DraftKings' main slate Saturday tips at our typical noon EST, but it includes just eight games this time, as opposed to a usual double-digit volume for us to sort through. Perhaps it's more navigable, but perhaps it also makes some options too obvious. Either way, there's still a $15,000 prize pool and $5,000 up for grabs. Let's see how this shakes out.
College Basketball DFS Picks for Saturday, February 28
Not only can the reduced number of games present a challenge, so can the actual games selected. This is as low-scoring of a slate as I can remember. Three of the games come with totals over 150, making them obvious targets, but three more games are below 140, with UConn - Seton Hall at a slate-low 129.5. Three games don't have close spreads, but the others should be competitive, likely forcing us to consider some of the lower-scoring, tight matchups. Only one player is priced in five-figures (more on that later), so it's a decent slate to again build from balance.
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College Basketball DFS Top Players
Cameron Boozer, F, Duke ($10,900)
So about that building from balance. You don't need me to tell you the top player on the slate is an ideal play, and you probably don't need me to tell you when is the right time to make that play. But I think Saturday is that right time. With such a challenging and potentially low-scoring slate, There's no more clearly safe player possible; Boozer has a season-low 32.75 DKP back in November and has been under 40 DKP just four times all season. While they may not match up, Thijs De Ridder is also questionable for the Cavaliers due to a knee issue. I expect it to be a very popular play, but one that still comes with an elite floor and potentially high ceiling. Take it and start looking for some different options elsewhere.
Otega Oweh, G, Kentucky ($8,200)
Loyal readers this season will know I've had an affinity for North Carolina State's Darrion Williams all season; and virtually every time I've highlighted him, he can't throw it in the ocean and flops. Oweh was that guy for me last year, so consider this a potential kiss of death for his production here. He's off a poor 3-for-13 outing, but went 7-for-19 with a 39.4 percent usage against Vandy previously. One of the higher-scoring games Saturday with a narrow spread, there shouldn't be a safer option from the Wildcats, who otherwise rotate a plethora of players behind Oweh.
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Middle Tier
T.O. Barrett, G, Missouri ($6,900)
The price is a touch rich for me, but over Barrett's last nine starts, he's averaged 30.8 minutes and a 25.6 percent usage rate, six times going for at least 30 DKP, so we do seem to have a 4x likelihood. It's one of the more obvious games most will want to target and Barrett went for 35.5 DKP against the Bulldogs previously in a game that saw 163 points scored. Perhaps others will target this game at the top end with Josh Hubbard and Mark Mitchell, and Barrett goes under-rostered.
Malik Messina-Moore, G, Xavier ($6,200)
Xavier comes with nearly an 80-point implied total, and Messina-Moore is off one of his worst showings of the season, scoring two points without a field goal against Providence. He's averaging 9.1 shots per game, and with Georgetown is allowing assists on 52.8 percent of its allowed baskets, there should be ample chances for Messina-Moore to produce a bounce-back effort. And ultimately, he's the cheapest of the Musketeers' top four options. This is a tough slate for frontcourt options, so I wouldn't fault you for considering one of Xavier's options there in the 7k range.
Johann Grunloh/Ugonna Onyenso, F, Virginia ($5,700/$5,100)
Reader's choice, part 1! As noted above, the frontcourt Saturday afternoon is a tricky task; the options just aren't elite. These two are certainly not must-use; Virginia has a scoring expectancy of 64.5 points. These two would get a slight boost if De Ridder is unavailable, which is probably the largest portion of their appeal. Grunloh had eight blocks in 18 minutes Tuesday, and he has 17 over his last three games. Surely that's not sustainable, and Duke is allowing just 7.6 percent of its shots to be blocked. He's certainly the better offensive bet of the two, and frankly, I'm a bit appalled at the price for both. Onyenso, too, derives most of his fantasy appeal from shot blocking. They essentially share minutes, but if De Ridder is out, they'll be forced to play as much as fouls allow against Duke's big and long forwards.
Jayden Epps, G, Mississippi State ($5,600)
In this price range, I think a lot will gravitate to UConn's Solo Ball ($5,500), whose roller coaster price has him dipping down to points where he's attractive. But the matchup isn't at all; Seton Hall ranks 11th in defensive efficiency and 286th in tempo. Missouri at 93/239 is at least a marginal improvement. He's moved back into the starting lineup over the last five, and while he's shooting just 32.8 percent in that stretch, it comes with a 25.3 percent usage. He went for 31.5 DKP against Mizzou earlier, and while we may not want to shoot that high, the competitive, high-scoring (for the slate) game environment suggests it's possible.
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College Basketball DFS Value Plays
Cooper Koch, F, Iowa ($4,300)
We know we want to attack Penn State's terrible defense (362nd against the three-pointer, 353rd against two-point baskets), but we can get a little creative in how we do so. Bennett Stirtz ($9,600) is an interesting counter play to Boozer at the high end, but give me Koch as a low-priced frontcourt option. While he's just seventh in percentage (34.7 percent), he's second on the Hawkeyes in 3-point attempts. That can play up a touch here, possibly getting him to double-digit points for just the second time in seven games. He's played 31.2 minutes in that span, and should stumble into a few other stats. The game logs are ugly, it's merely a matchup play where Koch has to shoot it better.
Kayvaun Mulready/Jeremiah Williams, G, Georgetown ($3,900/$3,800)
Readers choice, part two! KJ Lewis is out for the season, leaving the Hoyas with seemingly with just three guards left who log reasonable minutes. Malik Mack ($7,100) is the safest on volume, but he hasn't played to that price in quite some time. That leaves these two for additional minutes. Mulready has started the last two with Lewis healthy, but hasn't done much. Williams makes for a fun speculative play with minimal risk. There's obviously no guarantee he starts or logs 25-30 minutes. But he showed capable at prior stops at Rutgers and Temple, and earned 32.5 DKP in his lone start of the year. I'm not sure I buy this game being as close as the spread suggests with Lewis out, but both Mulready and Williams offer cheap entries into a higher-scoring game.
