Friday night's four-game Sweet 16 slate is a doozy, and for DFS players looking for an edge, we've crafted our favorite DraftKings lineup with the intention of landing in the money when the final buzzer sounds. Our lineup features three elite frontcourt players, a steady lead guard, and several other undervalued guards with breakout potential whom we think won't garner as high of a roster percentage, giving us some differentiation.
Before we break down all of our picks, here are the most notable scoring rules for DraftKings contests: Made three-point shot (+0.5 points), rebound (+1.25 points), assists (+1.5 points), steals and blocks (+2 points), double-double (+1.5 points -- max one per player) and triple-double (+3 points -- max one player).
Friday Night NCAA Tournament DraftKings Picks: College basketball Sweet 16 DFS lineup for GPP tournaments
Friday night four-game featured slate, $50,000 budget
G Ryan Nembhard, Creighton vs. Princeton ($7,100)
Given Nembhard's ability to aid in the scoring (12.3 ppg), rebounding (4.0 rpg), and assists (4.8 apg) departments, he makes a case to be priced like fellow stud guards Marcus Sasser ($8,000) and Souley Boum ($7,900). With Nembhard priced almost $1,000 cheaper than both of those guards, we'll take advantage of his $7,100 price tag in a plus-matchup against Princeton (OPRK 120th). Nembhard's coming off a 41-DK point effort in the Bluejays' win over Baylor, dropping a career-high 30 points on eight-of-13 shooting. While it's unlikely he drops 30 for a second consecutive game, Creighton's most-utilized player could still put up 20-plus points, giving him a shot to record 30-plus DK points.
G Tramon Mark, Houston vs. Miami ($6,900)
Like Nembhard, Mark's coming off a career-best day in Houston's 17-point win over Auburn, totaling 26 points on nine-of-17 shooting. Expect Mark to utilize his elite ability to get downhill and attack the rim against an exploitable Hurricane interior defense allowing opponents to connect on 51.6 percent of their two-point attempts (246th in D-1). Mark's the cheapest of Houston's backcourt trio and presents the best value at $6,900. He'll also hold his own on the boards, averaging 6.8 rebounds over his past six games.
G Tyrese Hunter, Texas vs. Xavier ($5,400)
In a game with the highest over/under of Friday's slate (149), we think Hunter could be in for an above-average scoring night, making him an appealing start at $5,400. Hunter hasn't gotten as much attention this season playing alongside Marcus Carr and Sir'Jabari Rice in the backcourt but he's still capable of posting a 20-plus point showing any given day. Hunter's averaged 36 minutes per game through two NCAA Tournament games and draws a juicy matchup against a Xavier defense ranking 341st against guards.
F Jack Nunge, Xavier vs. Texas ($8,200)
Nunge's got a real chance to exploit an undersized Texas frontcourt on Friday night. The seven-foot senior could end up being the leading scorer in Texas-Xavier given he'll likely garner a high number of paint touches along with the ability to dominate the glass while converting second-chance scoring opportunities. He's also the team's most efficient offensive weapon, donning a 121.3 offensive rating to go along with a 57.9 eFG%.
F Norchad Omier, Miami vs. Houston ($7,900)
Omier is going to have his hands full containing the Cougars' relentless frontcourt on the defensive end of the court, but we're still rostering Miami's go-to big man in a game he'll play close to 40 minutes in (if he can avoid foul trouble) while most likely posting a double-double. Omier is Miami's lone dominant frontcourt piece and will need to hold his own on the glass if the Hurricanes have any shot to stay competitive with the top-seeded Cougars. Omier's also coming off a dominant effort in Miami's Round of 32 win over Indiana, corraling 17 rebounds and putting up 32.8 DK points.
F Nathan Mensah, San Diego State vs. Alabama ($5,400)
Mensah's another big who'll need to put together a solid two-way performance for the Aztecs to keep their Final Four aspirations alive. Mensah could give Alabama's interior defense some issues given he's connected on 55 percent of his two-point attempts this season while averaging over seven rebounds per game in his past four outings. Mensah's only played an average of 18.5 minutes per game through two NCAA Tournament games, but look for that number to be closer to 25 minutes against a big and physical Crimson Tide frontcourt, giving him a chance to score 25-to-30 DK points.
UTIL Micah Parrish, San Diego State vs. Alabama ($4,800)
While Parrish's volatility could scare some DFS players away from rostering him, we're going to take our chances with the 6-6 floor spacer. Parrish could chunk up a good number of threes against an Alabama defense that entices opponents to hoist threes. Alabama's made that strategy work so far this season, sporting the third-best defensive three-point scoring rate, but at times opponents have had success shooting the three-ball against them. Alabama's opponents have hoisted three's on 30.1 percent of their shot attempts (11th in D-1), and Parrish is likely to attempt a high number of SDSU's threes on Friday night. If he's on his game, watch out.
UTIL Bensley Joseph, Miami vs. Houston ($4,300)
We'll finish our build with Joseph, who could potentially play 25-to-30 minutes with fellow guard Wooga Poplar nursing a back injury. Poplar's yet to practice and will likely be labeled a game-time decision, and if he isn't able to go, Joseph's a real steal at $4,300. Joseph's coming off a 27.8 DK-point effort in Miami's last game, (seven points, five rebounds, five assists, one block, two steals) and Joseph didn't even shoot at an efficient clip from the floor (two-of-eight FG). Don't be turned off by Joseph's 6-2 frame, as the sophomore's a high-energy reserve who'll leave it all on the floor and can help negate Houston's elite rebounding abilities.
