NCAAB

College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Monday 12/28/20

Matt Hiatt Dec 28th, 2020
Marcus Carr headlines Monday night's three-game slate. Who else should we consider targeting?

College basketball season is finally here, and we have a three-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 7:00 p.m. EST.

Which players should you be targeting, and why?

Guards

Marcus Carr, Minnesota ($8,700) - Carr plays nearly the entire game, takes a ton of shots, and the matchup with Michigan State should be a fast-paced affair. The Minnesota star leads the Golden Gophers in usage rate (28.9%), percentage of shots taken when on the court (29.6%), and assist rate (39.7%), per KenPom. The junior is also averaging 36.5 minutes of action. Both Minnesota and Michigan State rank inside KenPom's top 45 in tempo.

Brad Davidson, Wisconsin ($6,300) - Davidson has been phenomenal in Big Ten play, averaging 13.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.0 steals in 31 minutes. He also provides a solid floor, as he's recorded 24.4 FanDuel points in five straight games.

Jermarl Baker Jr., Arizona ($6,100) - Baker Jr. is the Arizona Wildcats' top offensive player. He owns a 132.6 offensive rating and takes 26.3% of the Wildcats' shots when he's on the floor. Both of those numbers lead the team, per KenPom. The matchup with Colorado is difficult (23rd in KenPom's defensive rankings), but Baker will likely be on the floor for most of the game. The junior has logged 70 minutes over the last two games.

Rocket Watts, Michigan State ($5,400) - We are going to want to get as much exposure to the Spartans-Gophers game as possible. The 152-point total is 13 points higher than either of the other two games. As noted above, this game should be played at a blazing pace. Watts is the Michigan State point guard and should have plenty of opportunities to make plays on Monday night. The sophomore owns a healthy 25.7% usage rate, and he's also taking 28.4% of the team's shots when he's on the floor (team-high), per KenPom.

Joshua Langford, Michigan State ($4,700) - The former McDonald's All-American is finally healthy after missing two seasons with a foot injury. Langford is coming off a season-high 30 minutes in Michigan State's latest game. He managed to score eight points, grab two rebounds, and record two assists. Despite scoring eight points, Langford shot the ball terribly as he only connected on 33% of his field goal attempts. If he can start knocking down shots, he should easily pay off his salary. On the plus side, Minnesota doesn't have a lockdown defense. The Golden Gophers are 58th in KenPom's defensive rankings.

Forwards

Joey Hauser, Michigan State ($7,200) - Hauser is the Spartans' leading scorer (14.0 per game) and rebounder (8.6 per game) despite averaging only 23.6 minutes. Over the last four games, he has seen his playing time increase up to 25.5 minutes per game while averaging 16.5 points, 7.25 rebounds, 2.75 assists, and 1.25 steals (30.6 FanDuel points). He's a great spend even though he's the highest-salaried forward on this slate.

Aaron Henry, Michigan State ($6,700) - Henry is intriguing due to his ability to impact the box score on both ends of the court. The junior owns a team-high 27.2% usage rate, 5.4% block rate, and 3.3% steal rate, per KenPom. His 27.5% assist rate (per KenPom) ranks second amongst all Spartans. With Big Ten playing starting, Henry is likely to see his minutes increase, as coach Tom Izzo typically starts to shorten his rotation. Henry played at least 33 minutes in six out of the Spartans' final seven Big Ten games a season ago.

Micah Potter, Wisconsin ($6,500) - Potter is Wisconsin's leader in points (13.1 per game) and rebounds (7.1 per game). He owns a 124.8 offensive rating, 26.7% usage rate (leads team), and takes 24.6% of the team shots when he's on the floor, per KenPom. Throw in a matchup with a Maryland Terrapins squad that struggles defensively and Potter is a solid target on Monday night. Maryland is 84th in KenPom's defensive rankings.

Both Gach, Minnesota ($6,000) - Gach is averaging 0.78 FanDuel points per minute. At that production level, he should pay off his salary in 30.7 minutes of action (assuming value is 4x of a player's salary). Gach has played at least 33 minutes in each of the last two games.

Nate Reuvers, Wisconsin ($4,500) - Reuvers has been a major disappointment this season after being named to the Preseason All-Big Ten team. We need salary relief on this slate, and Reuvers provides it. At some point, he's going to regain his form from last season and post a monster box score. He has a starting assignment and takes 25.2% of the team's shots when he's on the floor, which is a team-high, per KenPom.

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.