This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
12 games are there for us to dissect Tuesday evening in DraftKings' main slate. We've got a $3,000 first-place prize available with a solid $12,000 in total winnings at stake.
Houston - Cincinnati (132) and Wake Forest - Notre Dame (134.5) are our low-scoring contests here, but six games have totals north of 150 points, highlighted by Iowa - Penn State, which should come with a tremendous up and down pace.
Top Players
Jamir Watkins, F, Florida State ($8,200)
Watkins is locked in, posting at least 30.5 DKP in each of his last six games with a 49.5 fantasy point ceiling. He's averaged 18.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.8 steals and 2.2 blocks in that stretch with a 27.4 percent usage rate. The price point is high enough to where a 4x return isn't a guarantee, but the form is so solid that he makes for a nice anchor regardless of your preferred build preference. FSU has ridiculous length across its rotation, and the Wolfpack are guard-heavy, so I expect the 'Noles will be able to create positive matchups for Watkins. This game has a narrow two-point spread to boot, so the stars should shine.
Tolu Smith, F, Mississippi State ($7,600)
Smith is polarizing; he's wildly inconsistent, and it seems like every time I back him, he bottoms out. As a result, he's the perfect GPP play, because the price is right for the ceiling, and we can arguably ignore a floor for tournaments. Smith hasn't started either of the last two games for the Bulldogs, and he's responded with 21.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and a 37.3 percent usage rate. Perhaps as important, he has two total fouls, allowing him to stay on the court. Kentucky plays fast, and we never know how the Wildcats will defend or match up, but Smith had a 41.0 DKP outing against them in January.
Middle Tier
Ben Krikke, F, Iowa ($6,300)
This is the game we know we want shares of given the point total, so do we go safe at the higher end, or take a riskier mid-tier option with upside? For this column, I'm siding with the latter. Krikke had a massive 29.4 percent usage rate in a previous matchup with the Nittany Lions, and has averaged 32.9 DKP in his last two outings. The risk is he put up 37.0 total DKP in his previous three games. The pace here should raise that floor, and Krikke has already proven this is a plus-matchup
Hunter Cattoor, G, Virginia Tech ($5,800)
I find the Hokies to be very stackable on Tuesday, with Cattoor, Lynn Kidd and Sean Pedulla all looking appealing based on opportunity and price. Syracuse ranks 38th in tempo, leading to the Hokies having an implied total of 76.5 points, and the Orange rank 295th in effective field-goal percentage defense and 259th in defending the 3-point line. Cattoor is in a bit of a funk, not having a usage rate over 19.8 in any of his last four, but that simply creates a buying opportunity. He's returned better than 4x at this reduced price in seven of his last 11.
D'Marco Dunn has priced himself out of bargain territory, but he's rock solid and the matchup couldn't be better. He's an easy 15+ fantasy point return.
Bargain Options
Primo Spears, G, Florida State ($4,900)
I've played this column and this season far too close to the vest. Spears is not a cash game option; he does little more than score. But for GPPs at a sinking price, he's what we strive to hit on. Spears is a one-trick pony, he scores and when on, does so in bunches. That doesn't work at his season-high $6,400 price, but it sure does here at under 5k. Spears responded to a DNP coaches decision with a massive 39.5 percent usage rate against Clemson, and is simply a better talent than Chandler Jackson, who is getting starting opportunity. FSU needs this game to build a tournament resume and should play its better players.
Nicolas Timberlake, G, Kansas ($4,400)
This is low hanging fruit that I'd expect almost everyone to be on, so just take the free square and move on for salary relief -- assuming Kevin McCullar is officially ruled out as expected. Timberlake has started three of the last four in McCullar's absences, earning between 14.5 and 21.75 DKP while playing no less than 29 minutes. You don't find that type of run for this price this late in the year.
