FanDuel College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 3/24/22
March Madness is upon us, and you can get into college hoops today by playing daily contests at FanDuel.
If you've played NBA DFS before, college basketball DFS is similar. You pick a total of eight players -- four guards, three forwards, and one utility spot. Stay within the $50,000 salary cap, and field the team you think will score the most fantasy points.
The scoring settings differ from NBA in the blocks and steals categories; each is worth two FanDuel points, rather than the three you get in NBA contests.
Now that you're in the know, let's attack today's main slate. All betting lines come from NCAAB odds.
And of course, remember to get those picks in for the GMC Mountain Climber Pick 'Em contest for your chance at $20,000 in prizes. And don't forget to reserve your Sierra.
Guards
Kyler Edwards, Houston ($7,500) - The Houston Cougars get a huge pace-up matchup versus the Arizona Wildcats. Houston sits 334th in adjusted tempo, per KenPom, while the Wildcats rank 5th. It's darn near the biggest pace-up matchup there can be in D-1 hoops. That makes all of Houston's players more appealing than usual, and the 145.5-point total is the second-best on the slate. Edwards has produced at least 31.2 FanDuel points in four straight games, and he's played at least 37 minutes in three outings in a row. He's my favorite way to get exposure to the Cougars.
JD Notae, Arkansas ($7,300) - The best DFS environment on the slate is the Arkansas Razorbacks' clash with the top-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs. Gonzaga is 6th in adjusted tempo, while the Razorbacks are 28th, and despite both teams ranking in the top 14 in adjusted D, this game sports a 155.0-point total -- which is 9.5 points higher than any other game's over/under. We've seen the Zags permit 72 and 78 points to the Georgia State Panthers and Memphis Tigers, respectively, through two tourney games. Notae -- who paces Arkansas with a 30.8% usage rate, according to Sports-Reference -- is averaging 32.2 FanDuel points per night for the season and had 37.3 last time out. He offers huge upside in this spot.
Rasir Bolton, Gonzaga ($5,200) - Bolton is a modest-salaried way to get in on the Bulldogs and to get access to the best game environment of the slate. Bolton has played at least 30 minutes in three consecutive contests and has scored 22.4, 11.0, and 21.9 FanDuel points in those games. He's averaging 17.7 FanDuel points per game for the campaign, and this game's 155.0-point total will be a rising tide that lifts all boats.
Adonis Arms, Texas Tech ($4,800) - A member of the All-Name Team, Arms is taking on a Duke Blue Devils defense that ranks just 43rd, and he's got a rock-solid floor, which is something I can get behind on a small slate. Arms has logged 28-plus minutes in three of the Texas Tech Red Raiders' last four games, and he's posted at least 17.4 FanDuel points in 12 straight contests.
Forwards
Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga ($8,900) - Holmgren and Drew Timme ($9,000) are in money spots and could crush. You could talk me into either one, but I lean Holmgren because I think Timme might be super chalky after his massive second-half showing versus Memphis. Holmgren went bonkers for 64.9 FanDuel points in the first round, and he's averaged 36.0 FanDuel points per game for the year, compared to 30.2 for Timme. With at least five combined blocks/steals in eight of his past nine games, Holmgren offers massive upside if you catch him on a good shooting night.
Mark Williams, Duke ($7,400) - In salary, Williams is near the bottom of a very stout top end of the forward player pool, a group that also includes Hunter Dickinson ($8,600) and Paolo Banchero ($8,300). This could backfire, but I'm really into Williams. For one, we don't have the means to get all the highest-salary guys. Secondly, I think Williams might slip through the cracks a bit if the masses try to jam in two or three of Holmgren, Timme, Dickinson, Banchero, and Bennedict Mathurin ($7,800). For the season, Williams is averaging 27.3 FanDuel points per game, and he's put up 37.6 and 40.9 FanDuel points in two tourney games. The matchup against an elite Texas Tech D stinks, but Williams is someone I like as a leverage play.
Jermaine Samuels, Villanova ($6,500) - The Michigan Wolverines rank 77th in adjusted defense and should have a lot of trouble slowing down the Villanova Wildcats. It's just hard to get too excited about rostering guys from a 'Nova team that checks in 345th in tempo. I can, however, stomach Samuels at this salary. He's gone for at least 28.6 FanDuel points in three of his past four outings, with a high of 39.9 in that span. That's a nice floor/ceiling combination.
Josh Carlton, Houston ($4,700) - Carlton is another way to get a piece of Houston in their pace-up matchup with Arizona. Carlton is pretty easy to like at this salary, as he's played at least 20 minutes in four consecutive games and has generated at least 15.2 FanDuel points in three of them. On March 12th and 13th, Carlton had 27.8 and 27.2 FanDuel points in back-to-back games. The clash with 'Zona gives him a shot to get up to those kinds of numbers.
