This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
The first day of March Madness is over, which means it’s time to do it all again on Friday! There are once again 16 games to choose from on this massive opening weekend as Friday’s action tips off at 12:15 p.m. EST, and the final matchup of the night doesn’t start until 22.05. To match, we bet on the pick for the second day in a row.
All but three of these contests are over 140 or above, so there is value across the board. That said, there is still a huge fantasy performer worth putting a lot of eggs in one basket for.
Let’s look to finish the round of 64 strong Friday!
Top players
Zach EdeyF, Purdue ($11,200)
Edey is the biggest player — both in size and name recognition — in college basketball this season. The 7-foot-4 center is a chance to take home the Naismith Award after posting 22.3 points and 12.8 points per game en route to leading Purdue to a No. 1 seed in March. A player of Edey’s stature should be able to dominate the early rounds of tournament action, especially against the nation’s shortest average team in Fairleigh Dickinson at 73.4 inches, according to KenPom. Not surprisingly, the Knights also rank 353rd in two-point rate allowed (56.1) and 359th in adjusted defensive efficiency.
Ryan KalkbrennerF, Creighton ($8,600)
Kalkbrenner is another big man who has caught the eye of the national audience. While the 7-foot-1 junior actually has the lowest usage rate (20.0) of the Bluejays’ starting five, he has been extremely efficient from inside the arc, shooting 74.3 percent on two-point attempts. This bodes well against a Wolfpack team that ranks 199th nationally in two-point percentage allowed. Creighton and North Carolina are also projected to score 148.5 combined points, making this the fourth-highest scoring game on Day 2 of the opening weekend.
Bryce HopkinsF, Providence ($8,000)
Hopkins is known for his potential as one of the revenge stories heading into March Madness. The Friars’ leader in points (16.1) and rebounds (8.5) has turned into a starring role since transferring from Kentucky last offseason. His price has fallen somewhat heading into Friday’s action as Wildcats big man Oscar Tshiebwe poses as one of the country’s most dominant physical presences down low. However, Kentucky has allowed teams to take plenty of looks from inside the arc, ranking 249th in opponent two-point rate (64.8). Hopkins has done the majority of his work this season from the three-point arc, so he should carry this Providence squad around against his old team.
Tucker DeVriesG, Drake ($7,700)
DeVries is one of the nation’s most productive players this season with 19.0 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-7 sophomore is making 6.8 of his 14.0 field-goal attempts per game from beyond the arc. His ability to score at multiple levels is another encouraging factor against a Miami team that has allowed an effective field-goal percentage of 51.3 this season (221st). The Hurricanes aren’t all that remarkable on the boards either, and DeVries has posted a massive 31.6 percent usage rate over Drake’s last five games. While No. 12 seeds don’t always manage to knock off No. 5, a player like DeVries figures to be the primary contributor if the Bulldogs can pull off a significant upset.
Middle layer
Rayshon HarrisonG, Grand Canyon ($6,900)
Harrison’s production is far too strong to ignore at this salary. The 6-foot-4 point guard leads Lopes in points (17.7) and assists (3.6) this season and has been even better over the past five games, averaging 21 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.8 assists during that span. Harrison’s 12.8 field-goal attempts and 6.6 free-throw attempts per game should ensure he sees no shortage of opportunities as well. Gonzaga also isn’t known for its defense, allowing an effective field-goal percentage of 51.7 (246th), according to KenPom.
Alijah MartinG, Florida Atlantic ($6,600)
This matchup has the third highest matchup of Friday’s board at 153.0. Memphis has a pair of marquee names drawing plenty of DFS attention in Kendric Davis ($9,900) and DeAndre Williams ($9,500). However, Martin is a much better value as he leads the Owls’ starting rotation in usage rate over the last five games (27.2). He’s also making 36.9 percent of his three-point attempts per game this season, and the 6-foot-2-2 year old is coming off a 52.8 DKP outing against UAB in the Conference USA Championship Game.
Value game
Robin DuncanG, Vermont ($5,200)
Duncan has the highest value of any player on Friday’s slate at over 5.5x return. The 6-foot-5 guard has produced around 30 DKP at an extremely consistent rate this season, averaging 7.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists. Duncan will face a significant step up in competition against the Golden Eagles. However, Marquette hasn’t been extremely strong on defense without forcing turnovers, as the team is allowing an effective field goal percentage of 51.1 (209th) per possession. KenPom. The Golden Eagles are also 308th in rebounding percentage (47.3). The over/under of 144 is another reason to pull against Duncan at the top of our value tier.
Fletcher rentalG, Purdue ($5,000)
Picking Loyer is getting into the right boom-or-bust candidates at the offer level. Anyone who plays alongside Edey will have to sacrifice a lot of legroom while riding in the back seat of this Boilermakers team. The true freshman has also converted just 32.4 percent of his 5.1 three-pointers per game. match. Still, he’s averaging 10.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists while playing 28.8 minutes per game. match. The 145 total is also high enough to give Loyer some upside if he catches fire.
Great OsoborF, Montana State ($4,900)
Osobor is an extremely productive primary reserve for the Bobcats. This led to the 6-foot-8 sophomore seeing increased playing time during the second half of the season, averaging 20.7 minutes over the past five games. His 12.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game during that span have also given Osobor a 32.3 percent usage rate. The Wildcats aren’t very good on the defensive glass and play as fast as almost any team in the nation. A faster game could result in Osobor seeing even more options down low.
Guillermo Diaz GrahamF, Pittsburgh ($4,500)
Diaz Graham made his first start of the season with starting center Fede Federiko (knee) ruled out for the Panthers’ play-in game against Mississippi State. As a result, Diaz Graham played a season-high 37 minutes while also matching his season-high for field goal attempts. It’s always hard to project how production in shootout time will project to longer outings, but the 7-foot freshman has logged 0.94 DKP per minute this season. Federiko is again considered questionable for Friday’s 3:10 PM EST tipoff, so keep Diaz Graham in the back pocket of your fantasy lineup until official actives become clearer closer to game time.
The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests, including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games with their personal accounts, it is possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have given above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire.