NCAAB

College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Tuesday 1/15/19

At home against Notre Dame, Luke Maye carries a ton of upside as a result of North Carolina's high total. Who joins him as Tuesday's top DFS options?

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

March Madness is still two 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 includes a dozen games. Among them, we get a top-10 matchup between Virginia Tech Hokies and Virginia, though its 122.5 over/under is a spot to avoid with all the options at our disposal.

Tuesday, January 15th
West Virginia at TCU
USF at Cincinnati
#12 Kentucky at Georgia
Florida at #24 Mississippi State
Arkansas at #3 Tennessee
Rutgers at Purdue
#17 NC State at Wake Forest
#9 Virginia Tech at #4 Virginia
#15 Marquette at Georgetown
LSU at #18 Ole MIss
Notre Dame at #13 North Carolina
#10 Nevada at Boise State


Which players should you be targeting, and why?

Guards

Markus Howard, Marquette ($8,800): Markus Howard is really good at this basketball thing. After scoring 53 points less than a week ago, he went on to tally 26 points and 41.2 FanDuel points in Marquette's win Saturday over Seton Hall. It's because of that -- and his 35.8 FanDuel points per game -- his price tag is the second-highest on the entire slate. But he's just straight on fire lately, surpassing tonight's salary-implied output (35.2 FanDuel points at 4 points per $1,000) in three straight, while shooting 47.8% from the field and 44.8% from three -- both above his season averages -- over that span. This is just a great smash spot, too, with Georgetown ranked 128th in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom.com, and expected to allow 80.25 points to the nation's 15th-ranked team.

Terence Davis, Ole Miss ($7,900): Mississippi could go overlooked among the five teams sporting an implied total of 80 or more this evening. They are pegged for 80.25, and they take on LSU in the night's "other" SEC matchup (Tennessee and Kentucky are in action), which is third with a 156 over/under. Davis should reap all the rewards of the high-scoring game script, as he's tallied 15.7 points per game on a team-high 27.0% usage rate as well as 3.5 assists on a 23.8% assist rate. After throwing in 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks-plus steals a game, the senior has averaged 29.3 FanDuel points through 15 contests. He has shown the ability to go for as many as 46.4, which marked just one of his three 40-plus FanDuel point games this year. Take advantage of the sub-$8K price.

Devon Daniels, NC State ($6,100): On such a large slate, we're bound to get some value -- and we do have it -- but don't limit yourselves to shoe under $5,000; you can get value anywhere, and with Daniels that's in the mid-range. Fellow guard Markell Johnson is termed a game-time decision and appears more unlikely to play in a soft matchup after suffering a fall nine minutes into Saturday's win. His absence would vacate 7.4 shots and a 21.9% usage rate, part of which we can expect Daniels to scoop up, as he ranks second on the team in that category, at 23.8%. He could also see more than his usual 23 to 28 minutes on a team with the highest total (85.25) in a game with the highest over/under (161.5). Most of Johnson's 20-plus minutes off the bench should go to Eric Lockett ($4,600), though, making the senior a punt option at the guard spot.

Kenny Williams, North Carolina ($5,900): North Carolina is coming off of a really brutal loss at the hands of the Louisville Cardinals this weekend. But fortunately for them, they draw a Notre Dame (80th in adjusted efficiency margin) rated much lower than the Tar Heels' previous opponent -- and they'll remain at home. The Fighting Irish hold teams to a respectable 68.2 points per game, but they've given up 80-plus to three really good teams this year, so don't expect that trend to shift here; after all, the oddsmakers don't. UNC's 84.25 implied total is second on the slate by a single point, which puts a bunch of their players at the top of Tuesday's wish list. Below $6,000, Williams should provide the most bang for your buck, as he's tallied 25 or more FanDuel points in three of six, including five double-digit scoring efforts. And he put up a cool 29 in the Heels' last game over 80 points.

RJ Nembhard, TCU ($4,600): In years past, playing West Virginia would be a no-fly zone for opposing players. But this year, team is a mess, ranking 66th in adjusted efficiency margin, 112th in adjusted defensive efficiency and 204th in opponent points per game (72.4). Enter: TCU. At home, the Horned Frogs are six-point favorites with a nice under-the-radar total (78.75). However, it's an injury that directly shines light on Nembhard here. Guard Jaylen Fisher is out, leaving behind a starting spot, 24.1 minutes and 9.4 field goal attempts a game. That's a lot to fill, but the freshman from Keller, Texas has already been producing in Big 12 play, having put up 18.9 and 19.3 FanDuel points -- both double-digit points as well -- in the two games prior to a 2.2 stinker against Oklahoma. And again, TCU's back home, so take a starter getting 25 to 30 minutes at a price that can help you afford the night's monster upside plays elsewhere.

Forwards

Luke Maye, North Carolina ($8,000): If you're going with Howard -- or even ,Carsen Edwards ($8,500) for that matter -- you can't afford to pay up for an elite of elite stud at both positions. However, you can still get the upside of one with Maye. We've already hit on UNC's favorable matchup and high total, but Maye is positioned for yet another double-double outing. He has three in a row and seven such games to date, and the Fighting Irish check in 242nd in total rebounding and 240th in offensive rebounds allowed to the opposition. So long as this one's kept within reach (the Heels are 14.5-point home favorites) Maye should see around 35 minutes, giving him plenty of time to hit value and potentially go for 35 to 40 FanDuel points tonight.

Kyle Alexander, Tennessee ($6,500): Although we're opting for a slightly lower-priced Maye to guys like Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield, you can still get exposure to the Vols and their 82.25 total -- third on the slate. A 6'9" senior, Alexander is averaging 23.1 FanDuel points in 26.7 minutes a game, though he's fresh off a poor 10-point dud. Prior to that, however, he posted 30-plus FanDuel points in three of four games, topping 40 in a win over Missouri. His 7.9 rebounds are particularly juicy as he faces an Arkansas squad ranked 235th in rebound rate (49.4%).

Naz Reid, LSU ($6,500): If you'd rather not pay for a guy in a potential blowout, Reid is an option at the same exact price. Plus, he's a great tourney pivot given his volatility and LSU's healthy 76-point total. While the star freshman busted for 10.2 FanDuel points versus Alabama, he has sandwiched that with 38.4 and 36.4 FanDuel points against Louisiana-Monroe and Arkansas, respectively. When he's not limited by foul trouble -- as he was against 'Bama -- he is a double-double threat with a ceiling of 40 FanDuel points. Reid's 28.6% usage rate leads the team, and he has averaged 17 points through two conference games. Just remember: tournaments only.

Theo John, Marquette ($5,000): In a sort of mini-stack with Howard, you can target value in the Marquette frontcourt. Backup forward Ed Morrow is questionable with an ankle injury suffered in Saturday's game, which could spell more minutes for John, the usual starter. When Morrow exited early last game, John absorbed minutes, logging a season-high 30 en route to his second double-double of the year and 31.7 FanDuel points. That's back-to-back 20-plus games for the sophomore, and it also marked his second game of 30 or more. Most of John's upside stems from his blocking ability, as he's managed two or more blocks in nine games, most recently swatting seven across the team's last two games. If Morrow's ultimately ruled out, there's no reason to expect anything less than four-times value in this high-tempo, fantasy-friendly game.



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.