The college basketball slate for Friday, Feb. 18 features a slew of mid-major teams in action, and teams in St. John’s and Maryland that have some great players available for our 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
Julian Champagnie ($8,700) — Late news looks like the key to tonight’s DFS slate. St. John’s Julian Champagnie looks expensive at first glance, but injuries could open this slate at any point. Overall, St. John’s is a nine-point favorite over a banged-up Butler team in a game with a 141.5-point total. St. John’s usage leader, Champagnie has a 22.2% usage rate this season. The veteran has played 35, 37, and 31 minutes in three straight games, contributing a 23.9% shot rate, 14.8% rebound rate, and 13% assist rate. With St. John’s elite pace, Champagnie looks like one of the best CBB DFS picks on the slate.
Fatts Russell ($8,000) — The best overall game environment on the board, Maryland faces Nebraska as a 2.5-point favorite in a game with a 145.5-point total. One of the injury situations to monitor, Maryland played their most recent game without Eric Ayala. With Ayala on the shelf, Fatts Russell played 37 minutes, maximizing his 17.7% usage rate. Already playing strong minutes, Russell also logged 30 and 33 minutes in the two games before Ayala’s injury. In Maryland’s last three games, Russell has contributed a 25.1% shot rate, 20.9% rebound rate and 44.7% assist rate. Already providing strong rates, Russell looks like the player most likely to step into elevated usage without Ayala on the floor.
Russell was coming in hot when running the CBB DFS lineup optimizer today. He’s one of the best CBB picks tonight, as well, according to the Awesemo projections. Check out the DraftKings CBB DFS Cheat Sheet and FanDuel CBB DFS Cheat Sheet for all of the rest of our FREE CBB picks today.
Tyler Burton ($7,700) — A somewhat lackluster game environment, Richmond remains a 2.5-point underdog to VCU in a game with a 133.5-point total. Fortunately, Richmond plays a few studs nearly every minute. One such stud is Tyler Burton, who has now played 36, 40, and 37 minutes in Richmond’s last thee games. Importantly, he has also stuffed the box score in these minutes, with a 21.3% shot rate and 24.7% rebound rate in that span. VCU will play solid defense, but they rank 305th in rebounding, giving Burton plenty of double-double equity in this spot.
Mid-Range CBB Picks Today
Adrian Baldwin ($6,700) — On the other side of the Richmond game, VCU is also somewhat underwhelming behind its 68-point implied team total. However, they also have a player in Adrian Baldwin playing nearly every minute. In VCU’s last three contests, Baldwin notched 40, 40, and 36 minutes, while contributing a 15.7% shot rate, 10.4% rebound rate, and 40.4% assist rate. Even with the rotation sometimes exceeding ten players, Baldwin is a player without any minute concerns here.
Donta Scott ($6,600) — Cheap compared to previous slates this year, Donta Scott offers an interesting mid-priced option for Maryland here. Mentioned above, this is an excellent game environment for Maryland as a whole. However, the matchup is particularly good for the Maryland front court, with Nebraska ranking 208th in interior defense and 241st in rebounding. The premier player in Maryland’s front court, Scott has played 36, 29, and 36 minutes in their last five games. In that span, he has a 16.2% shot rate and 18.6% rebounding rate. While Scott has taken a backseat to Russell, his rates are still solid enough to target as one of the slate’s most solid CBB picks here in an elite matchup.
Bo Hodges ($6,400) — Mentioned above, tonight’s slate rides largely on injury news. A late scratch earlier this week, Bo Hodges will be an excellent play if active. Hodges played 36 and 32 minutes in his last two contests before injury. Hodges always projects well with his elite rates. However, the injury clouds the situation here. Aaron Thompson would likely become the best play in Butler’s offense, if Hodges cannot take the floor tonight.
D.J. Jeffries ($6,300) — Perhaps the weakest overall game environment, Mississippi State is an 11.5-point favorite over Missouri in a game with a 134.5-point total. While the overall total is lackluster, Mississippi State still brings a 73-point implied team total to the slate. With three players regularly exceeding 30 minutes, D.J. Jeffries is the cheapest of the bunch. Jeffries has now played 32, 32, and 34 minutes in each of Mississippi State’s last three contests. He actually has consistent rates in this span as well, contributing an 18.3% shot rate, 16.1% rebound rate, and 15.4% assist rate. With Garrison Brooks and Iverson Molinar coming in more expensive, Jeffries is a solid value play for this team.
Joel Soriano ($5,700) — Despite a solid game environment, St. John’s recently expanded their rotation, making minutes more difficult to predict. One potential beneficiary has been Joel Soriano. Soriano has now played 28, 19, and 16 minutes in three straight games. While the minutes are risky for any of the St. John’s forwards, Soriano has been solid in his time on the floor. Mostly a peripheral player, Soriano has a 6.2% shot rate, 17.6% rebound rate, and 13% assist rate. Overall, he projects well at 25.5 minutes. However, the volatility of St. John’s rotation renders him a GPP only play.
CBB Value Picks Today
Montez Mathis ($4,900) — Similar to Soriano, Montez Mathis is another GPP consideration for St. John’s. Mathis has also played inconsistent minutes, logging 30, 20, and 28 over the last three games. In that span, Mathis posted a 13.4% shot rate, 9.3% rebound rate, and 11.1% assist rate. Butler ranks 278th in interior defense and 289th in rebounding, providing an excellent matchup for all of the St. John’s frontcourt. Predicting the minutes correctly will be key here in nailing this contrarian CBB pick.
Andre Gustavson ($4,500) — For those looking at safe value plays, Richmond’s Andre Gustavson has now played 33, 33, and 34 minutes in each of the team’s last four contests. While his 8.4% usage rate leaves much to be desired, Gustavson provides a safety net in the form of consistent minutes. Over Richmond’s last three games, Gustavson has an 8.6% shot rate, 7.5% rebound rate, and 20% assist rate. If some of the slate’s studs play through injury, Gustavson may be a necessity here.
Qudus Wahab ($4,500) — For those looking at potential GPP-winning tournament pieces, Qudus Wahab has already broken the slate on multiple occasions this year. Wahab has a 9.9% shot rate and 16.1% rebounding rate, limited only by the coaching staff’s questionable decision to limit his minutes. Wahab has played 23, 9, and 20 minutes in Maryland’s last three games, making him one of the most volatile pieces on the slate. However, the elite rates and strong game environment give Wahab plenty of double-double upside, if he were to see 20-25 minutes. He is a risk-reward play for tournaments here.
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