March Madness is finally here, and DraftKings and FanDuel continue to provide sizable contests for CBB DFS grinders. Examining the slate for the first round on DraftKings, and FanDuel 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 | March Madness
Stud Tier
The stud tier has additional risk in the first round of the tournament. Teams like Illinois and Ohio State may opt to pull their studs early if they run out to a sizeable lead. With that said, a few studs in slightly worse but more competitive game environments may rival players on the elite teams. With 16 games on deck, navigating this tier has the key to GPPs.
Moses Moody ($8,000) — While Arkansas is a No. 3 seed, they are just an 8.5-point favorite over No. 14 Colgate. However, the entire Arkansas starting lineup deserves consideration, with their enormous 84.75 team total and the over/under at 161 points. Moody has played at least 36 minutes in each of the Razorbacks’ last three games and has a strong 17.3% usage rate on the year. He also accounts for a 20.4% shot rate and 22.2% rebounding rate in their last three. Rather than spending for a stud in a potential blowout, taking Moody in a track meet against Colgate makes sense. J.D. Notae ($7,200), Justin Smith ($7,700) and Davonte Davis ($6,500) could also be used for those looking to save salary.
Miles McBride ($7,900) — In another interesting No. 3 – No. 14 matchup, West Virginia has a solid 75.25 implied team total against Morehead State. The Mountaineers have a 13-point advantage in this spot in a game totaled at 137.5 points. McBride is a solid buy-low in a projected semi-competitive affair. He scored 19 points in West Virginia’s most recent game, but he had not eclipsed 12 points in either of their two prior games. McBride leads the team with a 20.8% usage rate, while playing at least 31 minutes in each of the Mountaineers’ last three games. Even while struggling in that span, McBride still took 20.9% of the shots and 39.5% of the rebounds in West Virginia’s last three contests.
Max Abmas ($7,600) — One of the sneakiest games on the slate for DFS purposes, Oral Roberts takes on Ohio State as a 16-point underdog in a game totaled at 157 points. Despite the projected wide margin of victory, Oral Roberts still sits in the top half of implied team totals on the slate. They also have an elite scorer in Abmas, who has played literally every minute for Oral Roberts in each of their last three games. Abmas has an elite 23% usage rates while accounting for a 26.3% shot rate 13.8% rebound rate and 48.8% assist rate in Oral Roberts’ last three games. Abmas also shoots 44% from 3, which takes advantage of Ohio State’s 192nd-ranked 3-point defense.
Jordan Burns ($7,300) — On the other side of the Arkansas game, Colgate stud Burns deserves consideration, even as an 8.5-point underdog. Colgate still has a 76.25 implied team total, with both teams playing at an above-average pace. Burns has an elite 24.1% usage rate this season and easily eclipses 30 minutes in Colgate’s competitive spots. Burns has a 19.9% shot rate, 10.6% rebound rate and 26.9% assist rate and shoots 36% from 3, which could challenge Arkansas beyond the arc. Based on projections alone, Burns looks like one of the top price-adjusted stud CBB DFS picks on the Friday DraftKings and FanDuel slates.
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Mid-Priced Tier
The mid-priced tier offers a similar dilemma to the stud tier. DraftKings and FanDuel pricing slated a number of usage monsters from less attractive teams in this range. While a number of third and fourth options on the popular teams likely will draw ownership, some of the underpriced studs in bad game environments project a little better.
Josiah-Jordan James ($6,300) — Though this is a middling game for DFS purposes, Tennessee may provide potential value plays due to an injury to John Fulkerson. Tennessee already lacks size, and potentially losing Fulkerson opens valuable minutes for Tennessee’s other starters. Fulkerson took a vicious elbow to the face against Florida that caused a concussion and facial fractures. He is listed as questionable ahead of this game. James stands 6-foot-6 and stands to directly benefit from a potential from a Fulkerson absence. James may also fly under the radar after getting into foul trouble in Tennessee’s most recent game. However, James’ minutes jumped to 30 in the game prior when Fulkerson went down. James now accounts for 23.8% of Tennessee’s rebounds in their last three games. Oregon State’s biggest weakness comes in the interior where they rank 268th against opposing big men. This should give James a solid floor and upside for GPPs.
Camren Wynter ($6,100) — Wynter is the usage leader on a Drexel team pegged as a 23-point underdog to Illinois in a game totaled at 143.5 points. Wynter has played at least 36 minutes in three straight games for Drexel and has a 19.6% usage rate on the year. In Drexel’s last three, Wynter has also taken 24% of the shots, 12.9% of the rebounds and 30.8% of the assists for Drexel. He also shoots 43% from beyond the arc, giving him a chance to put up a strong score despite a lower team total and a tough overall matchup.
Tyrece Radford ($6,000) — After serving a multi-game suspension midseason, Radford has returned to as sizeable role in Virginia Tech’s offense. He saw his minutes jump to 36 in the Hokies most recent game, putting him on track to do some damage in the tournament. Radford accounts for 15.9% of the Virginia Tech’s shots and 16% of the rebounds in their last three games despite sometimes playing a limited role as he worked his way back from suspension. Considered one of the best rebounding guards in the country, Radford averages 11.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Florida doesn’t have the size to deal with Keve Aluma ($8,500), Justyn Mutts ($6,300) and Radford on the glass here.
Justin Moore ($5,800) – Villanova is still reeling from the Collin Gillespie loss and is just a 6.5-point favorite over Winthrop. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl ($9,000) has a significant size advantage over Winthrop, but Villanova will have a few cheaper players stepping into larger roles. Coming off an injury, Moore is at an affordable price across DFS platforms and already played a significant role when Gillespie was healthy. On the year he accounts for 18.1% of the shots, 12.1% of the rebounds and 19.1% of the assists for Villanova. Winthrop plays an up-tempo style, potentially leading to a few extra possessions for Villanova in this game. Winthrop has the country’s 13th-ranked defense, but they haven’t faced a top-100 team all year. Moore is a solid mid-priced CBB DFS pick to target here on DraftKings and FanDuel.
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Austin Williams ($5,200) — Perhaps the riskiest value play on the entire slate, Williams battled foul trouble in two games before jumping back to 40 minutes in Hartford’s last game. Hartford is a 26-point underdog to Baylor in a game with a 140.5 total. However, Williams displays elite usage for his price against a team likely to pull starters at some point. Williams accounts for a 18.5% shot rate, 18.6% rebound rate and 14.2% assist rate. Though he is risky, Williams’ usage stands out in this price range. That said, his team runs the risk of a complete dismantling against Baylor, so approach teams like Hartford carefully today.
Kyle Rode ($5,100) — Liberty will take on Oklahoma State as a 7-point underdog in a game totaled at 139.5 overall points. Liberty’s top player is Darius McGhee, but the Flames provide a couple of potential value options in Elijah Cuffee ($4,800) and Rode. Rode has played at least 33 minutes in three straight games for Liberty and has the edge in overall usage rate. He is more of a peripheral player, but his 13.1% shot rate, 16.1% rebound rate and 16.3% assist rate in Liberty’s last three games are substantial. Oklahoma State plays with a tempo well above average, potentially creating extra possessions here. With multiple options in the value tier, taking a look at Rode or McGhee could make some sense.
Carlos Jurgens ($4,500) — Unlike Austin Williams, Jurgens plays on an Oral Roberts team with a solid 70.5-point implied team total. Jurgens ranks well behind Williams in usage, coming in at 9.9%, but what he lacks in usage he makes up for in minute consistency. Jurgens has played at least 36 minutes in each of Oral Roberts’ last three games, which includes a 12% shot rate, 23.8% rebound rate and 19.5% assist rate. Jurgens shoots 35% from 3, but most of his upside comes in the periphery. While stacking has weaker correlations in basketball, playing Jurgens alongside Abmas could provide additional upside on today’s main slate on both DraftKings and FanDuel.
Sean McNeil ($4,500) — Another sizeable mismatch, West Virginia is a 13-point favorite over Morehead State in a game projected to score 137.5 points. West Virginia plays with an above-average pace, and McNeil is egregiously priced. He takes advantage of an elite 75.25 West Virginia team total and provides unusual minute security for a value play. He has played at least 28 minutes in three straight games, including 37 minutes in their most recent contest. In that span he contributed primarily with his 18.7% shot rate, giving him solid upside against a suspect Morehead State defense that got demolished by any competition of note this season.
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