This article is part of our DraftKings College Basketball series.
Included Games
Cincinnati at Temple
NC State at North Carolina
Ohio State at Maryland
Syracuse at Wake Forest
Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech
Indiana at Minnesota
Missouri at South Carolina
Villanova at Georgetown
Miami (FL) at Clemson
Notre Dame at Duke
Texas A&M at Georgia
TCU at Kansas
VCU at Richmond
Xavier at Marquette
Guards:
Adam Smith, Georgia Tech ($5,200)
This is the narrative chalk play. Smith led the Hokies in scoring last season and now gets them at his new home. He's reached at least 22.5 fantasy points in each of his last six games, and that includes tough matchups against Virginia and Pittsburgh. He gets a decent pace bump against the fast-tempo Hokies and will be throwing up lots of threes. His complete reliance on scoring (making threes) leaves him with a less than desirable floor on the occasion his shot is off, but his scores have been extremely consistent of late due to his high usage rate.
Caleb Martin, NC State ($5,800)
Despite their talent and competent defensive efficiency, the Tar Heels sport terrible perimeter defense, ranking 316th in the country (according to KenPom) in opponent three-point make percentage. Terrible perimeter defense in conjunction with a tempo boost means Caleb Martin and Maverick Rowan ($5,200) will be shooting lots of threes. I list Martin as slightly preferred due to his superiority with peripheral stats.
Melvin Johnson, VCU ($7,500)
Blowouts in the last two have limited Johnson's playing time, but his per-minute stats remain premier. Traveling to in-state rival Richmond should provide a greater challenge, which means he should play at least 30 minutes. Johnson shoots often, and with great accuracy, and he ranks highly in steals despite not fouling. He has the second-best assist rate on the team, while hardly ever turning it over. Johnson does damage from both two-point and three-point areas, but Richmond's abysmal guarding of the three-point line makes him an especially lucrative target.
Other guards to consider: Jaquan Lyle ($6,900); Marcus Georges-Hunt ($6,400); Melo Trimble ($7,500); Malachi Richardson ($6,500); Justin Robinson ($4,200); Anthony Barber ($8,900); Michael Gbinije ($8,600); Nate Mason ($5,900); Yogi Ferrell ($8,200); Josh Hart ($7,700); Matt Jones ($6,300); Robert Johnson ($5,400); D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera ($7,700); Luke Kennard ($5,900); O.G. Anunoby ($4,600); Brandon Ingram ($9,100); Grayson Allen ($8,700); Shawndre' Jones ($6,600); Edmond Sumner ($6,300)
Forwards:
Derek Ogbeide, Georgia ($3,900)
The freshman is a big man on the rise. Being undersized with very mediocre rebounding numbers, the 6-foot-8, 250-pounder provides the Bulldogs with something they've been dearly missing. Odbeide missed the first part of the season and has been slow to break into the lineup, but as of Wednesday's game against Tennessee, he's a new addition to the starting lineup. In limited minutes, the freshman has been extremely efficient scoring, rebounding, blocking shots and even dishing out assists. His turnover rate, high-fouling frequency and further gaining trust with the coaching staff are the only things holding him back from being one of the better big men in the SEC.
Charles Mitchell, Georgia Tech ($7,700)
Will he foul or won't he foul? That's the only question. 13 rebounds against Notre Dame, 17 against Pittsburgh, 14 against Tulane, Mitchell is among the best rebounders in the country as long he can stay on the court. Mitchell has lacked consistency throughout his career, but in the same vein has always provided lots of upside.
Other forwards to consider: Abdul-Malik Abu ($6,400); Zach Auguste ($7,900); Thomas Bryant ($6,500); Bonzie Colson ($6,200); Kevin Puryear ($5,000); Kerry Blackshear Jr. ($4,500); Jessie Govan ($4,700); Ahmed Hamdy Mohamed ($3,900); Darryl Reynolds ($3,200)
