NCAAB

College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Monday 12/16/19

Matt Hiatt Dec 16th, 2019
Chris Clarke and the Texas Tech Red Raiders are in a fantastic spot on Monday night, who else should we be targeting?

College basketball season is upon us, and we have a two-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

Chris Clarke, Texas Tech ($7,100) – With star freshman Jahmi’us Ramsey likely to miss another game, Clarke should continue to start and log heavy minutes. Clarke is one of the top fantasy points per minute producers on the slate (.96 fantasy points per minute). He’s logged at least 31 minutes in four straight games. Clarke is my overall top play of the slate.

Kyler Edwards, Texas Tech ($6,800) - With an implied team total of 77 (slate high), the Texas Tech Red Raiders' players are obvious targets on this short slate. The shooting guard plays a ton of minutes and contributes on both ends of the floor. Edwards is averaging 10.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.6 blocks/steals in nearly 32 minutes. He’s recorded at least 19.3 FanDuel points in all nine games this season.

Xavier Johnson, Pittsburgh ($6,600) – Johnson leads the Pittsburgh Panthers in scoring (12 points per game) and assists (4.9 per game). He’s logged the second-most minutes (32.7 per game) and is attempting 10.4 shots per game. This is a fantastic spot for Pittsburgh’s best player, as the Panthers have an implied team total (67) that is 3.5 points higher than their season average (63.5)

Eugene German, Northern Illinois ($6,400) – German is the Northern Illinois Huskies' best player. The senior is averaging 20.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.6 blocks/steals in 32 minutes. He’s scored at least 12 real-life points in all 10 games this season. While the matchup with Pittsburgh is an obvious step-up in competition, that’s offset by his middling price tag.

Terrance Shannon Jr., Texas Tech ($6,100) – Shannon Jr. has also benefited from Ramsey missing time due to an injury. With Ramsey sidelined (three games), Shannon Jr. is averaging 24.03 FanDuel points. The freshman is in a fantastic spot against the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles' atrocious defense. The Golden Eagles are 238th in Ken Pom’s adjusted defense ranking.

Ryan Murphy, Pittsburgh ($4,700) – Murphy is the best cheap play on the slate. The Pittsburgh guard leads the Panthers in minutes played (33 per game) and is tied for the most field goal attempts (10.4 shots per game). While his fantasy value is tied mainly to his three-point shot, he should see plenty of open looks against Northern Illinois’ vulnerable defense (114th in Ken Pom’s adjusted defense ranking).

Forwards

Tyler Stevenson, Southern Mississippi ($6,500) – Stevenson is coming off his best game of the season. The forward scored 27 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and recorded 2 steals in 34 minutes in USM’s 72-69 loss to North Florida. Stevenson is averaging .87 fantasy points per minute. He’s played at least 29 minutes in three out of the last four games. While the matchup is brutal (Texas Tech is 7th in Ken Pom’s adjusted defense ranking), Stevenson’s upside is worth the roll of the dice at a thin forward position.

TJ Holyfield, Texas Tech ($5,800) – Holyfield is a boom or bust player as he can rack up fouls in a hurry (four straight games with four-plus fouls). If he can stay out of foul trouble, the upside is well worth the current price tag (two games with at least 30 FanDuel points). I’m going to bet on him against the less talented Golden Eagles.

Eric Hamilton, Pittsburgh, ($5,300) – The senior played 18 minutes or less in the Panthers’ first six games. Over the last four games, Hamilton has logged at least 23 minutes as he’s shown that he’s one of Pittsburgh's best rebounders (at least eight rebounds in four out of the last five games). Hamilton remains underpriced, despite recording at least 22.6 FanDuel points 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.