This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
Overview
The Jan. 21 college hoops slate once again features an abundance of options. Both sites are offering 10 games in their slate, with nine games overlapping. The DraftKings exclusive is Wake Forest at Clemson while the FanDuel exclusive is Oklahoma State at Iowa State. Neither game is a bad option, but there are several others that should first be considered.
The first two games I'm targeting are St. John's at Marquette and Miami at Duke. These two games have over/under totals around 150 points, so you'll absolutely want to consider taking a player or two in these matchups. Furthermore, Duke is expected to score around 84 points, which is by far the most of any team on the slate. Plan accordingly. Two other games that need consideration are the SEC matchups: Florida at LSU and Georgia at Kentucky. The latter is expected to win comfortably, so specifically taking a Wildcat is probably a good idea.
Top Players
DRAFTKINGS
Markus Howard, G, Marquette ($9,200 DK, $8,600 FD)
Don't let the price tag scare you away. In Howard's last five games, he's averaging 34.4 points per game, and today's matchup doesn't give me any reason to doubt that he'll once again be worth the investment. He's going against a St. John's team that isn't great at guarding the perimeter so I'm thinking Howard will get plenty of open looks. Howard's standards are so absurdly high that it's almost a given that he'll have a disappointing game at some point in the future, but I wouldn't plan on today's contest being the one.
Tre Jones, G, Duke ($8,700 DK, $7,600 FD)
Jones has the perfect situation today. Miami has the worst defense in the ACC, and Duke scored 95 points when the two teams met back on Jan. 4. This makes him the best fantasy pick in theory, but that's also part of the problem. Duke crushed Miami so badly last time that Jones only played 22 minutes in the game. I tend to think he'll play more minutes in today's rematch, but there's still a chance the game gets out of hand early.
L.J. Figueroa, G/F, St. John's ($8,500 DK, $7,500 FD)
Figueroa has a tough matchup Tuesday. Marquette doesn't have a bad defense and St. John's actually has the worst offense in the entire Big East. Marquette is also usually careful with the ball, so Figueroa will likely have fewer steals than usual. Definitely passing at this price.
FANDUEL
Tyrese Haliburton, G, Iowa State ($8,100)
Haliburton is an excellent point guard but this price seems a bit high. Today's matchup is more challenging than it seems. Oklahoma State, perhaps surprisingly, ranks 30th in defensive efficiency. Haliburton has cooled off quite a bit since his triple-double on Jan. 4, so I'm not confident he'll provide the necessary ROI in this situation. Pass.
Devon Dotson, G, Kansas ($8,200 DK, $7,900 FD)
Dotson offers a really high floor, as he leads the team in minutes per game and possessions used. Kansas is expected to score around 71 points in today's contest, so if Doton plays near his average level, then he will likely make fantasy owners happy.
Value Plays
Alan Griffin, G, Illinois ($4,500 DK, $4,700 FD)
Griffin comes with some risk, but could pay off huge dividends. He takes 25.2 percent of his team's shots while on the court and has the eighth-highest offensive efficiency rating in the country among all qualified players (per KenPom). Also, Griffin had his best game of the season in his first game against Purdue earlier in the year, as he finished the Jan. 5 game with 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 blocks in just 20 minutes.
Jordan Tucker, F, Butler ($4,800 DK, $5,300 FD)
Tucker has one of the highest usage rates on the team and has made three 3-pointers in his last three games. He has a nice floor for a value pick and also has a chance for extra fantasy points with his rebounding abilities.
David McCormack, F, Kansas ($4,700 DK, $4,800 FD)
McCormack has a usage rate around 25 percent but only averages 16.7 minutes per game. A boom-or-bust player due to restricted playing time, he's a major risk but worth consideration.
Isaiah Moss, G, Kansas ($4,600 DK, $4,000 FD)
Moss has seen a significant increase in playing time lately and could see additional minutes once again in what figures to be a blowout against K-State.
Jack White, F, Duke ($4,400 DK, $5,200 FD)
White has seen additional minutes since Wendell Moore got injured and seems to have a secure role on the team. He's more of a defensive player, but he's still managed to put up plenty of fantasy points in the last three games. He has an extremely favorable matchup today.
Sahvir Wheeler, G, Georgia ($4,400 DK, $4,400 FD)
The freshman point guard has now started three straight games since Georgia last played Kentucky back on Jan. 7. I think there's a chance he'll exceed expectations now that he's seeing the Wildcats for a second time in a span of two weeks.
Game to Target
St. John's at Marquette (-9), o/u 151.5, 9pm ET
This game has the highest o/u total on the slate and features two teams that love to play at an incredibly fast tempo. Note: I would lean on the Golden Eagles because they have the significantly better offense.
Starting with the road team, L.J. Figueroa ($8,500 DK, $7,500 FD) is the Red Storm's leader and primary scorer. Cheaper options with decent usage rates are Mustapha Heron ($6,300 DK, $5,800 FD) or Rasheem Dunn ($6,100 DK, $6,000 FD). Additionally, the Red Storm also have front court options in Josh Roberts ($5,800 DK, $5,200 FD) and Julian Champagnie (5,600 DK, $5,600 FD). These two don't have great usage rates but will likely earn extra fantasy points via blocking and rebounding.
For the home team, other than Markus Howard ($9,200 DK, $8,600 FD), we have Sacar Anim ($6,000 DK, $5,900 FD) and Koby McEwen ($5,500 DK, 5,000 FD). These two players have the highest usage rates on the team after Howard so they should contribute as well. I would also give strong consideration to starting front court players Brendan Bailey ($5,600 DK, $5,700 FD) and Theo John ($4,700 DK, 4,600 FD). They have the pleasure of going against a Red Storm team that's ranked last in both offensive and defensive rebounding during Big East play so far this season. Could have tremendous value assuming that trend continues.
Game to Fade
Texas Tech (-3) at TCU, o/u 123.5, 8pm ET
This game will be a defensive battle and has the lowest o/u total on the board. I'm staying away, but if you want some action here then I'd start with the Red Raiders.
Jahmi'us Ramsey ($7,200 DK, $6,600 FD) leads the team in usage rate and has logged 32+ minutes in every conference game this season. Chris Clarke ($7,000 DK, $6,300 FD), the team's point guard, naturally leads the team in assists but also leads in rebounds as well. Kyler Edwards ($7,100 DK, $6,700 FD) and Davide Moretti ($5,800 DK, $5,800 FD) lead the team in minutes played, both averaging over 32 minutes per game. Another option who recently returned from injury is Terrence Shannon ($5,600 DK, $5,200 FD). He has the second highest usage rate on the team but has a lower ceiling given his limited playing time.
For the Horned Frogs, Desmond Bane ($8,200 DK, $7,300 FD) is the primary option as he plays over 35 minutes per game while taking 25 percent of his team's shots while on the court. RJ Nembhard ($6,700 DK, $6,000 FD) is a similar, cheaper option. Kevin Samuel ($7,300 DK, $6,400 FD) or Jaire Grayer ($4,700 DK, $4,200 FD) actually have a chance to benefit from this matchup because Texas Tech is ranked last in defensive rebounding during Big 12 play this season.
Site Special
FanDuel Exclusive:
Oklahoma State at Iowa State (-5.5), o/u 138, 8pm ET
Iowa State has the worst defense in the conference and it's not even close. Oklahoma State, meanwhile, has been offensively challenged this season so something's gotta give.
If you want to fade an awful defense (by Big 12 standards), then take a look at some Cowboys: Isaac Likekele ($6,100), Lindy Waters III ($5,700), Cameron McGriff ($5,600), and Yor Anei ($4,500). These four players contribute the most on the team so any of them could take advantage of the matchup.
For the Cyclones, Tyrese Haliburton ($8,100) was already discussed but Rasir Bolton ($5,900) is another option as he has the highest usage rate on the team. George Conditt ($5,300) and Prentiss Nixon ($4,300) both have a chance to provide value if the Cyclones end up winning big.
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