RADIO
It has been a wild few months on the college basketball scene and hopefully, I've helped you come out of this DFS adventure ahead of where you came into it. It was a fun ride that comes down to an intriguing matchup that most never really planned on.
Sure, Connecticut making the Championship isn't a surprise -- I struggled to find a flaw with them for much of the season and that still holds true. Zach Edey is flashing more game than he has shown at any other point in his college career. Can he lift Purdue to their first-ever national championship against the defending champs? We're going to find out in a few hours!
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy college basketball lineup picks on DraftKings on 4/8/24, starting at 9:20 p.m. EDT. I’ll provide multiple player suggestions at guard and forward, aiming to highlight one option at the salary scale's high, middle, and lower levels. Good luck, RotoBallers.
Today's DraftKings Captains - CBB DFS Lineup Picks
Zach Edey, Purdue ($20.4K)
ZACH EDEY WINS THE NAISMITH MEN’S COLLEGE POY ?
24.9 PPG | 12.2 RPG | 2.2 BPG
Boilermaker big man made his MARK this year ? pic.twitter.com/XBWZSbAdyz
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 7, 2024
Edey's price is very prohibitive as it very well should be. No one else comes close to his ceiling and few can touch his floor on a good day. Edey's low mark in the postseason was the 44 DraftKings points he put up against North Carolina State on Saturday. By the way, Edey played all 40 minutes of that game after playing all but three minutes in the two games last weekend. He's big, physical, and in great shape.
UConn isn't going to show Edey anything that he hasn't seen already and it's very possible that UConn locks him down and sees if anyone else on the team can beat them. For this reason, I would fade Edey at the captain slot at least once if you are running multiple entries. If you are playing large-field GPPs, I would fade him entirely at least once for the same reason.
Cam Spencer, Connecticut ($14.4K)
Tristen Newton may very well be UConn's best player, but opponents have made someone else beat them. That someone else has been Spencer. He has averaged 13.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.4 blocks, and 2.0 steals per game during the NCAA Tournament. Purdue's perimeter defense is better than last year, but it has still been a sore spot at times this year. Good guards can cause trouble for the Boilermakers and Connecticut has a few of them.
Fletcher Loyer, Purdue ($9.9K)
If you're looking to go a little cheaper at captain and stacking utility slots, Loyer is an intriguing option. He has scored in double figures in each of the last four games while dishing out 14 assists, picking up four steals, and hauling in nine rebounds. He relies mostly on scoring, but he is hitting a lot of his long-range shots in this tournament.
Also consider: Braden Smith, Purdue ($13.8K); Stephon Castle, Connecticut ($11.4K)
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Today's DraftKings Utility Plays - CBB DFS Lineup Picks
Donovan Clingan, Connecticut ($10.8K)
Clingan is one of the few guys that can match Zach Edey's size. Not even DJ Burns Jr. could in Saturday's game.
"Bro, excuse my language, you big as hell.”
DJ Burns Jr. explains what he said to Zach Edey mid-game ?
(via @ashstro) pic.twitter.com/iUvsc7LvPi
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 7, 2024
How will Edey handle the size of Clingan and vice versa? I doubt that they cancel each other out, but NBA scouts are going to keep a close eye on this one. This could have more of an impact on the game than any other matchup. If you think Clingan can deal with Edey and offers up a skill set that Edey can't really defend, he could wind up being a steal at this price. Just keep in mind that Edey will play most of if not the entire game. We'll be lucky to get 30 minutes of Clingan, which will inhibit his ceiling.
Braden Smith, Purdue ($9.2K)
Smith still found a way to impact the game against North Carolina State even though he only scored three points in the entire game. He likely won't go that cold again, but we know that if he does, he's still good for 26 DraftKings points. He's a low-risk option on a slate full of risky plays.
Also consider: Tristen Newton, Connecticut ($10.2K); Alex Karaban, Connecticut ($8.2K); Stephon Castle, Connecticut ($7.6K)
Today's DraftKings Bargain Plays - CBB DFS Lineup Picks
Lance Jones, Purdue ($6.4K)
It goes without saying that I still like Fletcher Loyer here if I'm considering running him at the captain slot, so we'll highlight one of his teammates here. Jones doesn't have Loyer's upside because he doesn't do much other than score. Jones has been a consistent producer for Purdue down the stretch, but he doesn't have much of a ceiling. He's really only a cash-game option for me at this point. Use Loyer in GPP formats.
Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue ($5K)
TKR has been a wild card for Purdue during this tournament run. UConn is built a lot like the Tennessee team that Kaufman-Renn never got traction against, but they also have some NC State in them. Purdue used Edey to break down NC State and ran TKR at them is short bursts with moderate success. Again, there is little upside here, but he might score in double figures, which is more than we can say for most value plays.
Also consider: Hassan Diarra, Connecticut ($5.4K); Samson Johnson, Connecticut ($4.4K)
