NCAAB

College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Friday 11/30/18

Ethan Happ has been putting up huge numbers to start the year, and a matchup with Iowa shouldn't slow him down. Who can help you pay up for him on Friday night?

College basketball season is back! And this year, with it comes the return of college basketball DFS.

March Madness is still four months away, but you can get in all the college hoops hype by playing daily contests at FanDuel today. If you've played NBA DFS before, it's quite simple: pick a total of eight players -- four guards, three forwards and one utility spot you can use for either position. Stay within the $50,000 salary cap and field the team you think will score the most fantasy points.

Where scoring differs from NBA is in the blocks and steals categories, with each worth two FanDuel points apiece rather than the three you get in daily NBA contests.

Now that you're in the know, we can attack today's main slate, which locks at 7:00 p.m. EST and consists of four games, featuring a matchup of Big Ten foes and top-25 teams, in the 14th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes and 22nd-ranked Wisconsin Badgers.

Which players should you be targeting, and why?

Guards

Kerwin Roach II, Texas ($8,600): The Texas Longhorns don't find themselves in a high-profile matchup, and their game's 134.5 over/under is dead last on the slate. However, thanks to a head-to-head with Radford, KenPom.com's 134th-ranked team and 146th-ranked defensive in adjusted efficiency, they possess a slate-high 74.75 implied total as 15-point favorites. Averaging the second-most FanDuel points per game (36.2) among tonight's guards, Roach leads all relevant Longhorns with a 25.6% usage rate, according to Sports Reference. He's averaging 18.6 points on 15.0 field goal attempts a game, as well as assisting on 29.7% of his team's made field goals while on the floor.

D'Mitrik Trice, Wisconsin ($7,300): By pace of play and the potential for points, this early Big Ten clash is the game to stack where possible. The 142.5 over/under is second on the slate, and as a result, both teams are implied at 70 or more points. The Badgers are working with a 72-point total as they look to benefit from a jump in pace, with the Hawkeyes -- 59th in adjusted tempo -- averaging 7.7 more possessions per 40 minutes. To reap the rewards in the Wisconsin backcourt, look no further than Trice, who's off to a great start to 2018, averaging 26.1 FanDuel points on 17.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.0 steals per game. He's shooting 48.2% from the floor while using 24.6% of the team's possessions, trailing only Ethan Happ (more to come on him) among Badgers starters.

Jordan Bohannon, Iowa ($6,000): On the flip side, Iowa checks in with a very respectable 70.5 total. Wisconsin is 11th defensively, but the Hawkeyes benefit from being at home, where they should be able to push the pace and play their style of game. Bohannon is the guard to target on that side, because his 4.8 three-point attempts and 4.8 free throw attempts provide a nice blend of floor and upside. And speaking of that upside, he just totaled 26.4 FanDuel points on the back of 12 points and 6 steals last game out.

Matt Coleman III, Texas ($5,800): At a much lower price than his backcourt mate, Coleman is in play due to the juicy matchup. While he's only putting up 18.4 FanDuel points a game, the sophomore has eclipsed 20 FanDuel points in four of six games, maxing out at 29.1 in the season opener. He has three games of 13-plus points and three more with at least 4 assists. The upside is there with Texas expected to be the highest-scoring squad of the evening.

Thomas Dziagwa, Oklahoma State ($5,800): We don't get the names that come with Iowa/Wisconsin, but fellow Big Ten foe Minnesota meets Oklahoma State in what the sportsbooks expect to be the single highest-scoring contest, carrying a 146.0 over/under. It should also be close, as the Golden Gophers are just 2.5-point favorites, keeping all the main rotation guys in play on both sides. That includes Dziagwa, who's playing 29.0 minutes and producing 19.8 FanDuel points a game. He averages just 7.7 field goal attempts a game, but the wide majority of them (6.2, to be exact) come from deep, where he's hitting at a 59.5% rate.

Forwards

Ethan Happ, Wisconsin ($9,100): When it comes to fantasy plays, Happ is on another elite of the elite level. How ridiculous has he been? Not only is he averaging 42.5 FanDuel points, but to date he ranks second in the Big Ten in usage rate (34.1%), assist percentage (40.0%), rebound percentage (23.0%) and player efficiency rating (32.3). He is putting up 18.0 points, 12.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.0 blocks a game while taking a team-high 14.9 shots. He started off the year with a triple-double, and including that one he's managed 4 games with 40-plus FanDuel points (2 with 50). If you can find a good punt or value play, paying for Happ is a no-brainer.

Jordan Murphy, Minnesota ($8,200): If you are unable to justify a cheap play to couple with Happ, Murphy comes with similar upside at a more palatable price tag. The 6'6" senior forward has averaged 33.9 FanDuel points, including two games of 40.9 or more. His floor is 25 FanDuel points, though that's discounting the high total that comes with facing a decently-paced Cowboys team (109th in adjusted tempo). And he could easily blow past his 12.2 rebounds per game, with OK State rated 228th with just a 50.0% total rebounding rate.

Dylan Osetkowski, Texas ($7,400): If you aren't into Roach at his high price, Osetkowski offers the same exposure to the 'Horns but at a more cost-sensitive salary. His 20.8% usage isn't that of a primary offensive option, nor are his 9.2 field goal attempts top-two on the team. Nonetheless, the senior forward has turned 30.7 minutes into 12.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 0.7 blocks (26.2 FanDuel points) on a per-game basis, and he's already notched three double-doubles so far this year. Facing that same level of competition, look for him to produce a big stat line at home.

Reggie Perry, Mississippi State ($5,000): This play hinges upon the status of Abdul Ado, who has missed the team's last two games with a back injury. Without a ton of reports on the issue, it would appear that Ado's on track to play, though we don't exactly know if he's 100% or if he'll take on his usual starter's role. If Ado can't go or is held out of the starting lineup, the freshman Perry would get the start. He's started the last two, and in the second of the pair he tallied 34.2 FanDuel points with 16 points and a double-double to his credit. This game isn't the top priority due to the low total, but Dayton's outside the top 100 in adjusted defensive efficiency, so the Bulldogs should score enough points for Perry to reach or flirt with four-times value.



Brett Oswalt is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Brett Oswalt also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username BRO14THEKID. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.