Good morning to you beautiful people out there in DFS land! You have managed to find yourself in a great spot here at DFS Army. I look forward to providing you with analysis and picks throughout this 2018-2019 CBB season! Remember, if I mention a player as a cash game play they most likely are OK for GPP play. Let’s take a look at what games are on the slate for DraftKings and Fanduel. The KenPom score projections are in parenthesis.
TCU (66) vs Texas (74)
Syracuse (62) vs Clemson (66)
Florida St (77) vs Wake Forest (65)
Tennessee (76) vs Auburn (75)
Butler (66) vs Providence (68)
Villanova (70) vs Seton Hall (68)
Texas Tech (69) vs Iowa St (68)
Baylor (67) vs Kansas (74)
NC State (76) vs Boston College (74)
Florida (58) vs Kentucky (68)
Purdue (70) vs Northwestern (63) – DK Only
Georgetown (71) vs Marquette (82) – DK Only
Georgia (71) vs South Carolina (77) – FD Only
Texas AM (65) vs Mississippi St (77) – FD Only
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TCU vs TEXAS
TCU is a team that I have gladly targeted throughout this season. They are basically down to a 7 man rotation which forces them to run a small-ball lineup for part of the game. It has gotten to the point now that I don’t see myself targeting much from them. I do have GPP interest in Noi in this match-up as he has monster upside with his shooting. I do think Miller or Samuel puts up a really nice game as they should be able to work on the interior and grab rebounds. I could be talked into Nembhard as a GPP punt, dart throw at his price.
Texas has really become perimeter oriented lately and while that can be attractive because of the DK 3-point bonus, they are in a match-up against a team that does an elite job of defending the 3-point line. It has already been stated that Roach will not play on senior day, leaving just one senior in action for Texas. That senior is Osetkowski and I think he very much is in play in this spot. Texas is going to need to attack the paint so Osetkowski or Hayes are going to be the ones to get it done. Hayes has the upside but his minutes are all over the place. I could see Ramey or Febres having solid enough games at their price points but for now, I have to keep them in the regular GPP group.
Preferred Plays: Osetkowski
SYRACUSE vs CLEMSON
Syracuse doesn’t excite me on the road in this one. Brissett is definitely a full fade for me at this point while Battle is a near fade. Battle has GPP upside but I do not think this has the pace to hit that upside. I do have some interest in Hughes and Howard. I think both are in play as cash options with the lean towards Howard because of his price point. I really have an interest in either Chukwu or Dolezaj here. Dolezaj had a 30 fantasy point performance int he first match-up but that came without Chukwu. Chukwu has some volatility in this one because of possible foul trouble against E.Thomas but has the upside we are looking for at just $4700 on DK and 5200 on FD.
Clemson has a quartet of seniors who see a ton of time on the floor. Reed and Thomas are the studs that we know about with Mitchell and Skara the more unheralded players who could play a BIG role in this game. Their 3-point shooting will be key to getting an important win at home. If you could guarantee me 30 minutes out of E.Thomas I would have a large amount of him in this spot. I probably will have zero Mitchell as I think he is just too highly priced. I have a LOT of interest in Skara as a sneaky GPP play. I also have some interest in Simms and Trapp as GPP darts who could get hot from 3.
Preferred Plays: Chukwu, E.Thomas, Skara
FLORIDA ST vs WAKE FOREST
The match-up is ripe for FSU to put up some impressive fantasy performances in this one. The first match-up saw them play 16 different players in a blowout while Koumadje put up a monster double-double. I think you could get away with stacking Kabengele with Koumadje in cash and get 50+ fantasy points from the duo. I hate playing the guessing game between them. Mann is somebody that interests me in cash but I think he lacks the GPP upside in case the slate is super high scoring again. I do not mind a share or two of Walker if you are making a bunch of GPP lineups.
For WF, I have some interest in the guys that can knock down threes and get to the FT line. That would be Childress and C.Brown at this point. I think Brown is my cash game preference with Childress being the GPP upside play. The rest of Wake Forest does not intrigue or inspire me. Sarr could be a play if he is 100% but he would be a huge foul risk.
Preferred Plays: Kabengele, C.Brown
TENNESSEE vs AUBURN
This seems like a great spot to target Tennessee in as the game is expected to be close and should cross the 150 point mark. The problem is the price points are up there. I really think this is a great spot for G.Williams and he should definitely be considered as your spend up option. I don’t mind Schofield for GPPs but he has been floating around a 3x floor a lot recently. Bone has GPP winning upside which intrigues me quite a bit here. I keep getting burnt by Turner and am tempted to fade but as soon as I do that he will put up a 35 spot. The rest of UT’s options just do not do it for me.
This is a spot that I could see end up being upset on a senior day. Auburn has a bunch of guys that can knock down threes, which happens to be UT’s biggest weakness. I really want exposure to Harper and Brown in this spot. I lean towards including Okeke as well because he has the ability to play inside-out. I can see using McLemore, Dunbar or Doughty in your GPP lineups to get exposure as these guys can all knock down multiple threes.
Preferred Plays: G.Williams, J.Harper, B.Brown
BUTLER vs PROVIDENCE
This game is pretty simple for me as I do not have a ton of interest in it. For Butler, I would consider Baldwin for GPPs because of his upside and Jorgensen because of his ability to get hot from three. The rest of the team just does not excite me at all. I am very close to fading them entirely and may end up with 0 shares of Baldwin or Jorgensen once I start building lineups.
Providence is pretty easy to figure out as well. I rarely ever have an interest in Diallo because he is priced too high. I love Watson and this is another spot for him. He may find his way into my core. Jackson is the lone senior who plays and has gone for over 30 fantasy points in three of the last four. I think he makes an excellent option in this game. I have no desire to try and figure out the rotation of the rest of the players as any of them could randomly play 25-30 minutes.
Preferred Plays: Watson, I.Jackson
VILLANOVA vs SETON HALL
I am always drawn to Nova players as they offer some of the safest plays on any given slate. I really like Booth in this spot as he is playing extremely well and absolutely torched Seton Hall in the first match-up. Paschall is a GPP play for me that I probably won’t end up on. Same can be said for Bey and Samuels. Both have excellent upside but lack excitement for me in this one, on the road.
This seems like a spot that Myles Powell relishes and explodes. He might be one of my favorite GPP plays at a high price point. He was embarrassed the last time these two teams faced off so I have to think some personal retribution is on the horizon. The rest of Seton Hall is GPP options without much excitement to them. I think Gill or Rhoden could be GPP value dart throws with Nzei being the only senior taking the floor.
Preferred Plays: Booth, Powell
TEXAS TECH vs IOWA ST
For TT, I think its all about Culver in this one. I love his floor and the fact that he is finally back under $9K. I do have interest in Moretti for cash purposes and Owens as a nice GPP play with some impressive defensive upside. The rest of the rotation leaves a lot to be desired. Mooney is somebody that people have used but I just don’t like the price point.
Iowa St is going to depend on Shayok in this one. If he sits I think it clears up a lot and gives us the ability to use Wigginton pretty happily with Haliburton making the list, especially on FD. Normally I target a ton of Iowa St but this game should be pretty lower scoring while a bunch of the guys have been priced up. We do know they all have upside in this spot. I like Conditt as a GPP dart play.
Preferred Plays: J.Culver, Wigginton.
BAYLOR vs KANSAS
We have been riding the Baylor train for a while now but I feel like this could be a spot to get off. They are running a bunch of guys out there for between 18 an 30 minutes. I have interest in Kegler and Vital in this spot but do not have the desire to lock them in at this point. Gillespie makes sense from a GPP standpoint but recently went back to the bench.
For Kansas, I have interest in basically Dedric Lawson and either McCormack or Lightfoot in this spot. The guard rotation is hell to try and figure out with Garrett back. Lawson probably goes lower owned than he should because of the expensive guards. I could see Kansas coming out flat in this one as well.
Preferred Plays: Vital, D.Lawson
NC STATE vs BOSTON COLLEGE
This is a game that should be exciting to watch and build lineups around. I really want to use Markell Johnson and DJ Funderburk for NC State. I think that combination would work excellently as a mini-stack in GPPs. I do not mind taking a shot with Dorn or even Daniels but I really want the 2 man combination.
For BC it is really just a 2 man combination as well. Ky Bowman is near the top of my list of plays on this slate with Popovic sliding in behind him. We have been attacking NC State with interior players and it worked out extremely well for us for a while now. I have to assume Tabbs is going to be out again for BC. Mitchell could be used as a GPP one-off play with his upside for blocks and rebounds.
Preferred Plays: M.Johnson, Funderburk, Bowman, Popovic
FLORIDA vs KENTUCKY
This is a game that I have very little interest in. Florida basically is all about using Hudson. He is coming off of a monster performance and could certainly come back to earth but that is something I am willing to take a shot on, especially on DK. The rest I feel are just too expensive for my taste in a tough, road match-up.
Kentucky guys, minus Richards and Montgomery, are priced to points where I am not all that interested. I wouldn’t blame you for taking a shot with Herro, K.Johnson or even Washington. I would rather spend up elsewhere. We have to make sure Travis is out for sure but if he is, I want my UK exposure to be with Richards and Montgomery for value purposes.
Preferred Plays: Hudson, Richards, Montgomery
PURDUE vs NORTHWESTERN – DK Only
We generally can predict a lot of what Purdue does which usually means we want exposure but this just doesn’t seem like the spot. I really like Eifert as a cash play thanks to his $4800 price tag. Edwards just doesn’t seem to have upside at his price point and I just can’t chase Haarms. Eastern is always in play but I prefer him to be a few hundred cheaper.
For Northwestern, it is going to be Senior day for Law and Pardon. I have made a bold call and stated that both guys go for 35+ in this spot and I will include the fact that I think Northwestern wins this game. Law has been through a ton of injuries in his time at Northwestern so I can see this being an emotional game for him. I think both guys have the ability to attack the rim and get guys in foul trouble.
Preferred Plays: Eifert, Law, Pardon
GEORGETOWN vs MARQUETTE – DK Only
I feel like a ton of people are going to target this game and it makes me want to find a reason to fade it. If I had to rank guys from Georgetown based on my GPP interest it would go Akinjo, Govan, LeBlanc, and then nobody else. I really only like Akinjo but both Govan and LeBlanc have put up monster performances in the past.
With Marquette being at home, it has to be all about Howard in this spot. PG’s against Georgetown has been a legitimate thing to target. I like both Hausers but Sam has been a ton better on the road and Joey seems to just be out there without much of a plan right now. John, Morrow, and Anim are all interesting for GPP purposes.
Preferred Plays: Akinjo, Howard
GEORGIA vs SOUTH CAROLINA – FD Only
I don’t necessarily want much from Georgia even though I really want to get exposure to this game. I think Harris makes a fine play in this spot with Claxton being my second favorite option. If you wanted to get creative, C.Harrison has been playing minutes and is just $3400. It’s not a safe choice by any means but if it helps make your lineup work, I don’t mind it at all.
For South Carolina, I find it nearly impossible to not have 2 or 3 guys in every lineup I build. Silva is in an absolute smash spot with Gravett and Bryant having to do everything else. Seems too obvious but I just do not see a reason to not stack South Carolina against a depleted Georgia team.
Preferred Plays: Silva, Gravett, Bryant
TEXAS A&M vs MISSISSIPPI ST – FD Only
Texas A&M guys are priced higher than I really prefer but I want to nearly lock in Mitchell in this spot. I love three-point shooting against MSU and Mitchell is going to fire away. Flagg is an interesting GPP play as is Mekowulu. The rest are guys that I just can’t recommend as options due to their lack of consistent minutes.
Mississippi St has one of my favorite locks, Reggie Perry. The guy has been a staple of my cash lineups for months now. I want to lock in Tyson Carter but wish he was a few hundred cheaper. I think Q.Weatherspoon is an excellent GPP play and Peters is a GPP dart with a very low floor all of a sudden.
Preferred Plays: Mitchell, Perry, Carter
Make sure you tune in to the slack channel to get my updates as news comes out! We will be discussing CBB all afternoon and evening long. I will be updating my Coaches-Notes throughout the day and we will discuss what injuries we need to monitor and what they mean to our construction. I will also be posting my cores for each site in slack!
