NCAAB

College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Wednesday 12/23/20

Matt Hiatt Dec 23rd, 2020
Illinois star guard Ayo Dosunmu headlines the Wednesday night slate. 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

Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois ($8,200) - Dosunmu is nearly a lock and load play on Wednesday night. The Illinois Fighting Illini star plays nearly the entire game and has the ability to contribute in every major statistical area. Dosunmu has a 30.4% usage rate, takes 32.7% of the team's shots when he's on the floor, and has a strong defensive rebounding rate (19.2%) and assists rate (27.5%), per KenPom. The junior has eclipsed 40 FanDuel points in six out of eight games this season.

Collin Gillespie, Villanova ($6,600) - The Villanova Wildcats guard plays a ton of minutes and owns a team-best 125.7 offensive rating, per KenPom. While his usage rate remains on the low side (20.6% per KenPom), he is an efficient scorer as he has a 52.9% effective field goal percentage. Additionally, he has a team-best 21.2% assist rate, per KenPom.

Jair Bolden, Butler ($5,500) - Bolden rarely leaves the court and isn't afraid to shoot the ball. The senior is averaging 34.0 minutes per game, and he's taking 26.1% of the Butler Bulldogs shots when he's on the floor, per KenPom. Throw in a matchup with the Providence Friars, which struggles defensively, and Bolden looks like one of the best mid-tier targets on the slate. Providence ranks 193rd defending three-point field goal attempts and 177th defending two-point field goal attempts, per KenPom. Pay attention to Aaron Thompson's status, as he's missed the last two games. If he sits out again, Myles Tate ($4,000) makes for a solid source of salary relief.

Armaan Franklin, Indiana ($5,000) - Franklin is the Indiana Hoosiers second-leading scorer (11.9 per game), second-leading assist man (2.7 per game), and leader in steals (1.3 per game). He is averaging 28.35 FanDuel points per game over the last four games. His solid form should continue in a matchup with the faster paced Northwestern Wildcats. Northwestern is 127th in KenPom's tempo rankings, while Indiana is 234th. I also like Butler's Chuck Harris ($4,900) as a solid source of salary relief in Aaron Thompson remains out.

Jared Bynum, Providence ($4,500) - Bynum is cheap, has a starting assignment, and will be on the court for most of the game. While his usage rate is low (16.2%), and he doesn't attempt a lot of shots (16.4%), he does have a team-best 26.1% assist rate, per KenPom. The sophomore is an adequate source of salary relief on Wednesday night and may be necessary if you're trying to jam in both Dosunmu and Jackson-Davis (see below).

Forwards

Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana ($8,000) - Jackson-Davis has been one of college basketball's most productive players so far this season. The Indiana forward is posting a 31.6% usage rate, owns strong rebounding rates, and has a massive 7.4% block rate, per KenPom. He's also taking 30.1% of the team's field goal attempts when he's on the floor.

Kofi Cockburn, Illinois ($7,200) - The seven-footer's salary is on the move but for good reason. The future professional is a monster on the glass and an elite rim protector. He's also an efficient player on the offensive end of the court. The sophomore owns a 64.9% effective field goal percentage, which is great considering he's taking 25.3% of the team's shots when he's on the floor, per KenPom. Additionally, Cockburn has recorded back-to-back double-doubles.

Jeremiah Robinson-Earl ($6,400) - Robinson-Earl is one of the best value plays on the entire slate. The sophomore is averaging 21.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.0 steals/blocks over the last two games. Yet, his salary remains very affordable in the mid-$6,000 range on FanDuel. His strong form should continue against the Marquette Golden Eagles' susceptible defense. Marquette is 69th in KenPom's defensive rankings.

Pete Nance, Northwestern ($5,600) - Nance is averaging 0.98 FanDuel points per minute. At that production level, Nance should pay off his salary in 22.9 minutes of action. The junior is averaging 26.8 minutes per game this season.

Bryce Nze, Butler ($5,000) - Despite leading the Bulldogs in rebounds (8.0 per game), assists (2.8 per game), steals (0.8 per game), and blocked shots (1.0 per game), Nze's salary remains on the low end of the spectrum. Add in the fact that he also leads the Bulldogs in usage rate (26.0%, per KenPom), and it's only a matter of time before Nze posts a monster box score.

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.