College basketball season is in full swing, and DraftKings and FanDuel continue to provide sizable contests for CBB DFS grinders. Examining the slate for March 11, a number of core plays stand out. In this piece I’ll be locating top plays from each college basketball matchup and determining the top CBB DFS picks for your DraftKings and FanDuel lineups.
CBB DFS Picks: DraftKings + FanDuel Core Plays | March 11
Stud Tier
Evan Mobley ($8,700) — Among the expensive options, Mobley stands out as a smash play for USC. The Trojans have the third-highest implied total. They are 6.5-point favorites over Utah in a game implied for 141.5 points. Positively for Mobley, Utah ranks 174th in defensive efficiency. Mobley played 37 minutes in USC’s last game and now accounts for 17.3% of the shots, 21.5% of the rebounds and 15.5% of the assists on the year. As far as pay-up options go, Mobley possesses one of the highest ceilings on the slate.
James Bouknight ($8,400) — Connecticut is a 13-point favorite over DePaul in a game totaled at 134.5 points. Even with the lower overall total, the spread gives this UConn team intrigue in DFS. Bouknight has a 20.8% usage rate as the Huskies’ main stud. While UConn has been in some recent blowouts, Bouknight still accounts for a 22.2% shot rate, 10.8% rebound rate and 11.9% assist rate. Looking unlikely to draw elevated ownership, Bouknight makes sense as a contrarian stud today.
Devontae Shuler ($7,200) — Ole Miss has a 7.5-point advantage over South Carolina in a game with a 141-point total. South Carolina typically paces up opponents while playing horrific defense. They rank 250th in defensive efficiency, to be exact. In Mississippi’s last game, Shuler fouled out in 16 minutes. However, he played at least 36 minutes in his two prior contests and now accounts for a 19.5% usage rate, 24.2% shot rate and 26.5% assist rate.
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Mid-Priced Tier
Day’Ron Sharpe ($6,000) — North Carolina is a 3.5-point favorite over Virginia Tech in a game with a 140-point total. North Carolina missed Garrison Brooks last night, making him doubtful to play today. In his place, Sharpe and Walker Kessler ($6,100) played elevated minutes. Now significantly underpriced, grabbing one of these forwards looks like the sharpest play on the slate. Sharpe already has elite rates on a per-minute basis and accounts for 18.2% of the team’s rebounds. With a slightly more secure role, Sharpe gets a narrow edge over Kessler.
Ochai Agbaji ($5,900) — Kansas has a mere 3-point advantage against Oklahoma. This is because of a number of COVID-19 absences for the Jayhawks, including David McCormack. While Jalen Wilson ($7,600) draws a surge in minutes, the Kansas guards likely also will draw more usage. As the team’s best shooter Agbaji also can take advantage of an Oklahoma defense that ranks 255th in 3-point defense.
Tyrece Radford ($5,700) — On the other side of the North Carolina matchup, Virginia Tech has a usable 68.25 team total. Since his DUI arrest earlier this year, Radford has subsequently retuned to the team and played 28 and 36 minutes in back-to-back games for the Hokies. Radford averages 31.1 minutes per game, 11.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game when active for Virginia Tech. With these rates, Radford is a sleeper.
Value Tier
K.J. Buffen ($4,900) — For those looking at value options, Buffen is expected to return from injury for Ole Miss. Buffen has started 19 games for Ole Miss this year and consistently played above 30 minutes prior to the injury. He has consistent usage across the major statistical categories, but he still has risk with the injury. For those looking at safer options, Luis Rodriguez ($5,400) and Jarkel Joiner ($5,200) are only slightly more expensive.
Armaan Franklin ($4,900) — Franklin’s presence bodes well for the Hoosiers in the Big Ten tournament. When healthy, Franklin averaged 30.1 minutes per game, 11.6 points and 4.2 rebounds for this squad. He has a 14.4% usage rate and is still tied for the third-most shots despite his absence. While the injury does present risk, Franklin typically finds himself priced around the $6k range.
Pelle Larsson ($4,800) — On the other side of the USC game, Utah has a 67.5-point implied team total. The Utes still present value with Rylan Jones nursing an injury. Without Jones in Utah’s last game, Larsson stepped up to play 35 minutes. He scored 12 points in this span and added solid peripheral involvement. Look for Larsson to start again here against a Trojan team that is weaker defending guards.
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