RADIO
We have our usual packed ten-game early Saturday college basketball slate again this week. As we get ready for the start of the major conference tournaments, this is the last tune up before those. Some teams are still jockeying for seeding in conference tournaments or trying to solidify their NCAA seeds. We've got some good ones today with the Villanova-Providence game being the only one not from the Big Ten(14), Big 12(10), Pac 12, ACC, or SEC.
In college basketball it's perfectly fine to ignore slow-paced games or teams with tough matchups on a large slate like this. Choosing a couple of spots wisely has been the key this year. It should surprise no one that the games that Alabama and LSU are involved in are pegged in the 150's, but the Notre Dame-Florida State game also snuck into the 150's. West Virginia and Oklahoma State are just under at 149.5. There will be some high scores today. So many that I'm completely fading the Indiana-Purdue game with a total of 133.5. Villanova-Providence doesn't do much for me either at 138. Those are the only two games under 140, so enjoy this track meet with a basketball!
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy college basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 3/6/21. I’ll be providing multiple player suggestions for players at guard and forward, aiming to highlight one option apiece at the high, middle, and lower end of the salary scale. Good luck, RotoBallers.
DraftKings CBB DFS Guards
Marcus Carr, Minnesota ($9,500)
Carr is basically the one man gang for Minnesota right now. It's to the point where the only time I will use anyone from the Gophers is at home. They did not win a conference road game all season! Carr himself averaged seven more DraftKings points per game at home than on the road. He put up 34 DraftKings points on Rutgers in Piscataway the first time around. If his splits are an indicator, we can count on somewhere in the high-30's today. I'll take that return for this price point. We may get even more than that considering Carr has played every minute of the last two games.
Cameron Thomas, LSU ($7,900)
Thomas is getting hot at the right time. Actually, that's a bit unfair of me to say since Thomas has at least 28 DraftKings points in 13 straight games and was only under 30 once. The issue people are having is that Thomas hasn't broken 40 either. I can find room for an outcome between 30 and 39 DraftKings points at this price in any format. Besides, Thomas ended up just half a point shy of 40 against Vandy earlier this week. 40 is coming soon. One thing I know for sure is that Thomas will be in my lineup when he does it.
Jaden Shackleford, Alabama ($6,200)
Overcorrection is a bitch. That's where DraftKings finds themselves right now. Picking the right Alabama guard(s) could be the key to this slate. Shackleford and Jahvon Quinerly are now separated by just $100. For that price, I'll pay the extra for the higher ceiling of Shackleford. Beyond that, John Petty and Herbert Jones are also in very good spots and aren't priced a lot higher. I'm going to have at least two Alabama guards depending on what I can afford. If only running one though, it will be Shackleford based on price. Quinerly is more consistent, but his ceiling is at least ten points lower.
Jamal Johnson, Auburn ($5,200)
Justin Powell and Sharife Cooper are still banged up for the Tigers. Auburn said they're holding Cooper out even though he could play if he was needed. I don't blame them at all. This team has aspirations for a decent NCAA tournament run. That leaves Jamal Johnson and Devan Cambridge as the starters. Johnson has been the better of the two as a starter so far. Expect to see Allen Flanigan to run some as a guard too. Those three will pick up all of Cooper's production. It just baffles me that Johnson is the cheapest of the three. He's the one I like most.
Also consider: Dru Smith, Missouri ($7,600); Davion Mintz, Kentucky ($6,600); Deivon Smith, Mississippi State ($5,100); Anthony Polite, Florida State ($4,800)
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DraftKings CBB DFS Forwards
Trendon Watford, LSU ($8,400)
The over/under on this game is at 154.5 and it still might not be high enough. These teams play fast, shoot well, and are just fun to watch in general. The main difference is that almost everything for LSU runs through either Thomas or Watford. Missouri is more balanced, therefore tougher to get a bead on in DFS. For LSU it's simple. Thomas, Watford, and if you feel you need a third piece, Javonte Smart. Missouri is much more complicated. Watford and Thomas are both reasonably priced enough to run them both together. I'm usually opposed to game stacking on a ten-game slate, but it's awfully tempting with this game.
Derek Culver, West Virginia ($7,000)
Culver has hit a rough patch of late, but it's hard to ignore what he did against Oklahoma State earlier this year. Culver put up 50.25 DraftKings points in the first meeting. It is worth noting that Culver has been a problem for teams that aren't big inside. He was an absolute monster against both Oklahoma teams this year. They are very similarly built. I'm willing to ignore the recent slump based on the matchup alone. Of course, that's what got me into trouble last night.
Abdul Ado, Mississippi State ($5,700)
Ado is a lot like Dikembe Mutombo. He doesn't score a lot of points, but he defends the rim as well as anyone in the college game. He has nine blocks in the last two games alone! The last time Ado had less than two blocks in a game was almost a month ago. I like guys like this that don't rely on scoring to get their points. The peripherals on Ado make him my favorite Mississippi State play, but I will admit Tolu Smith is intriguing as well. The Bulldogs should be able to dominate on the inside, but the Auburn guards will give them trouble.
Isaiah Ihnen, Minnesota ($4,200)
I will say that I'm not playing Ihnen if Brandon Johnson plays unless they announce that he's on a minutes limit. Johnson might start because it is Minnesota's Senior Day, but he wont be at 100%. He only played nine minutes against Penn State before his bum ankle took him out of the game and it didn't seem to get better the rest of the week. Minnesota is likely drawing dead for a NCAA tournament berth, so this could be Johnson's last hurrah for the Gophers. If they do convince him to sit out though, Ihnen played very well with Johnson limited against Penn State. Keep an eye on this situation.
Also consider: RaiQuan Gray, Florida State ($8,100); Timmy Allen, Utah ($7,800); Isaiah Jackson, Kentucky ($6,900); Mark Smith, Missouri ($5,400)
