NCAAB

College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 1/2/20

Matt Hiatt Jan 2nd, 2020
Tres Tinkle is in a good spot against Utah on Thursday night. Who else should we be targeting?

College basketball season is entering conference play, 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

Ethan Thompson, Oregon State ($7,200) - Thompson leads the Oregon State Beavers in minutes (34.9 per game) and assists (4.7 per game). He's taken the second most field goal attempts (11.8 per game) on the team and is the Beavers' second leading scorer (15.8 per game). On tap of that, he's in a great spot against the vulnerable Utah Utes' defense. The Utes are ranked 164th in Ken Pom's adjusted defense metric.

Tyler Bey, Colorado ($6,800) - Bey is one of the best two-way players in college basketball. The junior is averaging 12.5 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 3.3 blocks/steals in 27.3 minutes. His price tag has declined significantly after a few average performances. Despite the recent struggles, he still owns a 24.3% usage rate, which leads the Colorado Buffaloes.

Quade Green, Washington ($6,200) - The Washington Huskies' point guard has scored at least 11 points and dished out six assists while playing at least 34 minutes in three straight games. On tap is a matchup with the defensive-deficient UCLA Bruins. The Bruins are 199th by Ken Pom's adjusted defense. Green is a solid play at a middling price tag.

Jaime Jaquez Jr., UCLA ($4,900) - The freshman is playing a ton of minutes and taking a lot of shots for the struggling UCLA Bruins. Over the last five games, Jaquez Jr. is averaging 11.0 field goal attempts in 28.2 minutes of action. He also topped 30 FanDuel points in three out of the last five games. However, his price tag hasn't adjusted to his recent production as he's still listed under $5,000.

Sasha Stefanovic, Purdue ($4,400) - Stefanovic has started each of the last six games for the Purdue Boilermakers. Known as a sharpshooter, Stefanovic's presence on the court is much needed for a Purdue team that struggles to score. The sophomore has played at least 24 minutes in all six of his starts. If his jumper is falling, he has 30-FanDuel-point upside. That's hard to find at his cheap price.

Forwards

Tres Tinkle, Oregon State ($8,200) - Tinkle is one of the best college basketball players that you're rarely hear about. The Oregon State big man is averaging 1.18 fantasy points per minute. At his current production rate, he'll hit value in 27.8 minutes of action (assuming value is 4x of player's price tag). Tinkle has logged at least 31 minutes in four out of the last five games.

Obi Toppin, Dayton ($8,100) - Toppin is having a monster sophomore season for the Dayton Flyers. The Flyers' forward is averaging 19.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 2.4 blocks/steals in 31.3 minutes. He provides a solid floor (at least 23.9 FanDuel points in every game) with a high ceiling (seven games with at least 35 FanDuel points). Toppin is one of the best plays on the slate.

Nahziah Carter, Washington ($6,100) - Carter is a valuable DFS asset because he plays a ton of minutes and contributes in every statistical category. The junior is averaging 13.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 2.5 steals/blocks in 31.8 minutes. As noted above, this is a fantastic matchup for Washington; UCLA is in the midst of a three-game losing streak. They've allowed at least 74 points in all three losses.

Jaden McDaniels, Washington ($6,000) - The Huskies are a good team to target as they play only six to seven guys on a consistent basis. The former McDonald's All-American is averaging 0.76 fantasy points per minute. At his current production rate, he'll hit value in 31.5 minutes of action. McDaniels has logged at least 33 minutes in five consecutive games.

N'Faly Dante, Oregon ($4,300) - Dante is now eligible after missing the first nine games of the season. The projected lottery pick played a season-high 22 minutes in the Oregon Ducks' last game. With the Ducks potentially missing two frontcourt players, Dante should see plenty of action. He's too cheap for his talent level and expected playing time.


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.