This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
After a busy opening night, Tuesday offers college hoops' fans a chance to breathe and digest with a much slimmer slate of games. DraftKings has five games included on their main slate, which goes off at a non-traditional 6:30 p.m. EST, while FanDuel is currently only offering a showdown contest featuring Providence and Rider. Only one game has a single-digit spread, so we can question somewhat the minutes stars may see, while four of the five have nearly identical totals, creating some pretty similar team profiles.
Top Players
Zach Edey, F, Purdue ($8,900)
There appears to be ample value on this slate, so we can target the top-priced option in most of our builds and not be stretched too thin. The blowout nature of this contest against Wisconsin-Milwaukee could have some shying away, but Edey is one of the most efficient producers in the nation, averaging 14.4 points and 7.7 rebounds in just 19.0 minutes. To be frank, I wouldn't expect him to provide a fair return at this price, but he should have a decent floor on a slate with lots of ambiguity, so if we can get 2.5x, we'll take that stability.
Meechie Johnson, G, South Carolina ($7,600)
All the attention will be on star freshman GG Jackson ($8,100), so I'm happy to pivot over towards Johnson at a discount. The Gamecocks don't have other options at point guard, so not only will Johnson have the ball in his hands often, he'll be on the court for the bulk of the game to boot. The Ohio State transfer shined during a preseason scrimmage, putting up 16 points, three rebounds, four assists and a steal. I'm a tad disappointed the price point is as high as it is, but Johnson has multiple paths to fantasy production.
Middle Tier
Kamar Robertson, G, Mercer ($5,200)
The Bears are road favorites here against at least a bigger named school. As such, we'll see tighter rotations and the team leaning on their starters in an effort to secure that victory. Robertson really came on down the stretch last year, averaging 30.5 DKP across his final four outings. He's far from efficient, shooting only 42.1 percent from the floor and 23.7 percent from 3-point range, but we don't need him to be if he's to see 30+ minutes. And he's established a ceiling that far exceeds this price.
Dwight Murray, G, Rider ($5,400)
Murray shot only 38.8 percent from the floor last year, but he's averaged 35+ minutes for the Broncs in each of the past two seasons, and minutes equal production. He averaged 13.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 0.9 steals per game last year, and simply is the team's alpha. He'll be at the center of whatever Rider puts together, and while that might not be much, it creates a very nice floor at this mid-tier price.
Value Plays
Denver Anglin, G, Georgetown ($3,500)
Georgetown is perhaps the hardest team to break down Tuesday. They're flirting with the slate's highest total, but have minimal returning production that's made even less by the absence of Dante Harris ($8,000). As such, I'm anticipating the Hoyas use this game to explore their options, so why not take a shot at their top freshman at a bottom-tier price? A consensus four-star recruit, Anglin can score and distribute, and if he plays 15-20 minutes, there's a path to a 4x return thanks to the expected points total given to Georgetown.
Rafael Castro, F, Providence ($3,300)
Again, we don't want to put too much stock into preseason scrimmages, at least not with the expectation any player will match production. But Castro averaged 11 and 8 in two outings for the Friars, and if he comes anywhere near that, he'll provide a huge return on investment. Providence is only a 13-point favorite, so perhaps the rotation won't be as wide as some of these other tilts, but we still expect Castro to see ample minutes, and at this price, he doesn't need to do much to return, and opens up so many other doors to spend up on.
