This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
Thursday gives college basketball DFS players a breather from the heavy 12-game slate that was offered Wednesday, with a more manageable set of eight games to choose from. The prize pools didn't dip much, however, as DraftKings is still offering a $2k top prize in it's $10 Big Jam Tournament. With the Big Ten/ACC challenge now in the past, the focus in this slate will be on the Pac-12, which is opening up conference play a bit early this season. Let's dive into the top plays of the evening by salary tier.
Top Tier
Azuolas Tubelis, F, Arizona ($8,500)
Tubelis has dealt with foul trouble in back-to-back games against KenPom top-40 defenses in Creighton and San Diego State, but he still managed to put up 25+ DK points in each. He had reached 40+ DK points in three of four prior to that. On Thursday, Utah's slower pace isn't expected to rattle the Wildcats, as they still have the slate's highest implied total by a sizable margin. Mix that with an opponent defensive rebounding rate that checks in at No. 161, and you get Tubelis as the chalk pay-up option of the day.
Marcus Carr, G, Texas ($7,800)
Carr is the leader for the Longhorns in minutes and fantasy PPG, while checking in at second in usage rate. Over his last three games, Carr is 11-for-23 from beyond the arc, and that momentum will come in handy against a Creighton squad that barely cracks the top-300 in the country in perimeter defense. Texas has also blown out its opponents over the last two games, which has resulted in just 24 and 25 minutes for Carr. Look for a far closer matchup Thursday that should require Chris Beard to keep in his starters late.
Middle Tier
Keion Brooks, F, Washington ($7,300)
Washington opens up its Pac-12 season against Oregon State, a team with an incredibly slow pace but also one that checks in at No. 249 in KenPom's defensive efficiency. The matchup is especially juicy for the frontcourt, as OSU ranks outside of the top-260 in the entire country in both offensive and defensive rebounding rate. Brooks is the safe play if you can squeeze him in, but I'm absolutely taking a look at the rest of the Washington starting five, all of whom land between $5,500 and $5,800 and are perfect to fill out the middle of your lineup.
Jordan Hawkins, G, Connecticut ($6,200)
Hawkins is narrowly second on the Huskies in usage rate after Adama Sanogo, but the only thing stopping the fantasy points from following (and his price from raising) has been minutes. He was limited by a concussion early in the season and saw only six minutes in Sunday's 18-point victory over Iowa State. That wasn't due to injury but instead foul trouble, including a very questionable technical that saw him benched early in the second half. The four games in between is what I'm focusing on, as Hawkins attempted 13.0 shots per contest across just 26.5 mpg. I expect a far higher workload Thursday, and with UConn owning the day's second-highest implied total, Hawkins should be much closer to a ceiling game.
Value Tier
TJ Bamba, G Washington State ($5,900)
I'm admittedly pushing the definition of "value" with this price tag, but with no must-play superstars in five-figure salaries, balance feels like the right approach to lineup building Thursday. Bamba happens to be the only sub-$6k player on the entire slate with a minutes average greater than 29 mpg and a usage rate above 24 percent. That's led to 4x in each of his last four contests, over which he's averaged 18.0 ppg across 31.3 mpg while shooting 61.9 percent from distance. Oregon is not the defensive powerhouse it typically has been in 2022-23, plus the Ducks are dealing with multiple injuries, so I don't fear the matchup.
Joseph Yesufu, G, Kansas ($4,800)
This play is entirely dependent on the status of Kevin McCullar, who sat out Monday against Texas Southern with a groin injury and paved the way for Yesufu to get the start. The junior Drake transfer made the most of that opportunity, posting 14 points for the second consecutive game and resulting in a season-best 25.3 DK points. McCullar is listed as day-to-day and Kansas doesn't tip off until 9:00 p.m. EST, so there's some risk here, but an acceptable amount for a sub-$5k play.
