This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
DraftKings is hosting a $5K Big Jam on Monday, which pays out $1,000 to the winner. Conference play is beginning around college hoops, and nine of the 10 teams featured on Monday's slate are Power Five programs. Just two of the matchups have single-digit point spreads, but there's still plenty of DFS value to be found. Below are the expected totals and spreads for each team:
Top Players
Keegan Murray, G/F, Iowa ($9,000 DK, $8,500 FD)
Murray has the highest salary on Monday's DFS slate but has been one of the most consistent players in college basketball to begin the season. He's been especially productive recently, as he's shot 68 percent from the floor across the last three games while scoring 20-plus points in each of those appearances. The Terrapins are slightly more proficient on defense than some of the competition Iowa faced across the last three games, but Murray should remain heavily involved in what's expected to be one of the most competitive matchups on the slate. He's topped 50 fantasy points on DraftKings in two of the last three contests and has the potential to provide DFS value in spite of his lofty salary.
Bennedict Mathurin, G/F, Arizona ($8,400 DK, $8,400 FD)
The Wildcats have the highest expected total on Monday's slate, and they carry the largest spread of any matchup. The team has three players with a DraftKings salary of at least $7,600, but Mathurin has been the most consistent DFS contributor of the trio. He's had double-digit field goal attempts in five of the last six games and has shot 55.8 percent from the floor across that span. He had his best fantasy performance of the season in Arizona's last contest when he totaled 28 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals in the team's narrow loss to Tennessee, and he's had consistent production across the last month.
Middle Tier
Terrell Brown, G/F, Washington ($6,000 DK, $7,800 FD)
Brown's mid-tier salary on DraftKings is somewhat perplexing, and he has the potential to be one of the top values on Monday's slate. At his current salary, he would have provided 4x value in nine of his first 10 appearances of the season, and he's topped 40 fantasy points on DraftKings in four of the last seven games. While the Huskies are heavy underdogs against Arizona, Brown is familiar with Washington's opponent since he spent the 2020-21 campaign at Arizona. He leads Washington in usage this season and should be a valuable fantasy asset Monday.
Bryce Fowler, G/F, Sacramento State ($6,500 DK)
Sacramento State is the lone program on Monday's slate that isn't a Power Five school, and the team has the lowest expected total. However, Fowler has been consistently productive for the Hornets to begin the year, and he has double-digit scoring totals in each of his first 10 appearances in the 2021-22 campaign with at least five rebounds in nine of those outings. The senior's fantasy production has remained consistent regardless of the Hornets' opponent or final score, and he'll have another chance to prove himself against the team's third Pac-12 opponent of the season Monday.
Value Plays
Daejon Davis, G, Washington ($3,900 DK, $6,000 FD)
Davis is coming off his worst performance of the season, as he totaled just one point in the Huskies' loss to Utah Valley on Dec. 21. He'll attempt to bounce back following the team's lengthy layoff, but he's proven that he can be a valuable DFS contributor this year. The redshirt senior has served as a starter in each of the first 10 games of the season and has scored in double figures in just four of those appearances, but his well-rounded production has allowed him to produce double-digit fantasy points on DraftKings in eight of the first 10 games of the season. As long as he can return to form against Arizona on Monday, Davis should be a strong value play for the Huskies.
Justin Kier, G, Arizona ($4,200 DK, $4,900 FD)
Kier has served as a sixth man at Arizona after transferring from Georgia during the offseason, but he's had consistent playing time with at least 15 minutes on the court in 11 of his first 12 appearances of the season. He's logged double-digit scoring totals in four of his last seven appearances and has averaged 9.1 points and 2.7 rebounds in 21.0 minutes per game during that time. Since Arizona enters Monday's matchup as a heavy favorite, Kier should have plenty of opportunities off the bench once again.
