We have double the pleasure of last night's four-game slate tonight. We have eight games, starting off with something that's kind of a big deal around here: the battle for Nebraska between Creighton and Nebraska. All of the fans in attendance are on the same side on football Saturdays, but they will be enemies for one night. Creighton doesn't have a football team, so most of the Creighton fans are fans of Nebraska for football. Tonight they turn against each other and it's glorious to watch. How do we top that?
I don't know, but Duke hosting Gardner-Webb doesn't really stack up. Neither does Purdue hosting Wright State. Virginia in Houston comes close. That's going to be fun. So is St. Louis and Memphis. The Tarheels are actually hitting the road (and the beach) as they head south to play College of Charleston. We have Seton Hall at Michigan. Okay, I'll concede this stacks up with Nebraska-Creighton. So does the nightcap for BYU in Eugene to take on the Ducks. This is a great – and loaded –slate!
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy college basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 11/16/21 starting at 7 pm Eastern. I’ll be providing multiple player suggestions for players at guard and forward, aiming to highlight one option apiece at the high, middle, and lower end of the salary scale. Good luck, RotoBallers.
DraftKings CBB DFS Guards
Caleb Love, North Carolina ($8,300)
Love has been electric for the Tarheels in the first two games. College of Charleston might be the best opponent yet, which can only provide more moments for Love to shine. This North Carolina team could be the best one to grace Chapel Hill in nearly a decade. If they are to reach that potential, Love will be the one that leads them there. Expect another strong game here.
Alonzo Verge Jr., Nebraska ($7,700)
Curiously, Verge transferred from Arizona State to......Nebraska? Yep. He's not the only one. The Cornhuskers have a few other transfers on the roster, but none have the electricity and upside of Verge. He put up good numbers at Arizona State and that was with loaded recruits all around him. Verge will have a chance to separate himself from the rest of the team. This game will quite likely be a romp – Nebraska lost to Western Illinois in the opener – but Verge is still going to have a big game while getting whipped by the Jesuits from Omaha.
Alex O'Connell, Creighton ($6,200)
O'Connell transferred from Duke and had a few fleeting moments of success last year on a pretty strong team. O'Connell is now the senior leader of the Blue Jays and put up his first 20-point outing since he was with Duke in 2018 in the opener. This is usually a hotly contested and high-scoring affair. Nebraska's ugly loss takes some of the luster off of this, but not enough to keep me away from it for fantasy purposes.
Bryce McGowens, Nebraska (6,000)
The freshman has put up 54 real points in his first two collegiate games. Verge is the guy that gets most of the attention. That leaves McGowens to make some noise. He has knocked down 16 of his 31 shots in the two games. The freshman is efficient and active on the boards thus far. Creighton is going to be a tough matchup, but the kid isn't afraid to shoot as has started his career on a heater. He could be in for a nice game for the price tonight.
Earl Timberlake, Memphis ($3,600)
The Miami transfer has been brought along slowly because of the shoulder injury that ended his 2020-21 season, but he was up to 19 minutes against North Carolina Central and was active all over the court. Timberlake isn't going to be leaned on for scoring, but he stuffed the stat sheet elsewhere. He has a high floor for a value play. If he ends up playing a few more minutes tonight, he should smash for the price – even against a strong defensive team like St. Louis.
Also consider: Will Richardson, Oregon ($8,100); Jaden Ivey, Purdue ($7,400); Marcus Sasser, Houston ($7,200); Armaan Franklin, Virginia ($6,100); Reece Beekman, Virginia ($5,100); Jayden Hardaway, Memphis ($3,400)
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DraftKings CBB DFS Forwards
Paolo Banchero, Duke ($9,200)
Banchero is already being talked about as the number one overall pick in the 2022 draft after just three college appearances. He has looked the part so far. This is another easy matchup for Duke and another game where Banchero should dominate. His ceiling may not be all that high against Gardner-Webb, but his floor might be the best on the slate due to talent level alone.
Brady Manek, North Carolina ($6,600)
I miss him already! Manek was mostly misused by the Oklahoma coaching staff last year. He had a huge year in 2019-20 and was disappointing last year. A bout with COVID didn't help, but the Tarheels are content letting Manek do what he does best: shoot. He's also a good rebounder and we all know how high the ceiling is. If Manek gets hot, look out.
Jalen Duren, Memphis ($5,500)
The 6'11" freshman has proven to be a matchup problem already for the Tigers. St. Louis is a fundamentally strong team, but they aren't all that big on the inside. Duren has only missed three of his 13 shots this year and has dominated the interior with 16 rebounds and eight blocks. The Billikens are going to be a little smarter about going at Duren in the lane, but I still like the upside here for the price.
Francis Okoro, St. Louis ($4,500)
Okoro is one guy that might be able to stand toe-to-toe with Duren. Maybe. Okoro has put up very good numbers in very limited minutes. He has put the Billikens in precarious situations because Okoro has already committed ten fouls in just 50 minutes of court time through three games. The efficiency is great. The fouls are not. Duren could get him into foul trouble again, but even if he does, Okoro has good upside for the price.
Also consider: Armando Bacot, North Carolina ($8,700); Jayden Gardner, Virginia ($7,900); Zach Edey, Purdue ($5,300); Myles Cale, Seton Hall ($5,200); Eduardo Andre, Nebraska ($3,900)
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