NCAAB

College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Monday 11/30/20

Consensus five-star freshman Ziaire Williams makes his collegiate debut for Stanford on Monday. Who else should we consider targeting?

College basketball season is finally here, and we have a four-game slate today.

March Madness is a ways off at this point, 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

Bryce Hamilton, Nevada-Las Vegas ($8,000) - Hamilton will play nearly the entire game (97.5% of the minutes), and he owns an impressive 35.4% usage rate, per KenPom. He's also one of the better rebounding guards in college basketball. The junior scored 27 points on 19 field goal attempts (11 more than any of his teammates) in the Nevada-Las Vegas season opener. Hamilton also grabbed eight rebounds and dished out four assists in 39 minutes of action.

Caleb Love, North Carolina ($6,900) - The five-star prospect did not disappoint in his North Carolina debut. The freshman posted a solid 23.8% usage rate, which led all Tar Heels' players who played 55% or more minutes, per KenPom. Love led all North Carolina players with 17 points. He also posted four assists, one rebound, and two steals in 26 minutes. Nevada-Las Vegas' 183rd-ranked defense, according to KenPom, should provide little resistance on Monday night.

John Petty Jr., Alabama ($6,200) - Petty Jr. enters this season with massive expectations after being named to the All-SEC preseason first team. Petty Jr. led all Crimson Tide players with 14 field goal attempts in game one of 2020. The senior guard is coming off a 2019 season in which he averaged 14.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.8 blocks/steals in 33.4 minutes. He's an appealing mid-tier target on this slate.

Wynston Tabbs, Boston College ($5,700) - Tabbs missed the entire 2019 season due to an injury. In 2018, the Boston College Eagles guard looked like one of the better freshmen in the ACC. Tabbs averaged 13.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.3 blocks/steals in 31.4 minutes. Fast forward to 2020, and Tabbs is fully healthy. He's coming off an impressive performance in his latest outing. Tabbs scored 16 points, collected 10 rebounds, dished out an assist, and recorded a steal in 35 minutes against the Rhode Island Rams.

Darin Green Jr., Central Florida ($4,800) - Green Jr. is the Central Florida Knights' top returning scorer from 2019 (10.1 points per game). Green Jr. figures to play a ton of minutes and should be heavily involved offensively with the Knights losing several productive players from last season. The season opener should be a good spot to target Green Jr. as the Knights are playing a major pace-up game with Auburn. Central Florida ranks 245th in KenPom's tempo rankings while Auburn ranks 113th. Jahvon Quinerly ($5,000) is also worth a look in a similar price range as Green Jr.

Forwards

Oscar da Silva, Stanford ($7,200) - da Silva can rack up fantasy points in a hurry due to his ability to contribute on both ends of the court. The Stanford Cardinal forward averaged 15.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 2.3 blocks/steals in 28.6 minutes last season. The matchup with Alabama should be an up-and-down affair. Alabama plays at a blazing fast pace as they check in at fourth in KenPom's tempo rankings.

Steffon Mitchell, Boston College ($7,000) - Mitchell recorded 10 double-doubles in 2019 en route to earning All-ACC honorable mention. The Boston College forward was also named to the All-ACC defensive team. Due to his ability to rack up stats in several areas, he's an intriguing target. It also helps that the senior will play nearly the entire game. Through two games this season, Mitchell is averaging 9.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 0.5 assists, and 3.5 blocks/steals in 37.0 minutes.

Armando Bacot, North Carolina ($6,600) - Bacot has monster upside due to his ability to rack up defensive statistics as well as asserting himself on the offensive end. In fact, he produced a stellar 0.95 FanDuel points per minute in 2019. The one thing that held Bacot back in 2019 was his ability to rack up fouls (averaged 4.2 fouls per 40 minutes, according to KenPom). That shouldn't be an issue against Nevada-Las Vegas. The Runnin' Rebels do not have any post players who average more than 3.1 fouls called per 40 minutes, per KenPom.

Jaylin Williams, Auburn ($5,900) - As a freshman in 2019, Williams spent most of the season as a bench player. He entered the rotation late last season and was able to rack up points and rebounds in limited minutes. Now, he’s a full-time starter for the rebuilding Auburn Tigers. The sophomore had a tremendous season opener in which he scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Williams' salary is affordable because he struggled in Auburn’s latest game against Gonzaga with foul trouble. He should bounce back against a significantly less imposing Central Florida squad. Central Florida ranks 83rd in KenPom’s defense rating while Gonzaga ranks 11th.

Ziaire Williams, Stanford ($4,700) - The nation's 8th-rated prospect in the 2020 class, according to ESPN, will make his debut for the Cardinal on Monday. Williams is expected to make an immediate splash alongside da Silva. Both Stanford forwards were named to the Naismith Trophy Watch List prior to the season (the nation's best player). Take advantage of Williams' cheap salary because it will rise as the season progresses.


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.