The college basketball slate for Friday, Feb. 25, is generally known as mid-major Friday, but we still have teams like Iowa, Nebraska and Texas State to make some great CBB DFS picks. As always, this article will be breaking down all of the best CBB picks for DraftKings and FanDuel fantasy college basketball lineups tonight and going over some of the best plays from each pricing range. If you are looking to take your game to the next level, be sure to check out our daily CBB DFS projections over at the Awesemo College Basketball page.
CBB DFS Picks: DraftKings & FanDuel Fantasy Basketball
Stud CBB Picks Today
Keegan Murray ($9,900) — The premier stud on almost any slate, Iowa’s Keegan Murray highlights a four-game slate tonight. On top of elite usage, Murray benefits from a slate-leading 86.5-point implied team total. Iowa is currently favored by 11.5-points against Nebraska in a game with a 161.5-point total. Overall, Nebraska ranks 286th in defensive efficiency, setting up Murray for an elite performance. On the year, Murray has a 23.1% usage rate and has played 30-plus minutes in three straight games. Accounting for 23.3% of the shots and 20.8% of the team’s rebounds on the year, Murray’s involvement across statistical categories gives him an awesome floor/ceiling combination.
Bryce McGowens ($7,400) — On the other side of the Iowa game, Nebraska brings a solid 75-point implied team total as a double-digit underdog. The worst team in the Big Ten, Nebraska has lost each of their last three games by double digits. Still, the Cornhuskers play extremely fast a loose with the ball. Despite their poor performances, Bryce McGowens has still played 34, 35 and 30 minutes in three straight games. McGowens has contributed a 24.6% shot rate, 17.9% rebound rate and 11.4% assist rate in that span, making him a solid enough stud play in this environment.
In a solid game environment, McGowens looks great in the projections and was boosted to the top of the CBB DFS lineup optimizer today. He is undoubtedly a top pay-up option when making CBB picks tonight. Check out all of the rest of our free CBB DFS picks today in the DraftKings CBB DFS Cheat Sheet and FanDuel CBB DFS Cheat Sheet.
Grant Golden ($7,200) — Another strong game environment, Richmond is a 3-point favorite over Saint Louis in a game with a 143-point total. While Tyler Burton and Jacob Gilyard play slightly more consistent minutes, Grant Golden offers some salary relief in comparison. The Richmond big man has now played 31, 25 and 28 minutes over the last three games. The two sub-30 minutes games occurred in blowouts, giving Golden some confidence here. In his time on the floor, Golden has been extremely involved contributing a 20.1% shot rate, 18.2% rebound rate and 27.3% assist rate over Richmond’s last three games. Ultimately, any of these big three are strong considerations in this game environment. Other potential GPP studs to consider include Pete Nance, John Harrar, and Jalen Pickett.
Mid-Range CBB Picks Today
Boo Buie ($6,900) — One of the less enticing games on the slate, Northwestern is a 1.5-point underdog to Penn State in a game with a 128-point total. The mid-range is a little weak today, but some of the Northwestern players look like potential buy lows. Boo Buie has only played 26, 30 and 32 minutes in Northwestern’s last three games after the Wildcats blew out Nebraska in their most recent game. Buie actually brings the most consistent minutes on the team and a 23.2% usage rate. Buie has a 20.3% shot rate and a 27.5% assist rate, making him a solid GPP pivot off some of the other mid-priced options.
Caleb Asberry ($6,200) — A poor game environment overall, Texas State is a 2-point favorite over Troy in a game with a 129-point total. Troy runs one of the deepest rotations in the country, making them a team to avoid for the most part. Texas State will use an eight-man rotation, but Caleb Asberry and Isiah Small both see solid minutes. Asberry in particular has played 34, 24 and 32 minutes in Texas State’s last three games. On the year, he leads the team with a 17.1% usage and has a solid 18.2% shot rate, 13.3% rebound rate and 16.4% assist rate. In Texas State’s last three, Small has actually provided more secure rate with a 19.2% shot rate and 20.2% assist rate. However, the choice comes down to recent sample against season-long rate. Both options are fine, but Asberry projects slightly better based on his positive performances over a longer sample.
Fred Thatch ($5,300) — On the other side of the Richmond game, Saint Louis enters this contest with a serviceable 70-point implied team total. While Yuri Collins is the most consistent player on this team, he has recently ceded some usage to Fred Thatch. Thatch has now played 33, 36 and 28 minutes in Saint Louis’ last three games, maximizing a 13.8% usage rate. Over that span, Thatch has a 15.1% shot rate, 18.6% rebound rate and 18.8% assist rate. Richmond ranks 195th in defensive efficiency, which should provide Thatch additional opportunities here as well.
CBB Value Picks Today
Jordan Nesbitt ($4,800) — For those looking at cheaper options in a solid game, Saint Louis vs. Richmond offers that as well. On the Saint Louis side, Jordan Nesbitt has now played 22, 26 and 23 minutes in three straight games. The margin of victory/defeat was double digits in each of those games, introducing some noise into the sample. However, Nesbitt has a serviceable 13.8% usage rate, 12.5% shot rate and 11.2% rebound rate. Value is scarce on tonight’s slate, but Nesbitt is attached to one of the best game environments.
Andre Gustavson ($4,800) — On the other side of Saint Louis, Richmond also has a potential value piece in Andre Gustavson. Unlike Nesbitt, Gustavson has continued to play solid minutes despite blowouts. In Richmond’s last three games, Gustavson has played 34, 37 and 33 minutes, contributing an 8.5% shot rate and 22.7% assist rate. Gustavson is a peripheral player, but he is the most consistent value play on the entire slate behind Richmond’s 73-point team total.
Julian Roper ($4,000) — One of the cheaper viable options on the slate, Julian Roper continues to start for Northwestern and provide solid minutes. Northwestern runs a deep rotation, but Roper has played 22, 23 and 27 minutes in each of the last three games. On a short slate, 25 minutes from Roper could be enough here. He has a 9.5% shot rate and 13.6% rebound rate, giving him a somewhat decent floor. Ultimately, this is a three-game slate and some of these greasy players need to be considered.
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