We are back for week 2 of CBB DFS and happy to be here. Love this week in college hoops as we get to see some pretty good matchups throughout the week starting with tonight’s Gavitt Games. The Gavitt Games are a matchup between Big Ten and Big East schools. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday will give us a pair of these cross-conference matchups per night, with these two tonight:
- DePaul @ Minnesota
- Butler @ Penn State
Looking ahead, Tuesday DK already has out one of their biggest slates of the year and this one features the annual State Farm Champions Classic. Kentucky and Michigan State will be the early game followed by Duke and Kansas. That slate will also feature Marquette/Purdue and Northwestern/Georgetown from the Gavitt Games.
Enough looking ahead though! Let’s dive in to tonight and break down the plays you need to take home the $2,000 first prize in the CBB $8K Big Jam this evening.
Editors note: As you know, the Virginia game has been cancelled due to a shooting on campus. We’d like to send our thoughts to everyone impacted.
11/14/22
| Game | Time | Line | O/U |
|---|---|---|---|
| FAU @ UF | 6:00 | UF -13 | 145 |
| DPU @ MINN | 6:00 | MINN -1 | 135.5 |
| UNI @ UV | 7:00 | Cancelled | |
| ORR @ UH | 7:00 | UH -20 | 146.5 |
| LT @ TTU | 7:00 | TTU -13 | 135.5 |
| BUTLE @ PSU | 7:30 | PSU -7 | 139.5 |
| H.C @ CRE | 8:00 | CRE -27.5 | 141 |
GUARDS WE LIKE
Max Abmas, ORR (G, 9500) – We are writing up Max as a thank you for his contributions over the years, not only for CBB DFS, but college basketball in general. He’s an absolute stud and we love him. That said, I can’t think of a harder matchup than playing at Houston. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Abmas get 30+ DK points, but it’s really hard to have a ceiling at this price tag against one of the premier defensive teams in college basketball. Carlos Jurgens (G, 5100), Kareem Thompson (G, 5000) and Issac McBride (G, 4500) have more palatable price tags. Thompson has 26% shot share on the season, while former Jayhawk decommit/Vandy transfer McBride and Jurgens are averaging double figures with a little assist upside. Similar to Houston, Fellatio Bob doesn’t play a deep bench, which is good for DFS purposes.
Alijah Martin, FAU (G, 7300) – FAU is incredibly deep for a mid-major team, and it is primarily in the backcourt. While Greenlee (5800), Davis (4800), Boyd (4600) are more boom or bust GPP plays, Martin is steady with his minutes and performances. The sharp shooting soph has also shown upside with DK games of 32+ in 3/5 to close out last season.
Seth Lundy, PSU (G/F, 5700) – Not a lot of great options for Penn St on this slate. The senior is a proven guy however that is capable of big games. He plays mostly at the 4 so may be able to take advantage of some mismatches. Transfers, Wynter (G, 7200) and Funk (G, 7100) could eat into shot share but are hard to trust at a 25% price increase. Dread (G/F, 4900) does one and one thing only, and that’s shoot 3s, so limited upside with him.
Will Batchelder, H.C (G, 5300) – Holy Cross was holy hell terrible offensively last year. Gerrale Gates (F, 9600) could go out and get his, but we aren’t paying near 10k for a team projected to score mid 50s in points. Enter a pivot to the freshman point guard Batchelder who has played max minutes in the Crusaders first two contests. He’s also 7/15 from deep in those two games making him an interesting GPP option.
Marcus Sasser, HOU (G, 4700) – A national 1st team All-American is priced under $5k. Unless you are trying the “I’m going to play a backup QB as Captain in the Showdown slate in case the starter gets hurt,” you are playing Sasser in the highest over/under on the slate. I would expect massive ownership. Tramon Mark (G, 4600) is also underpriced as a long, athletic guard, but he’s played less than 25 minutes in both games as he works his way back from last season’s injury. If this game is close, I would think his minutes would increase. Jamal Shead (G, 8100) is a stat-stuffing pay-up option for the Cougars as well.
Kowacie Reeves, UF (G, 4500) – Kowacie splashed a couple of times last year, and @CBB_DFS was on it before it happened. Now in a new system he looks to be finding his way, but dude can score the basketball. At this price point, GPP only. He is securely starting at the 3, but is probably the 3rd or 4th option on the offense thus far.
Francisco Farabello, CRE (G, 3600) – All 5 starters are over 8300, so high risk high reward for those guys going against a team that ranked 327th in defensive efficiency last year. Farabello seems to be the guard they go to off the bench, so a dart option if this one gets loose.
Joe Octave, H.C (G, 3500) – The former Air Force Falcon has a jaw dropping 35% shot share through two games. He comes off the bench, but had 38.5 DK in his last game for Air Force and 16 and 7 in an opening day loss to Sienna. Assuming Creighton is scoring at will, Holy Cross might need some high-octane Octave to keep in reach of this one.
Jalen Gaffney, FAU (G, 3400) – As mentioned with Martin this is a deep team where 9 guys will get 10+ minutes even with Forrest (G, 8000) expected to miss again. That said Gaffney’s name should sound familiar, as he is a UConn transfer who banged for 3 years in the Big East prior to the down transfer. While not starting he is experienced and versatile. If he gets the expected 20 minutes he could return 6x.
FORWARDS WE LIKE
Colin Castleton, UF (F, 10,000) – We have mentioned this before, but when pricing is wonky sometimes you have to pay up somewhere when completing your builds. If you are in that spot today, go with a guy who is most likely to get a 50-burger. IMO, that is Castleton tonight against a guard-oriented FAU team.
Manny Bates, BUTLE (F, 9100) – You will have to overpay to get him, but the matchup is solid against an undersized Nittany Lion front court. Bates is off to a nice start scoring 25 points in the first game on a 33% shot share, adding 11 boards and 3 blocks as well. Matta has a proven track record utilizing big men and Bates is one of the best in the league. Probably a safer cash play but could get weird if the blocks start piling up. With Thomas (F, 7900) still out, Bates should play most of the game.
Jarace Walker, HOU (F, 8600) – Walker is the highest rated recruit ever to commit to Houston, so he’s got the pedigree. He’s taken 14 shots in each game so far and is averaging 10 boards per game. The price tag is high and this will be the best team Houston has faced so far, but he’s an elite talent in a pace up game, so probably best suited as a boom or bust GPP option at this price point. J’Wan Roberts (F, 4800) has double digits in each game so far including 19 points/12 boards last game. We’ve listed 5 Cougar options tonight for a reason. They are damn good, it’s the highest over/under on the slate, and Sampson doesn’t use a deep bench. We are pro-Cougars here @cbb_dfs.
Vladislav Goldin, FAU (F, 6300) – The 7’1 Russian played 30 minutes versus Ole Miss finishing with 19 and 9. On a team that lacks size, Goldin will be needed when FAU takes on Power 6 schools. The 30 minutes was a career high for Vlad, so temper expectations some, especially against Castleton, but he should still be good for cash builds. Contrarian play Giancarlo Rosado (F, 4300) is a decent GPP option. Rosado is smaller but more offensively gifted.
Dawson Garcia, MINN (F, 5900) – Remember him? The Marquette transfer who had a cup of coffee in Chapel Hill last season has been in full ball hog mode for the Gophers so far, commanding a 35% usage and 42% shot share. He has been dealing with some muscle issues which held him to 17 minutes last game, so keep an eye on his status, but if he can get 30+ minutes, he could easily eclipse 5x, especially if Battle (F, 8200) is out again.
Conner Vanover, ORR (F, 5500) – Vanover is back in our lives and boy oh boy does it feel good!! We loved the 7’5, 3-point shooting bean pole at Cal and even though things didn’t turn out at Arkansas the last two years, he’s getting his chance to fly again for the Eagles. He’s played 28+ minutes with double digit points, 6+ boards, and 6+ blocks in each game so far this season. He won’t like the physicality of Houston, but as long as he plays enough minutes, he’s generally hit value throughout his DFS career.
Daniel Batcho, TTU (F, 4900) – The Red Raiders are going to be balanced offensively and different guys will likely step up each night. The two-game sample size for Batcho reflects that, as he smashed in game 1 but plummeted back to this stratosphere in game 2. The good news is he’s almost $4k less than Obanor and has similar upside as an athletic 6’11 big man, so he’s a solid boom or bust option against a La Tech team that will have a hard time replacing Kenneth Lofton down low. You could also take a flyer on Kerwin Walton (G, 4500) off the bench, but he’s probably capped at a 5x return given his current role. I have no recommendations from the Bulldogs, as they are a bit overpriced and will have their hands full against Texas Tech’s elite defensive principles.
Javan Johnson, DPU (F, 4700) – The Blue Demons are dealing with some injured players already and surprisingly, Johnson isn’t among them. The journeyman wing is leading the team in minute share (80%) and filling up the stat line thus far, going 8x/5x in his first two games. The Gophers will certainly be a step up in competition, but they struggled defensively last season, so I still like Johnson at this price. You can also look at Anei (F, 5000) who should once again start at the 5 with Ongenda out again. Anei won’t score much but can fill up defensive stats (5 blocks last game) and grab a few boards.
Alex Fudge, UF (F, 4500) – The LSU transfer is the 3rd post for the Gators this year and when he is on the floor the ball is in his hands (27% usage, 26% shot share). We like the matchup here against a small FAU squad for both Fudge and starter CJ Felder (4300), but Alex has a bit more GPP pop.
Mason Miller, CRE (F, 4100) – The freshman forward saw his minutes go from 11 to 17 in game 1 vs 2. He’s knocked down two threes in each contest scoring 7 and 8 points with modest, but respectable rebounding production. If the Bluejays cover the 27 point spread, Miller should see even more floor time and could return 4-5x value.
PrizePicks
We have our PricePicks listed below for your consumption! If you are new to the game, don’t forget to use promo code CBBDFS for 100% deposit bonus. It helps us out a ton for notoriety and is a nice way to send some love!
If you already have PrizePicks there is also a donate option at the end of this thread. This is also another good way to show us some love for the free content! #antipaywall #keepcbbdfsfree
Brandon Slater
OVER 15.5 Pts+Rebs+Asts
I am going back to the Wildcat well that hit twice for me last week (once with Slater). This Nova team is not happy after the loss to Temple, so they are in a good ‘get right’ spot tonight against Delaware State.
– Joe
Arthur Kaluma
OVER 21.5 Pts+Rebs+Asts
Kaluma has 32% shot share and averages 7 boards per game on the young season. There is some blowout risk here, so we need a big first half, but Holy Cross is dreadful defensively so Kaluma should get OVER 21.5 PRA tonight.
– Byrd
BUCKETHEAD BONUS
Dawson Garcia
OVER 22.5 Pts+Rebs+Asts
Garcia may have quit on the national championship runner-up Tar Heels last season, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to quit on him! Garcia has sky-high usage and shot share right now and with Battle likely out again, Garcia should own the interior.
BUCKETHEAD PLAY OF THE DAY
Bucketheads! Looking add a little more sweat to your DFS lineups? Join us over at BetUS and put in a wager or two tonight!
Don’t forget BetUS will do a 125% deposit match is you use promo code “CBBDFS” when registering. To make it easy for you just click HERE!