College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Tuesday 1/14/20
College basketball season is entering conference play, and we have a ten-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?
Relevant Injury Situations: Kansas point guard Devon Dotson is expected to play. Texas Tech guard Terrance Shannon Jr. and Dayton forward Obi Toppin are questionable (Toppin is trending toward playing). Wake Forest guard Chaundee Brown is unlikely to play, and the same goes for Missouri forward Jeremiah Tilmon.
Guards
Tre Jones, Duke ($7,800) - Jones has picked up his play in the last two games with the Duke Blue Devils missing highly touted freshman Wendell Moore Jr. Jones topped 42 FanDuel points in both of those games. With Moore Jr. expected to miss a significant amount of time, look for the sophomore to log monster minutes and stay aggressive on the offensive end.
Landers Nolley II, Virginia Tech ($6,800) - The freshman has a shot percentage of 33.4 and a usage rate of 32.8. Both of those numbers rank inside the top 25 in college basketball per Ken Pom. Up next is a phenomenal matchup with the defensive-deficient and fast-paced Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Virginia Tech is 315th in Ken Pom's adjusted tempo ratings while Wake Forest is 93rd. The Demon Deacons are 136th in Ken Pom's adjusted defense ratings.
Collin Gillespie, Villanova ($6,300) - Gillespie leads the Villanova Wildcats with a 24.3 usage rate per Ken Pom. The junior guard is averaging 14.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.4 blocks/steals in 31.7 minutes. As the Wildcats have entered conference play, Gillespie has seen an increase in minutes. He's logged at least 34 minutes in five out of the last six games.
Marcus Garrett, Kansas ($5,200) - Garrett took over the point guard duties for almost the entire second half of the Kansas Jayhawks loss to Baylor on Saturday. Star point guard Devon Dotson sat out the second half of the game due to a hip injury. With Dotson battling a hip pointer, Garrett could find himself once again as the main ball handler (if Dotson is limited or sits out). Even if Dotson plays his normal allotment of minutes, Garrett is still a good play at his current price tag due to his ability to contribute on both ends of the court. The junior is averaging 9.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.9 blocks/steals in 28.7 minutes.
Wabissa Bede, Virginia Tech ($4,800) - While Bede isn't known as a scorer, he's viable due to his cheap price tag and ability to contribute in all relevant statistical categories. Bede is the Virginia Tech Hokies' best defender and averages 4.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.4 blocks/steals in 29.2 minutes to go with 5.6 points per game. Fellow wing, Tyrece Radford, is also viable at $5,600. The freshman is averaging .88 FanDuel points per minute.
Forwards
Jordan Nwora, Louisville ($7,700) - Nwora owns a shots percentage of 31.9 and a usage rate of 29.0 per Ken Pom. Basically, he's a volume shooter/scorer. Nwora is ranked third in Ken Pom's Player of the Year Standings. On top of that is a great matchup against the Pittsburgh Panthers. Pittsburgh is allowing their opponents to shoot 32.4% (142nd) from the three-point line and 46.8% (102nd) from inside the three-point line per Ken Pom. Nwora is a good forward to spend on this slate.
Udoka Azubuike, Kansas ($6,900) - The old school center is an elite rebounder and shot-blocker. The Kansas big man is averaging 1.09 FanDuel points per minute. At his current production rate, he should pay off his current price tag in around 25.5 minutes of action. Azubuike has logged at least 26 minutes in 10 out of the last 11 games.
Saddiq Bey, Villanova ($6,300) - Bey continues to play heavy minutes and launch a ton of shots. The Villanova forward has attempted 25 shots in the last two games while also playing 76 out of 80 possible minutes. He should have plenty of opportunities to put a dent in the stat sheet in a major pace up game for the Wildcats. Villanova is 273rd in Ken Pom's adjusted tempo ratings while DePaul is 69th.
Josh Nebo, Texas A&M ($6,100) - Nebo has topped 31 FanDuel points in four out of the last six games for the Texas A&M Aggies. The senior leads the Aggies in points (11.5 per game), rebounds (7.8 per game), and blocks (2.1 per game). His 28.2 minutes per game rank second on the team. This is a good time to target Nebo as the Aggies take on the fast-paced but defensively challenged Louisiana State Fighting Tigers. LSU is 100th in Ken Pom's adjusted defense ratings. They are 97th in Ken Pom's adjusted tempo ratings (Texas A&M is 328th).
Micah Potter, Wisconsin ($4,900) - The Wisconsin Badgers finally unleashed the Ohio State Buckeyes' transfer in their 58-49 win over Penn State Nittany Lions. The Badgers' big man scored 24 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and blocked a shot in 28 minutes. He's averaging 1.23 FanDuel fantasy points per minute through six games. Potter is one of the best value plays on the slate.
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.
