We went from 68 teams down to 16 in just five days. Now the games are fewer, but there are still a lot of elite DFS options out there. Oral Roberts became just the second 15-seed to ever make it past the first weekend. Villanova made it out of the first weekend. Each of the two times that they've done that under Jay Wright, they have cut down the nets. Arkansas is this far for the first time since Corliss Williamson led the Hogs to the 1994 title. Oregon State hasn't been this far since the 1940's. And we have that little Loyola-Chicago team driven by America's favorite nun. This is going to be fun!
There is quite a gap in the implied totals on this slate. Oregon State and Loyola-Chicago is all the way down at 125.5. Oral Roberts and Arkansas tips the scale at 159, and it might still be too low. It is interesting that the Hogs are 11 point favorites though. The other two games are right around 140. How do we attack this? Well, Loyola is going to be slow, but their usage is dominated by two guys. They may still be worth playing. Anyone in the ORU-Arkansas track meet is in play. both Villanova and Baylor play solid D and are balanced. Syracuse's zone will cause problems for anyone. That has to be factored into our decision making process.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy college basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 3/27/21. 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.
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DraftKings CBB DFS Guards
Max Abmas, Oral Roberts ($8,700)
So, the price on Abmas drops 500 bucks after putting up 87.25 DraftKings points in the first weekend of the tournament? Cool! I'll take it! Abmas has played every minute of every game for Oral Roberts in the last five games. His lowest output in that span is 38 DraftKings points. This is going to be a fast-paced game and Arkansas isn't exactly known for defense. The press may fluster Abmas some, but I still don't see a significant dip in his numbers coming. Even if he only hits 35 DraftKings points, he's still worth the price.
Buddy Boeheim, Syracuse ($8,100)
Boeheim has at least 35 DraftKings points and 25 real points in four straight and five of the last six. That's why the Orange are still in contention for a title. He has made 24 out of 43 three-point tries in that span. Houston's defense is good, but can they cool off the hot hand? If you aren't normally playing DFS this time of year, the principle is the same as if you are still playing the round-by-round tournaments out there. Stick with the hot hand. Boeheim has one of the hottest going right now.
Braden Norris, Loyola-Chicago ($5,400)
The Ramblers are good at turning games into slogs. Just like a football game played in the rain. They ugly it up, frustrate the hell out of you, and hang around long enough to win. When teams have their backs against the wall like in this kind of format, the natural reaction is to press even more. The fact is that the Ramblers are not a strong offensive team, but they don't really need to be. Guys like Norris who get most of their production from categories other than points, become very viable in lineup construction. Norris has 89.5 DraftKings points and has played all but three minutes over the last three games, all of which were elimination games. Norris is worth a look once again.
Also consider: Quentin Grimes, Houston ($7,900); JD Notae, Arkansas ($6,300); Tramon Mark, Houston ($4,800); Keith Clemons, Loyola-Chicago ($4,000)
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DraftKings CBB DFS Forwards
Kevin Obanor, Oral Roberts ($8,900)
Obanor was the only Oral Roberts player that really had a strong game against Arkansas back on December 20, a game that the Golden Eagles lost by 11 due to a late flurry by the Hogs. Obanor still put up 38 DraftKings points in that one. That would almost qualify as a disappointment after his 101 DraftKings points in 85 minutes over the first weekend of the NCAA tournament. This is a big time run for Obanor. Most of his regular season was plagued with inconsistency and foul trouble, so his strong performance against Arkansas in December stands out as something that could definitely be repeated. He is my top play on the entire slate.
Cameron Krutwig, Loyola-Chicago ($8,300)
Krutwig stood toe-to-toe with Kofi Cockburn and came away the big-time victor. Oregon State has some size in the middle as well, but that's where Krutwig comes in handy. He's more mobile that most guys his size, as was the case against Cockburn. Silva is a strong player, but he's not going to be able to defend Krutwig either. Georgia Tech was able to take Krutwig out of the game with a smaller lineup. I'm not sure Oregon State can do that. The Ramblers have shown that they can and will keep pounding the inside. Expect more of that.
Justin Smith, Arkansas ($7,700)
Smith dominated the first two games of the NCAA tournament, only sitting for one minute combined and scoring 47 points in the two games. There's reason to think that he keeps it up too. Oral Roberts couldn't handle Smith in December. He went for 49.25 DraftKings points in that game, scoring 22 and grabbing an astounding 17 rebounds. Second-chance shots really hurt the Golden Eagles in the first meeting. Smith is going to rack up a lot of points doing that to them again.
Roman Silva, Oregon State ($5,000)
Silva's size was a big problem for both Tennessee and Oklahoma State in the first weekend. He racked up 16 rebounds and seven blocks while patrolling the paint in that one. Oh, he also scored 23 actual points. The issue I have with using Silva is that he did nothing close to this during the Pac 12 season. However, the same thing can be said for most of the Oregon State team. They got hot at the right time and are now playing like the team most thought they could be coming into the season. If you're riding the hot hand, Silva is one of those.
Also consider: Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Villanova ($8,500); Jermaine Samuels, Villanova ($7,100); Matthew Mayer, Baylor ($5,400); Maurice Calloo, Oregon State ($3,900)