March Madness: DraftKings Tournament Plays for Saturday's Games
Yesterday, I broke down how each of the 64 teams in the NCAA Tournament fared against each position in terms of DraftKings fantasy points.
Now that might be helpful and all, and you may want to take that and run with it, but if you don',t I'm here to do some of the work for you. Here, I'll tell you which five players to target in your March Madness GPPs.
So, without further delay, what five players should you have in your DraftKings lineup today?
Want to know who will surprise, who will bust out, and who will take the tournament? Check out our bracket picks, our game simulator, and more!
Check It OutKevon Looney, UCLA - F ($7,200)
In his first two games back after suffering a facial injury, Looney hasn't done all that much. Against Arizona and SMU, the freshman forward managed just 11 combined points on 5 of 14 shooting from the floor. But, as we've seen with numerous players sporting a protective mask, it takes a couple games to get comfortable with it.
If Looney can do just that, he could be in for a big game. UAB ranks 59th, of the 64 tournament teams, against opposing power forwards -- and the Blazers haven't faced a player as talented as Looney. Look for a double-double from Looney.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Arizona - F ($7,300)
Hollis-Jefferson has been playing some great ball as of late, but his performance against Texas Southern might have been his best of the year. In just 24 minutes, RHJ put up 23 points on 7 of 9 from the floor and 9 of 10 from the free throw line. The versatile forward also tallied 10 boards, finishing the game with a double-double and 38.5 fantasy points.
Yes, Texas Southern does rank 50th against small forwards, but Ohio State isn't any better. The Buckeyes rank 61st against opposing threes and gave up 45 fantasy points to Michigan State's Denzel Valentine -- also a versatile forward -- in the Big Ten tournament. This should be one of the higher scoring games of the day, so a confident Hollis-Jefferson could really rack up the points fast.
Anthony "Cat" Barber, North Carolina State - G ($7,000)
The Wolfpack point guard has looked like a man on a mission during the past three weeks. Outside of a stinker of a game against Duke (when he finished with 11 fantasy points), Barber has been on fire. In the four games during that time span, he's averaged 19.25 actual points and 31.5 fantasy points per game, including a 17-point performance in a comeback win over LSU Thursday night.
That's all great, but now NC State faces Villanova and its great team defense. Well, kind of. Villanova's one weakness is defending the point guard position. Coming into the tournament, the Wildcats ranked dead last among tournament teams and allow an average of 27.55 fantasy points to opposing point guards.
Brice Johnson, North Carolina - F ($7,500)
Johnson is coming off a game against Harvard in which he struggled with foul trouble, playing a mere 22 minutes and scoring just 7 points on 2 of 7 shooting. I'd expect him to come into this game looking to put a stamp on a North Carolina win against Arkansas. He certainly has the ability to do so, but what about the opportunity?
He did struggle against Harvard, but Johnson will face an Arkansas team that ranks 56th of 64 teams against the power forward position, where Johnson normally plays on the court. Whether he's matched up with Alandise Harris or Jacorey Williams, Johnson should have his way. Both players are average defenders at best with Defensive Ratings of 100.1 and 99.3, respectively.
Andrew Chrabascz, Butler - F ($5,600)
Chrabascz isn't a top-level play by any means. He averages just 10.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game and put up 7 points and 5 rebounds against the Texas Longhorns in Butler's first round game. But, the Butler forward looked really good -- when you consider the size of the Texas bigs -- and finished the game with 18.25 DraftKings points.
In the second round, Chrabascz will have a much more favorable matchup against the Fighting Irish. In fact, the Irish rank dead last against opposing power forwards, giving up over 27 fantasy points per game to the position. And the Irish bigs were just torn up down low by Northeastern, and both Zach Auguste and Bonzie Colson finished with 4 fouls. Chrabascz is a sneaky low-end GPP play.