This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
Nine games make up our player pool for Tuesday night's slate. DraftKings has included Georgia and Tennessee players, but that game has been moved to Wednesday evening, so ignore those (and honestly, why doesn't DK just remove them?) The largest tournament comes with another $2,000 for first place and a $7,500 total prize pool.
College Basketball DFS Picks for Tuesday, January 27
There's a ton to get excited about with this slate. Michigan - Nebraska looms as a meaningful game, but scoring will be readily available throughout the slate. Seven teams come with totals in the 80s, neither of which are Marquette or Creighton, who come with a narrow 1.5-point spread. There don't appear to be any real stinkers on this slate, so we're not able to fully ignore any side. And while there are some obvious games and players to target, maybe we'll get lucky with some lower roster percentages from the likes of UCF.
Injuries need to be monitored somewhat heavily here. Alabama is a bit of a mash unit. UConn could be without Braylon Mullins, but no Husky really saw an uptick in minutes Saturday after he played just 20 minutes, and now Vandy's Duke Miles is uncertain, which could create a bargain option if he's out.
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College Basketball DFS Top Players
Darius Acuff, G, Arkansas ($9,400)
This looks like a game where we want to target both sides; it has a 166.5 point total and narrow spread, but it's not easy to do so as the Razorbacks are priced up. While Oklahoma has a narrow rotation, none come with tremendous form/consistency. When that happens, I'm always content to just take the top option and look elsewhere for value. Acuff has a 28.8 percent usage rate over his last seven, five times reaching at least 42.25 DKP. If you're looking to build a more balanced lineup, Trevon Brazile ($7,600) and Xzayvier Brown ($7,100) are my preferences.
Mark Mitchell, G/F, Missouri ($8,300)
Our college basketball lineup optimizer really likes the Tigers here, particularly in the bargain territory. I'm not one to fully question that rationale, but Missouri (just barely) isn't one of the teams with 80+ point expectancy, and while it's an obvious paced-up spot against the Tide and their eighth-ranked tempo, per KenPom, my preference is to take their ace and move on, or perhaps fade the Tigers all together. Mitchell gives us position flexibility, and is in solid form, being one fantasy point away from a 4x return in four of his last five. The potential paced-up matchup allows for a 5x+ ceiling.
Check out RotoWire's college basketball starting lineup data to view recent stats, usage trends and identify potential DFS value plays.
Middle Tier
Jamichael Stillwell, F, Central Florida ($6,800)
I'm certainly in on teammate Themus Fulks ($7,800), and Stillwell likely doesn't have the same ceiling potential, but we've got a nice price dip here after Stillwell missed a game last week. It didn't result in a lack of minutes upon return, and it looks like a great spot to get some frontcourt depth from him here. Arizona State is allowing points in bunches; at least 80 in seven of its last nine. And they rank 288th in offensive rebounds allowed. Stillwell is averaging 3.7 offensive boards over his last 11. Given pace and rebounding chances, there s some double-double hope.
Trey Kaufman-Renn, F, Purdue ($6,600)
Don't we kind of have to play Kaufman-Renn when the price is so reduced like this? Obviously the form is terrible, creating that drop in stature (Kaufman-Renn doesn't have a double-double since January 7). Indiana is a far different team than it was a year ago, but that unit held Kaufman-Renn to eight rebounds in two games. He also topped a 30.0 percent usage rate, and that can remain the potential Tuesday. While not an elite matchup, Purdue can flirt with 80 points, and I find the talent to be too great to at least not list him here and force you to make the decision with your builds.
Collin Chandler, G, Kentucky ($5,600)
Kentucky's rotation is a mess on a nightly basis, so I'd fault no one for completely ignoring Blue Blue's options. Chandler's price is rising, which is usually something I try to avoid, but there's no denying the short-term form. He's averaging 14.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals over his last three, playing 29.7 minutes. He's taken 19 shots over the last two games, and while nothing is guaranteed, I'll take a shot here on Chandler's minutes and opportunities remaining steady.
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College Basketball DFS Value Plays
Johann Grunloh, F, Virginia ($4,900)
The Cavaliers, despite the metrics, look like a nice spot to target value Tuesday. Notre Dame comes in a decent 68th in defensive efficiency and 301 in tempo, but the Irish have allowed 81 points in each of their last three losses. Virginia doesn't have an option priced at $7,300 and has four viable choices at $5,400 or less, so it's a pick-your-poison type of situation where I like grabbing any as the last piece in your build. Grunloh has only two double-digit scoring efforts across his last 11, so it's a no-ceiling type of play, but he gives us a cheap frontcourt option that can give us a 3x return.
Damarius Owens, F, Marquette ($4,500)
This is a really intriguing game, both in real life and for fantasy purposes, given the decent point total and extremely narrow spread. And for fantasy, we really don't have an ace on either side to rely on. As such, I'll swing on Owens, who has scored at least nine points in four straight, averaging 10.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals. The price dip against teammate Ben Gold ($5,900) is the kicker for me, as we don't need massive output from Owens. It's a six-man rotation here, and if Owens can find some success early, he can feature more than the price suggests.
Tyler Harris, G, Vanderbilt ($3,700)
He's only an option if Miles can't play, and even then, you may be better off considering Tyler Tanner ($9,200) over Acuff at the top end. But Harris has shown very capable when given expanded minutes, albeit none have come against SEC foes. It's absolutely a wait and see play as we get closer to tipoff, but there's legitimate 10x potential if he's forced into a prominent role.
