NCAAB

College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 1/16/20

Matt Hiatt Jan 16th, 2020
Freshman phenom Isaiah Stewart headlines the Thursday slate. 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

Payton Pritchard, Oregon ($8,100) - The Oregon Ducks' floor general has a 27.5 usage rate and is taking 27.2% of the Ducks' shots when he's on the floor per Ken Pom (both lead the team). He's currently ranked ninth in Ken Pom's player of the year standings. The matchup with Washington State is extremely appealing. The Cougars are 116th in Ken Pom's adjusted defense ratings. Backcourt mate, Chris Duarte, also has an appealing price tag ($5,700).

Tyler Bey, Colorado ($7,300) - Bey is one of the best two-way players in college basketball. The junior is averaging 13.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 3.2 blocks/steals in 27.5 minutes. He's in a fantastic spot as the Buffaloes travel to Arizona State. Arizona State likes to push the tempo and they are also vulnerable on defense. That's a great combination for DFS. The Sun Devils are 23rd in Ken Pom's adjusted tempo ratings and 59th in Ken Pom's adjusted defense ratings.

Nico Mannion, Arizona ($6,100) - The likely one-and-done Mannion is averaging 0.83 FanDuel fantasy points per minute. At that production rate, Mannion should pay off his current price tag in 27.5 minutes. The freshman is averaging 30.9 minutes per game. Add on a matchup with the defensive-deficient Utah Utes (161st in Ken Pom's adjusted defense ratings), and Mannion looks like one of the best value plays on the slate. Teammates Josh Green ($6,200) and Zeke Nnaji ($7,000) are also good plays.

Alex Lomax, Memphis ($5,400) - The Memphis Tigers' point guard is a force on both ends of the court. Lomax is averaging 8.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.3 blocks/steals. His ability to rack up stats in multiple categories makes him an appealing target. He's also seen his minutes increase as of late. Lomax has played at least 26 minutes in three straight games, which is up from his seasonal average of 24.2 minutes.

Rylan Jones, Utah ($4,900) - The freshman point guard is an elite three-point shooter (averages 48.4% from beyond the arc). While the matchup with the Arizona Wildcats isn't ideal (18th in Ken Pom's team ratings), they are susceptible to the three ball. The Wildcats are allowing opponents to shoot 31.5% from the three-point line (106th in the nation at defending the three-ball per Ken Pom). Jones is one of the better plays under $5,000 on the slate.

Forwards

Precious Achiuwa, Memphis ($8,000) - Achiuwa has been phenomenal in his rookie season for the Memphis Tigers. The freshman is averaging 1.18 FanDuel fantasy points per minute, which is best on the slate. At his production rate, he should pay off his steep price tag in 27.2 minutes of action. He's played at least 29 minutes in three straight games (topped 41 FanDuel points in all three of those games).

Isaiah Stewart, Washington ($7,400) - Stewart leads the Washington Huskies with a 26.6 usage rate. The freshman also takes 27.7% of the Huskies' shots when he's on the floor, per Ken Pom. On top of that is a juicy matchup with the Oregon State Beavers. The Beavers are 135th in Ken Pom's adjusted defense ratings.

Jaden McDaniels, Washington ($6,300) - Washington utilizes a short rotation, which makes several of their players intriguing for DFS purposes. McDaniels logs a ton of minutes and hoists up a lot of shots. The freshman is averaging 33.2 minutes and 11.2 field goal attempts per game. He's also posted back-to-back double-doubles. He's one of the best middle-tier targets on the slate. Nahziah Carter is also an appealing option for the Huskies ($5,800).

Killian Tillie, Gonzaga ($6,300) - Tillie owns a respectable 21.7 usage rate and takes 26.1% of the Gonzaga Bulldogs' shot attempts when he's on the floor. Tillie has exceeded 21 FanDuel points in four consecutive games. He's in a phenomenal spot as the Bulldogs host the Santa Clara Broncos. Santa Clara is 139th in Ken Pom's adjusted defense ratings. They also play up-tempo as they rank 48th in Ken Pom's adjusted tempo ratings.

Jeff Pollard, Washington State ($4,700) - The Cougars' forward is averaging 0.70 FanDuel fantasy points per minute. At his production rate, Pollard should pay off his price tag in 27 minutes of action. The good news is that Pollard has seen an increase in playing time as of late. He's logged at least 30 minutes in each of the last three 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.