NCAAB

College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Tuesday 12/10/19

Matt Hiatt Dec 10th, 2019
Jalen Smith and the Maryland Terrapins headline Tuesday's slate. Who else should we be targeting?

College basketball season is upon us, and we have a six-game slate tonight.

March Madness is 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.

Which players should you be targeting, and why?

Guards

Christian Vital, Connecticut ($7,000) – Vital is one of my favorite plays tonight. The senior provides a stable floor with an incredible ceiling. He’s topped 21.8 FanDuel points in all eight games this season while topping out at 51.2 FanDuel points against Saint Joseph's. Tonight’s matchup with Indiana is a solid spot to target Vital. The Hoosiers’ defense checks in at 56th in Ken Pom’s adjusted defense ranking.

LJ Figueroa, St. Johns ($7,000) – Figueroa has the ability to rack up stats in a hurry on both ends of the court. St. John's (NY) leading scorer is averaging 14.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.9 blocks/steals this season. Figueroa has a fantastic matchup tonight with the defensive-deficient Brown Bears (185th in Ken Pom’s adjusted defense ranking).

Anthony Cowan Jr, Maryland ($6,900) – Cowan Jr. has seen his minutes increase dramatically as the Maryland Terrapins are finally playing competitive basketball. In the last five games, the senior is averaging 35.4 minutes per game, compared to 28.6 minutes per game in the first five games of the season. As a result, Cowan Jr. has topped 31.9 FanDuel points in four out of the last five games. However, his price tag still remains under $7,000.

Aaron Wiggins, Maryland ($5,500) – The sophomore’s price tag has fallen considerably as he’s suffering through a major shooting slump. He’s only topped 28.6% field goal percentage in one out of the last five games. The good news is that Wiggins continues to hoist up shots, as he’s attempted at least 11 shots in five out of the last six games. He’s severely underpriced if he starts making shots.

Myreon Jones, Penn State ($5,400) – Jones leads Penn State in minutes played per game (30) and assists (3). The emerging sophomore also ranks second on the team in points per game (13.1). With Penn State installed as a one-point favorite, Jones should have no problem paying off his cheaper price tag as he’ll be on the floor for nearly the entire game.

Eric Ayala, Maryland (4,400) – Cheap value plays are scarce on this slate. Ayala plays a ton of minutes and puts up plenty of shots. The sophomore has logged at least 28 minutes in four straight games. He’s fourth on the team in field goal attempts this season (8.7 per game).

Forwards

Jalen Smith, Maryland ($7,900) – The Maryland big man is a dominant force on both ends of the court. He’s averaging 13.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 3.4 steals/blocks in only 28 minutes of action. Expect Smith to continue his recent hot stretch as the Terrapins are taking on a Penn State team that was just throttled by Ohio State (allowed 106 points).

Jordan Nwora, Louisville ($8,000) – The National Player of the Year candidate is off to a fast start in his junior season. The Louisville forward is averaging 21.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He’s taken nearly 28% of the Cardinals’ shots this season. Nwora should see his minutes increase from his seasonal average of 30.1 to 34-35 tonight as the Cardinals are only seven-point favorites. He’s one of the top plays on the slate.

Josh Roberts, St. Johns ($6,200) – The Red Storm’s big man is a rim protector and a nightmare to guard for opposing centers. He’s averaging 7.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 3.3 blocks/steals in 26.6 minutes of action. Look for the emerging sophomore to have his way against the less talented Brown Bears.

Evan Battey, Colorado ($5,200) – While Battey doesn’t shoot a ton (6.1 field goal attempts per game), his ability to impact the stat sheet in every statistical category makes him viable in DFS. The sophomore is producing .87 fantasy points per minute. At his current price tag, he’ll only need to play 23.9 minutes to pay off his cheap price tag (assuming value is 4x of player’s price tag). He’s logged at least 24 minutes in four out of the last five games.

Matthew Hiatt is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Matthew Hiatt also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username easternmh. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her 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.