Today is the real start of the NCAA Tournament, and the largest slate of college basketball games you will ever find. It only happens twice a year, on the first two days of the NCAA Tournament.
This is like Christmas Eve and Christmas morning to me. I cleaned up some NIT slates to build some bankroll for this slate. It's like a national holiday. The most important thing to remember on these two slates is that blowouts happen, and using players from mid-major teams is often a good idea. Picking the correct one(s) is the tricky part.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy college basketball lineup picks on DraftKings for 3/19/26, starting at noon EDT. I’ll give multiple player suggestions at guard and forward, aiming to highlight one option at the salary scale's high, middle, and lower levels. Good luck, RotoBallers.
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Today's DraftKings Guards - CBB DFS Lineup Picks
Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas ($9.5K)
Hawaii plays “no switch defense.”
What does this mean? They don’t allow many assists. But, a Hawaii basketball player is going to have to guard Darius Acuff 1v1 with ZERO HELP😅
They also drop coverage on every screen. It’s been their bread and butter in conference play.
If… pic.twitter.com/cX4hOZgST8
— Razorbackology (@arkrazorbackx) March 17, 2026
I will not build a lineup without Darius Acuff Jr. in it today. I usually play several different combinations on a large slate like this and limit my exposure to players, even plays I really like, to about 60%. Not today. Why?
Hawaii purposely will not switch on defense, trying to force offensive players into isolation. That's a place where many college players struggle. Not Acuff. He is the best isolation scorer in college basketball, and it's not close.
Florida is the only team to hold Acuff under 30 DraftKings points since February 1. I'll be shocked if Hawaii manages to hold Acuff under 30 actual points without some kind of switch in defensive philosophy.
Ryan Conwell, Louisville ($8.1K)
Mikel Brown Jr. is expected to miss the weekend, meaning that Louisville will have to lean heavily on Conwell and J'Vonne Hadley again. The two picked up the slack well when Brown was out for six weeks earlier in the season.
Conwell didn't have fewer than 24 DK points in any game while Brown was out, and even cleared 50 DK points a couple of times. South Florida loves to get out and run, so this should be a high-scoring game.
It could be hard to cram both Conwell and Acuff in the same lineup. I'll do it once, but I will also have several with Hadley instead due to the $900 savings. The floor is about the same, but Conwell's ceiling is higher.
Larry Johnson, McNeese ($7.4K)
If McNeese is going to spring another upset, it will be because of Johnson. This is a trendy upset pick, partially because McNeese did it last season. However, this is not a great matchup.
McNeese plays fast and furious, relying on the chaos to create turnovers. Vanderbilt will also run with you, but they are one of the best in the tournament at taking care of the ball.
That doesn't mean that Johnson or other McNeese pieces are bad plays. McNeese is still going to score some points. This game should still be around the 80-point mark for both teams.
Johnson is the volume scorer for the Cowboys. Vandy is not a great defensive team, so you'll get to see him light it up again. He has only been held under 10 points once in the last two months.
Pop Isaacs, Texas A&M ($5.7K)
I'm not a huge fan of the matchup, but anytime you have a guy who can shoot like Pop at a price like this, it's time to pay attention. Saint Mary is a tough defensive team, but Isaacs is heating up just in time for March.
He has 96.2 DK points in three March games. Even though the Aggies were ousted early in Nashville, Pop was still the best player on the floor for the Aggies (for fantasy purposes).
He will get just enough open looks against the Gaels to make this tempting. What's more encouraging is the rebounds (19) and assists (14) this month. That makes for a nice floor, especially at this price.
Cayden Boozer, Duke ($5.1K)
Cayden Boozer vs Virginia Last night in the ACC Championship..
16 PTS (6-12 FG, 1-1 3PT)
5 REBS
4 AST
1 STLI always like his game.. I know it probably won’t happen.
But if I had a late lottery or mid 1st rd pick, id draft him for long term purposes.. pic.twitter.com/jEB7sGvYm8
— Frankie Vision (@Frankie_Vision) March 15, 2026
The lesser-known of the Boozer twins is getting a lot of playing time with veteran guard Caleb Foster out. Boozer put up 83 DK points in the last four games with Foster out of the lineup. He is the only true point guard in the rotation right now.
Duke should coast against Siena, but it is also imperative for them to get Boozer as comfortable as possible since he came off the bench for the first four months of the season. Boozer should see plenty of run in this game.
Kennard Davis Jr., BYU ($4.1K)
The loss of Richie Saunders for BYU has sent the Cougars into a bit of a spiral. The good news is that Davis is helping to pull them out of it. Davis has been a bigger part of the offense lately, scoring in double figures in three of the last four games.
He went cold against Houston, but don't hold that against him. Houston does that to everyone. Davis will have plenty of chances with Texas clamping down on AJ Dybantsa and Robert Wright III.
Also consider: Nick Boyd, Wisconsin ($9.2K); Kingston Flemings, Houston ($8.5K); Wes Enis, South Florida ($7.8K); Seth Trimble, North Carolina ($6.9K); Amari McCottry, St. Louis ($6.6K); Tyshawn Archie, McNeese ($6K); Jayden Pierre, TCU ($5.6K); Michael Belle, VCU ($5.2K); Dame Sarr, Duke ($4.9K); Isaac McKneely, Louisville ($4.7K); Hunter Erickson, Hawaii ($4.5K); Cale Jacobsen, Nebraska ($4.2K); Chendall Weaver, Texas ($3.8K)
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Today's DraftKings Forwards - CBB DFS Lineup Picks
Henry Veesaar, North Carolina ($9.4K)
The Carolina offense runs through Veesaar now that Caleb Wilson is out. The bad news is that Carolina has had issues with teams that can match Veesaar's size. VCU can't do that.
As far as matchups go, this is one of the better ones for the Tar Heels. Life without Wilson has been tough on the Heels, but Veesaar usually isn't the reason. He has topped 40 DK points four times in nine games with Wilson out, even breaking 50 a couple of times.
Veesaar has a high ceiling if the Tar Heels run the offense through him against the Rams (as they should). If he can stay out of foul trouble, a big game could be in store.
Robbie Avila, Saint Louis ($7.6K)
The NCAA is righting a wrong done to us in 2024. We deserved to have Avila and Indiana State in the NCAA Tournament that year. Larry Nerd fever was at its highest. It could have been glorious.
Instead, Indiana State lost in the NIT Championship to Seton Hall. Avila and his coach left for the Billikens days later.
Saint Louis is the No. 9 seed in the Midwest Region, meaning we FINALLY get to see Robbie Avila in March Madness! 🤓 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/x4ts2dcbzO
— College Sports Only (@CSOonX) March 15, 2026
This isn't just about the guy with more nicknames than anyone else in college basketball. He's 6-foot-10 and can play all over the court. Avila is a matchup nightmare for the Bulldogs, and the only shot Saint Louis has at winning this game.
Amir Taylor, Kennesaw State ($6.1K)
Kennesaw is in the top-15 nationally in rebounds. Gonzaga will be without Braden Huff, so we could still see the Owls bring down a ton of rebounds in this game.
I have my doubts as to whether Kennesaw can score enough to hang around, but Taylor has scored in double figures in each of the last six games. He played a ton of minutes in the Conference USA Tournament and played well.
The price is right to see if he can keep it going into the NCAA Tournament.
Jarin Stevenson, North Carolina ($5K)
Veesaar has been the guy making the most noise with Wilson out, but Stevenson has been very steady as well. He's not the offensive player that Veesaar is, but Stevenson is a capable scorer and is strong on the boards.
Stevenson has at least 20 DK points in eight of the last 10 games. That's a great bargain in this price range.
Also consider: AJ Dybantsa, BYU ($10K); Rashaun Agee, Texas A&M ($8.6K); Izaiyah Nelson, South Florida ($7.8K); Matas Vokietaitis, Texas ($7.4K); Isaac Johnson, Hawaii ($7K); Lazar Djokovic, VCU ($6.4K); Rienk Mast, Nebraska ($6K); Somtochukwu Cyril, Georgia ($5.7K); Austin Rapp, Wisconsin ($5.2K); Jerrell Bellamy, Troy ($4.9K); Berke Buyuktuncel, Nebraska ($4.3K)
