DraftKings is bringing some heat to the table Saturday, offering three slates of contests that feature 22 games. We'll focus our attention on the main slate, where the Pull Up Jumper contest has $15,000 in total prizes and a $5,000 first-place prize. Eight games are included here, and we tip at noon EST.
We've only got three players priced in five-figures (two of which play for Texas Tech), and only five more priced at $9,000 or greater, so it doesn't appear to be a slate where we have to pay a premium for elite talent. We've got some massive team totals present, led by St. John's at 94.5, while seven other teams are expected to eclipse 80, so there's a plethora of games to target and we're likely going to need some serious fantasy points to take the slate down. I'm personally off my best success of the short season Tuesday night, putting up a solid 256.5 DKP and returning 4x my meager investment. Let's see if we can do it again.
College Basketball DFS Picks for Saturday, December 13
College Basketball DFS Top Players
Michael Ajayi, F, Butler ($9,900)
I personally don't think we need to pay for folks in the 9k tier on this deep slate, and for only $300 more, I may prefer JT Toppin to anchor my frontcourt. But, this game has the higher scoring total, and should be competitive, so Ajayi should give us a nice high floor. He's scored in double-digits in every game to date and has at least eight rebounds in every outing, posting seven double-doubles. I highlighted Purdue's Trey Kaufman-Renn ($9,200) last week and it flopped. His price is down and can probably offer a similar high floor for less investment.
Jeremy Fears, G, Michigan State ($8,100)
With so many higher scoring games, I have a hunch Fears will be under-rostered and can give us an advantage in tournaments. Is it a risk, absolutely, and that's not usually how I like to play the upper tier. He's an inconsistent scorer that's deriving a lot of his value by nearly doubling his assists from last season, and handing out 10 dimes a game seems unsustainable. But not here, Penn State is allowing assists on 59.6 percent of their opponents baskets. The Spartans won't push pace, but the Nittany Lions just gave up 113 to Indiana. There's a path to a double-double and a 5x return.
Alex Condon, F, Florida ($7,900)
This looks like a great price break to jump in on, as Condon has been as high as $9,600 this season. That means we don't need as much production for a fair return, but know there is still an elite ceiling. He's averaging 15.0 points and 9.0 rebounds, posting four double-doubles while failing to reach 28.0 DKP just once all season. Yes, there's blowout potential here and reduced minutes, but the 5-4 defending national champions are also a touch desperate and won't fool around here.
Middle Tier
Jaylen Curry, G, Oklahoma State ($6,400)
Curry's price is down slightly, and he hasn't been elite over his last three, but even still, the floor has been a 3.4x return. It will be an interesting story of pace here, as the Cowboys are seventh in tempo and the Sooners 223rd, but the betting line suggests we're getting plenty of points from both sides. Curry has scored in double-digits in four straight and six of seven overall, adding at least four assists at the same rates. He's got a massive 26.6 percent usage rate in five games since missing time due to an illness, and could see an uptick in minutes with a competitive game script.
Corey Floyd, G, Providence ($5,600)
Providence has an 81.5-point implied total, and no starter priced north of $6,300, so it's an easy spot to just grab a piece at a modest price to round out lineups and move on. Floyd lands here simply because he's the cheapest option. He makes up for his inconsistent scoring by adding steady rebound numbers with a handful of assists and steals, and he should have elevated chances across the board if both teams reach the 80s.
Derrion Reid, F, Oklahoma ($5,400)
We can't build an entire lineup around players off their worst showing of the season, but it's definitely a strategy I like to target for one or two players. Reid is priced down $1,000 thanks to his 5.5 DKP stinker last time out, but he had scored in double-digits in six of his previous eight. It's a paced-up spot where we want shares on both sides, and Reid is a pretty cheap frontcourt option that we don't normally find. He should flirt with 25+ minutes and at least eight field goal attempts while chipping in occasionally in other categories.
College Basketball DFS Value Plays
Garrett Johnson, F, George Washington ($4,900)
Obviously, there's concern with how any of the Revolutionaries will deal with Florida's size. But Johnson has shown a proven scorer for a year-plus now, and at this price, I'm willing to gamble on him in the tough matchup. He averaged 13.4 points a year ago, and sits at 14.3 PPG this season, failing to reach double-digits just once this season despite starting just twice. Pair it with five rebounds, and a fair return is in play.
Oziyah Sellers, G, St. John's ($4,900)
Sellers is one of three Red Storm starters priced under $5,000, which makes any of them a nice entry point to their high scoring projection. That's amplified by the likely blowout nature of the game not forcing us to pay for their stars. But, it's not easy to decipher which pay-down option is the preference. Sellers gets the nod for me because consistent minutes, averaging 34.0 over the last four. But, he's not an elite fantasy option, as he scores, but doesn't do much else, averaging 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in this stretch. His ceiling only comes if he scores in bunches.
Somto Cyril, F, Georgia ($4,700)
I'll admit I'm a touch worried here with regards to fouls, as Cincinnati has the size to match Cyril. But, he's failed to top 16.75 DKP just once all season, and he has 19.5 or better in six of nine, a nice 4.1x return. He's an efficient scorer on limited opportunities (74.4 percent from the floor), can't help but stumble into rebounds at his size and has at least two blocks in all but one game.
