College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Wednesday 11/25/20
College basketball season is finally here, and we have a five-game slate tonight.
March Madness is right around the corner, 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 slate, which locks at 6:00 p.m. EST.
Which players should you be targeting, and why?
Guards
Remy Martin, Arizona State ($8,000) - Martin has received several preseason accolades including being named to the Associated Press preseason All-American team. The senior point guard led the Arizona State Sun Devils in minutes per game and ranked second with a 29.4% usage rate last season, per KenPom. He’s in a great spot to start the season as the Sun Devils match up with the fast-paced and defensive deficient Rhode Island Rams. Rhode Island ranked 60th in tempo and were KenPom’s 96th ranked defense last season. Opposing point guard, Fatts Russell ($7,900), is also a solid play.
Alonzo Verge, Arizona State ($6,300) - Expectations are high for Verge after a phenomenal freshman season in 2019. The shooting guard is a fantastic scorer and will look to continue that success this year. Last season, Verge scored 20 or more real-life points in seven games (including a 43-point performance). There should be plenty of possessions in the Arizona State-Rhode Island game as both teams rank within KenPom’s top 60 teams in tempo.
Wynston Tabbs, Boston College ($5,800) - Tabbs has been praised as Boston College’s best scorer. He returns for the 2020 season after sitting out the 2019 season with an injury. As a freshman in 2018, Tabbs averaged 15.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. DJ Stewart Jr. ($5,900) is also worth a look in Tabbs' price range.
Caleb Love, North Carolina ($5,200) - Love was the 14th ranked overall recruit in the class of 2020. The point should excel in North Carolina’s past faced offense. The freshman is expected to take on a scoring role this season and has been compared to former Tar Heel great Ty Lawson. Arizona State’s highly touted freshman Joshua Christopher ($5,200) is also worth a look at the same price tag as Love.
Deivon Smith, Mississippi State ($4,200) - Smith was a top-100 recruit and will likely start at point guard in the season opener. The freshman is noted for his excellent ball-handling skills. With the Mississippi State Bulldogs losing their top four scorers from 2019, expect Smith to take on a massive role to start this season.
RJ Davis, North Carolina ($3,000) - With Anthony Harris sidelined for the season opener, expect the highly-regarded freshman to play heavy minutes for the Tar Heels. The versatile guard has the ability to play point guard and shooting guard. He’s drawn praise from his teammates for his play in the preseason. The best part is his salary is the bare minimum. Davis looks like a great source of salary relief on opening night.
Forwards
Garrison Brooks, North Carolina ($8,200) - Brooks should take on a more active role this season with Cole Anthony and his sky-high usage rate (29.3% per KenPom) now in the NBA. Brooks ended the 2019 season by averaging 23 real-life points over the Tar Heels final seven games. The North Carolina big man should have little trouble posting a monster box score against College of Charleston’s vulnerable defense. The Cougars ranked 169th in KenPom’s defensive rankings last season. Frontcourt mate, Armando Bacot ($6,600), also has an appealing price tag.
Aamir Simms, Clemson ($7,300) - Simms is back for the 2020 season after leading the Tigers in points (13.0), rebounds (7.2), and assists (2.6) in 2019. He’s in a great spot to start the season as the Clemson Tigers square off with Mississippi State. Mississippi State is not expected to be a solid defense team as they enter this season as KenPom's 90th ranked defense.
Jermaine Earl-Robinson, Villanova ($6,500) - Robinson-Earl is back for sophomore season at Villanova after withdrawing from the NBA draft. The power forward averaged 10.5 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.6 blocks/steals in 32.7 minutes as a freshman last season. With 2019 leading scorer, Saddiq Bey, now in the NBA, look for Robinson-Earl to take on an even larger role this season.
Abdul Ado, Mississippi State ($5,200) - Ado is an excellent rebounder and a defensive standout. He won’t have to compete for rebounds this season as he’s the only one out of the Bulldogs’ top five rebounders to return for the 2020 season. Additionally, as noted above in the Smith section, the Bulldogs lost a ton of scoring production from 2019. If Ado can get a little more involved on the offensive end, he could post some monster box scores this season.
Marcus Bagley, Arizona State ($4,800) - Bagley and fellow freshman teammate Joshua Christopher are both consensus top 30 prospects in the 2020 class. Bagley is noted for his sharpshooting and versatility. That will come in handy as the freshman can guard multiple positions and will need to rebound for the Sun Devils. Arizona State lost its top rebounder from 2019 in Romello White. Arizona State center Jalen Graham ($4,400) was an elite shot-blocker in limited minutes last season. His role is expected to increase this season and makes for a fine play.
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.
