Getting ready for March Madness? Well, there’s still some college basketball DFS to play on DraftKings and FanDuel in the lead-up and Austyn Varney has you covered with his top picks for each site on Monday, March 9 (3/9/20). Let’s get into his top CBB DFS Picks, including Jordan Ford and Yoeli Childs.
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College Basketball Games and Lines for March 9
San Francisco at Gonzaga (-13) – 151.5
Green Bay at Northern Kentucky (-5) – 151 (DraftKings Only)
Saint Mary’s at BYU (-4) – 146.5
CBB DFS Picks: Guards
Jordan Ford – St. Mary’s – FanDuel $ 8,200 DraftKings $8,200
We’re working with just two games on FanDuel and three on DraftKings, so we have to approach this slate a bit differently. There will be plenty of guys owned over 50% and you’re doing a disservice to automatically fade them. On a slate like this, you only need to be different in two or three spots in a tournament. CBB DFS isn’t the exact same as the NBA and it’s a bad idea to carry over the same approach.
Ford has been on fire of late and he’s coming in as our top guard on the slate. The superstar doesn’t come off the floor, playing all 40 minutes in five of the last six games. He’s followed with 40-plus fantasy points in four straight and will need to keep it going against a BYU team that’s going to make it tough defensively. Still, Ford is a huge mismatch for anyone and he’s going to be over 35 fantasy points once again. Ford is my favorite guard in both cash games and tournaments if you have the funds.
Jalen Tate – Northern Kentucky – DraftKings $7,800
DraftKings has included the Green Bay-Northern Kentucky game and you should certainly be targeting at least a player or two on each team. I prefer Tate on DraftKings as my top guard as this matchup is great against Green Bay. The Phoenix play at the nation’s 11th-fastest pace and Northern Kentucky is going to see a ton of extra possessions tonight. Tate has been over 33 fantasy points in three straight and showcased his upside just last week with over 60 fantasy points. He’s going to have a field day with this fast-paced affair and JayQuan McCloud is far from focused on defense. Green Bay looks to outscore their opponents and Tate should be over 40 fantasy points. If there is one player I’m locking in on DraftKings, it’s Tate.
Joel Ayayi – Gonzaga – FanDuel $5,900 DraftKings $6,100
Gonzaga is a 13-point favorite over San Francisco tonight and the Bulldogs have an 82-point projected total. Ayayi is always a bit worrisome to roster as it seems like he can disappear in thin air. However, this is a short slate and the matchup against San Francisco is a great one. San Francisco doesn’t necessarily play fast, but they rank 260th in field goal percentage allowed (44%) and 195th in defensive efficiency. Ayayi has been over 23 fantasy points in four of the last five and hasn’t dipped below 25 minutes since Jan. 11. He does everything when on the floor as evidenced by a 21% usage over the last 10 games. Ayayi is fairly priced on both sites tonight and he’s a guy I’m comfortable deploying in both cash games and tournaments.
Jake Toolson – BYU – FanDuel $7,000 DraftKings $7,100
You’ll likely end up choosing between Toolson and T.J. Haws, though neither is a bad choice. I’ll ride with the upside of Toolson, but I will have my fair share of exposure to Haws as well. Toolson is an X-factor for the Cougars as they’re a completely different squad when he’s shooting well. The 6-foot-5 senior averages 15.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists a game while playing over 33 minutes per game. St. Mary’s likes to slow the game down, but Vegas still has the Cougars reaching 75 points. Yoeli Childs is always the number one option for this offense, but Toolson isn’t far behind. Toolson can break the slate if he gets hot from beyond the arc and I have no interest in fading him in any format.
Charles Minlend – San Francisco – FanDuel $5,600 DraftKings $6,400
Minlend is a bit of a streaky shooter, as shown by occasional sub-20-fantasy-point performances. He still averages 24 fantasy points per game, but sits over 30 regularly in the right matchups. San Francisco might be 13-point underdogs here, but Gonzaga still plays at a top-40 pace and the game is going to be faster than San Francisco is used to. Minlend figures to be the main beneficiary as he thrives in the open floor where he can create his own shot. We’ve also seen crazier things happen in March and the only way San Francisco will keep this close is with a monstrous performance out of Minlend. I’m a fan in all formats as the price is simply too low on both sites. On FanDuel, Minlend is just $5,600 and offers extreme value.
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CBB DFS Picks: Forwards
Yoeli Childs – BYU – FanDuel $8,600 DraftKings $8,900
Childs comes in as the top option on the slate on both sites and it’s not very close. He’s $1,100 more than anyone on FanDuel and $700 on DraftKings. It’s well-warranted as Childs has topped 52 fantasy points in back-to-back games to pull his yearly fantasy points per game to 40.2. He’s possibly the most dominant big man in college basketball and he’s going to have a battle with Malik Fitts all game. Childs is the superior player and while it’s tough to project 50 fantasy points, 40 seems safe. His minutes sit around 30 in most games, though we’ll see that rise in the near future. The Cougars feed Childs at all times and he rarely disappoints. You’re playing with fire if you fade Childs in any format.
Filip Petrusev – Gonzaga – FanDuel $7,300 DraftKings $7,200
Childs and Petrusev are on both sites tonight and it’s going to come down to this decision for a lot of lineups. Childs is a lot more expensive, but it’s tough to fit both while still getting four guards you can trust. I know I advised against fading Childs, but saving nearly $2,000 could be worth it if Petrusev shows up. While San Francisco doesn’t play fast, Petrusev has a big mismatch over big man Jimbo Lull. Lull is a great offensive player, but Petrusev should dominate him on the block and a 34% usage rate over the last 10 is encouraging.
The price has started to rise, but Petrusev is the Bulldogs’ go-to guy down the stretch and I figure this game to be a lot closer than Vegas does. Petrusev is better served in cash games, but I see the merit in fading a popular Yoeli Childs in a tournament in hopes that Petrusev has a huge night. He’s a bit up and down, but Gonzaga will feed him early in hopes to get Lull in foul-trouble. The discount on DraftKings is enticing and you already have more financial freedom on DraftKings.
Jimbo Lull – San Francisco- FanDuel $6,100 DraftKings $6,300
Speaking of Lull, I like him to have his fair share of success against Gonzaga. The Bulldogs play fast and Lull has shown his ability to thrive in the open floor. With that being said, Lull had his worst game of the season against Gonzaga with just 11 fantasy points in 13 minutes of play. He’s since averaged 31 minutes and 27.4 fantasy points per game. The Bulldogs haven’t seen much of Lull and I expect him to play a huge role for over 30 minutes in an attempt to match Petrusev. Lull has shown insane upside with 40-plus fantasy points four times this season, so he has the ability to break the slate. For a fair price on both sites, I am fully behind Lull in both cash games and GPP’s.
Dan Fotu – St. Mary’s – FanDuel $4,300 DraftKings $4,600
This is a tough slate when it comes to finding value, especially at forward. Fotu may see the most consistent minutes of anyone, and the Gaels are playing up in pace against BYU. Fotu is far from consistent when it comes to production, but we can’t be picky as the surrounding options are far worse. He did showcase his ceiling with 30 fantasy points in a double-double just two weeks ago, though he regularly sits around 15 fantasy points per game. I’d advise you do your best to pay up at all three guard spots, but don’t hate Fotu if you’re happy with the rest of your lineup. You can do far worse and many will.
Consider – Dantez Walton (Northern Kentuck), Malik Fitts (Saint Mary’s), Killian Tillie (Gonzaga), Josh Kunen (San Francisco)
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