This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
DraftKings is offering us a five-game slate as we come out of the holiday, with a Lone Star State theme, as Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech are all included. Those three games have massive spreads between 17 and 30 points, so there could be some value in bench pieces seeing extra playing time, or in their stars posting huge numbers early. The other two have the chance to be slightly closer, offering potential options from both teams. But by in large, we're likely ignoring South Carolina State, Northwestern State and Texas A&M-Commerce when creating lineups.
Top Tier
Daniel Batcho, F, Texas Tech ($8,100)
Batcho posted a double-double last time out in just 21 minutes. He's now connected on 25-of-33 (75.6 percent) of his shots across the last four games, showing incredible efficiency en route to fantasy success. He may not see his normal 27+ minutes given the expected blowout, but he should flirt with a double-double regardless, bringing similar upside to that of teammate Kevin Obanor ($8,500) at a slightly lower price, and surely lower usage.
Osasere Ighodaro, F, Marquette ($7,700)
Maybe this is a tad risky, as Ighodaro has a mere 15.7 percent usage rate, but I like Ighodaro's rebounding to provide a nice floor over the diverse stat lines Tyler Kolek ($8,000) is capable of producing or the high-volume shooting of Kameron Jones ($7,900). We know Marquette will push pace, but Seton Hall isn't a team I'm stacking against, ranking 20th in defensive efficiency, per KenPom, and 176th in tempo. Ighodaro is effecient, and he has scored less than nine points only once all year while providing at least seven combined assists and rebounds in every outing. He feels like a safe yet unexciting piece to anchor.
Middle Tier
Cormac Ryan, G, Notre Dame ($7,100)
The Irish have lost three straight and five of seven, so I'm expecting a solid showing in what is seemingly a must-win game. Ryan hasn't been as stable as Nate Laszewski ($7,400), and the price difference isn't substantial, but I like Ryan Tuesday to provide a more balanced line. He's shown a capable rebounder and distributor, and we know the scoring opportunties and minutes are safe. He's one rebound shy (1.2 DKP) of having provided a 4x return in five of his last six games.
Ja'Monta Black, G, Northwestern State ($6,800)
I know I mentioned ignoring most of these second-tier teams Tuesday. But the middle tier of this slate is incredibly difficult to navigate, particularly in the front ourt, so I'm a little guard-heavy in this column and absolutely recommend paying up for forwards. But if we're forced to target against one of the Texas Power 5 schools, A&M makes the most sense, ranking 109th defensively. Black appears to have the green light, taking 53 shots across the Demons last three games, but unfortunately connecting on only 20 of them. Black has faced Baylor, Texas Tech and TCU already, averaging 28.5 DKP in those games, a reasonable 4.2x return.
Value Tier
Sir'Jabari Rice, G, Texas ($5,800)
We're going to want a piece of the Longhorns given their anticipated 80+ points of projected offense, but they're a deep team who can get production from all over. As this column evolved, I did warm more towards paying up atop this rotation and taking my 30 DKP from Timmy Allen ($7,600) and moving on, but if looking down the Longhorn rotation, Rice stood out. He's playing the most consistent minutes of their reserves, and is clearly a capable scorer and rebounder when on the court. He hasn't shown immense upside, with just a 26.0 DKP ceiling, but that's still nearly a 4.5x return, a reasonable expectation with extended minutes in a one-sided contest. Christian Bishop ($5,600) has similar upside but a much more volatile floor if you need cheap frontcourt help.
Dexter Dennis, G, Texas A&M ($5,600)
Dennis is a dude I just can't seem to quit. He's shooting a low 38.9 percent from the floor and a worse 28.9 percent from 3-point range. But he sees such consistent minutes, starting every game and averaging 25.5 minutes -- a number he's gone north of in four of the Aggies biggest blowouts of the season. He rebounds decently for a guard, will stumble into a few points in this blowout in route to a 3x return or better, something he's provided at this price in all but three games.
