it's rarely a good strategy to fade these guys. Williamson isn't much more expensive and he could easily get Fall into foul trouble. Barrett has had a better floor with more rebounds in recent games and that's the main reason you can save a few bucks on him.

Grant Williams, Tennessee ($8,900 FD, $9,400 DK):

Williams hasn't surpassed 35 fantasy points in the last four games and that will likely lead to a lot of people fading him. However, Iowa had the worst two-point defense in the Big Ten and that's exactly where Williams will attack, whether it's against Tyler Cook or Luka Garza. This will be a higher-paced game and his floor should be around 30 despite some recent down performances. However, he may be better left for GPPs in case his fantasy struggles continue.

Jarrett Culver, Texas Tech ($8,700 FD, $9,200 DK):

Culver makes a lot more sense than Williams since he's not only cheaper, but he also has at least 36 DK points in his last eight games with a nice 50 spot in the last two. Buffalo's defense has great numbers, but that also has to do with playing in the MAC. It gave up 74 points last game despite Arizona State going 3-for-22 from three. The Bulls may have a few guys to throw at Culver, but considering what he's done to Big 12 competition, he should be in play for another 40 DK points with 50-point upside.

CJ Massinburg, Buffalo ($8,500 FD, $8,700 DK):

I'd be a little more tentative on Massinburg because of the matchup. While he's an excellent player, there's a reason the Red Raiders are first in the country in terms of defensive efficiency. Against better competition like West Virginia, Marquette and Syracuse, he's had decent performances because of made threes. While rebounds will still be there, banking on Massinburg hitting more than a few threes is a stretch for the price, especially against this defense.

Luke Maye, North Carolina ($8,400 FD, $8,600 DK):

Cameron Johnson ($8,300 FD, $8,200 DK) is the better guy to shoot over the zone, but Maye will be at the top of the key, setting up a lot of the offense. He had nine points, 12 boards and six assists (34.5 DK points) against Syracuse earlier this season, which runs the same zone as Washington and that's a good barometer for this game. Maye maybe not have the upside of Culver, but he should put in a better performance than last game, as his role in the zone will give him a better floor.

Value Players

Jordan Bohannon, Iowa ($5,600 FD, $5,200 DK): This isn't a true value play at FanDuel, but Bohannon is going to play almost the entire game and that's reason enough to consider him. His fantasy production hasn't been consistent, but the Vols don't have a great three-point defense (10th in SEC) and that's where he excels in addition to averaging a few assists per game.

Kenny Wooten, Oregon ($4,800 FD, $5,200 DK):

He's a better play at FD due to price and he's shown the last couple games that a slow pace doesn't limit fantasy output. He has at least 20 FD points in the last two games thanks to 13 points, 13 boards and eight blocks.

Mamadi Diakite, Virginia ($4,800 FD, $4,500 DK):

Diakite probably won't repeat the 17 points and nine boards he had last game, but he should again see plenty of time against a more athletic Oklahoma team, which means he'll play more than Jack Salt. Sure, he doesn't have a floor, but the Sooners were one of the worst rebounding teams in the Big 12 and at a minimum, Diakite should capitalize in that area.

Nahziah Carter, Washington ($3,900 FD, $4,200 DK):

If you went with Williamson and Barrett, Carter is a possible option with at least 27 minutes played in two of the last three games. He doesn't do much outside of scoring, which is why he's cheap, but in what should be a higher-paced game than usual for the Huskies, he'll get shots and the opportunity to post at least 10 points again.

Musa Jallow, Ohio State ($3,500 FD, $3,500 DK):

I don't like anything about Jallow's usage or this matchup, but he's played at least 26 minutes in the last four games and that playing time is better than anyone else in this range. Keeping his floor relevant is the 19 boards and 11 assists in that period.

Games/Teams to Target:

Tennessee (-8) vs. Iowa, o/u 155.5, 12:10 p.m. EST:

With the highest over/under on the slate, you could use anyone in this game. Williams is the most expensive, but you could save money and use a few more high-end players. Admiral Schofield ($7,800 FD, $7,700 DK) may be more of a GPP option because while he should muscle his way past Iowa's defense, he's also expensive for a guy that hasn't had a safe floor. Lamonte Turner ($5,900 FD, $5,700 DK) continues to make the most sense of the guards because of price and playing time, whereas Jordan Bone ($7,000 FD, $7,200 DK) is slightly expensive and Jordan Bowden ($5,100 FD, $5,300 DK) isn't a guarantee for 30 minutes. As seen in the value section, Bohannon may be the best play for Iowa. Tyler Cook ($7,000 FD, $7,500 DK) is most expensive, yet he could easily get into foul trouble against Williams and his upside has disappeared since December. Both Joe Wieskamp ($5,800 FD, $5,600 DK) and Luka Garza ($5,700 FD, $5,400 DK) are at excellent prices for two guys that will play and get opportunities. I prefer Garza a little more because he's cheaper, but also the Hawkeyes could feed him early against Kyle Alexander and company. For others like Nicholas Baer ($5,000 FD, $5,100 DK) or Isaiah Moss ($4,800 FD, $4,900 DK), you're hoping either gets hot from three.

Texas Tech (-3.5) vs. Buffalo, o/u 146, 6:10 p.m. EST:

I'm not sure I've ever put Texas Tech in this category, but I think both teams could be viable with a fairly high over/under. In fact, this could close as the second-highest over/under of the season for the Red Raiders, the first being the Duke game that hit the under by 22 points. Otherwise, none of the four late games can be put in this category. Outside of Culver, there are a few viable Tech options. Davide Moretti ($5,800 FD, $5,600 DK) is a guarantee for playing time and is good for 20 fantasy points with 30-point upside if this game is as high scoring as expected. Matt Mooney ($6,600 FD, $6,100 DK) is on a nice run with at least four assists in the last seven games, but you're also paying for that. Tariq Owens ($6,300 FD, $6,100 DK) is in that same mold with rebound upside. It's a similar situation for Buffalo with two other guys that dominate production outside of Massinburg, though it'll still be hard to pay up for the likes of Jeremy Harris ($7,500 FD, $8,100 DK) and Nick Perkins ($6,900 FD, $6,600 DK) in this matchup. Both have decent floors due to peripheral stats, it's only a matter of trusting the Bulls as a whole. Davonta Jordan ($5,500 FD, $5,100 DK) and Dontay Caruthers ($5,300 FD, $5,100 DK) are mostly hit or miss, though their prices make them viable. Some will ride Jayvon Graves ($6,200 FD, $5,800 DK) with at least 24 DK points in the last four games and he's much easier to trust at DraftKings due to price.

Games/Teams to Avoid:

Virginia Tech (-8.5) vs. Liberty, o/u 126, 7:10 p.m. EST:

The Hokies may be an elite team, but the return of Justin Robinson ($7,200 FD, $7,000 DK) changes a lot of things from a fantasy perspective. He didn't do much in 28 minutes in the first round, but his presence takes away shooting opportunities from everyone else and upside from Nickeil Alexander-Walker ($8,200 FD, $8,300 DK), who handles the ball less. It didn't show in the first game, but Liberty has one of the slowest tempos in the country and Virginia Tech isn't far behind. Kerry Blackshear ($8,1000 FD, $7,800 DK) is likely to have the best fantasy performance due to rebounding, but even then, his upside will likely be capped in a slow game. Ahmed Hill ($5,900 FD, $5,500 DK) and Ty Outlaw ($5,500 FD, $5,200 DK) may not be worth it despite reasonable prices as both will struggle to surpass 20 fantasy points. It's hard to trust anyone from the Flames since they aren't going to hit 12 threes again. Caleb Homesley ($7,000 FD, $6,900 DK) would be a GPP stretch after he had a career game against Mississippi State, while Scottie James ($6,500 FD, $6,800 DK) will probably struggle again in a difficult matchup.

Oregon (-5) vs. UC Irvine, o/u 124, 9:40 p.m. EST:

In addition to these teams being defensive and slow-paced, they're also fairly balanced from a fantasy perspective. The Ducks are easier to back led by Payton Pritchard ($8,000 FD, $7,600 DK), but throwing a ton of money on anyone in this game feels risky. The positive for Pritchard is that he's posted huge outings in similarly slow paced games. At a minimum, you could count on Louis King ($6,000 FD, $6,800 DK) or Paul White ($5,700 FD, $6,000 DK) for around 20 fantasy points, though upside is limited. Kenny Wooten ($4,800 FD, $5,200 DK) may be the better play since he can have the same floor, thanks to 12 blocks in the last three games. The lone positive for the Anteaters is that everyone is cheap with Max Hazzard ($5,400 FD, $5,800 DK) and Evan Leonard ($5,300 FD, $5,500 DK) most likely to crack 20 fantasy points since they are most likely to play around 30 minutes. Robert Cartwright ($4,800 FD, $4,800 DK) and Elston Jones ($4,900 FD, $4,700 DK) were serviceable in the first round, but both have limited usage rates.