College basketball season is upon us, and we have a seven-game slate tonight.
March Madness is months away, 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 main slate, which locks at 5:00 p.m. EST.
Which players should you be targeting, and why?
Guards
Myles Powell, Seton Hall ($8,200) – Powell is one of the best scorers in the country. He’s topped 23 points in all four full games that he’s played in this season. The National Player of the Year candidate is averaging 1.19 fantasy points per minute. At that rate, he’ll hit value in 27 minutes of action. There’s a good chance he’ll play nearly the entire game against Oregon tonight as he averaged 36 minutes per game last season.
Devon Dotson, Kansas ($7,300) - The sophomore was expected to make a giant leap this season after a solid freshman season at Kansas. Through six games, Dotson is averaging 17.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.7 steals for the fourth-ranked Jayhawks. With the Jayhawks carrying the second-highest implied team total (76.5) on tonight's slate, Dotson is a great spend. The guard rarely leaves the court and leads the Jayhawks in field attempts.
Myles Dread, Penn State ($5,800) - Dread was the highest rated recruit in Penn State's 2018 recruiting class. After making 28 starts a season ago, the shooting guard was expected to make a big leap in his sophomore season. Through five games he's averaging 12.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.4 blocks/steals in only 24.2 minutes of action. Due to a combination of score and foul trouble, Dread's minutes have been kept in check. Look for him to play a ton of minutes against the Mississippi Rebels as this game should be competitive.
Admon Gilder, Gonzaga ($5,500) – Gilder has stepped up his aggressiveness on the offensive end in his final year at Gonzaga. The senior has scored at least 10 points in all six games this season. He’s recorded at least 21.5 FanDuel points in three straight games. He’s a nice option at a middling price tag.
Chris Duarte, Oregon ($4,800) - Duarte is the Oregon Ducks starting shoot guard. The junior college transfer hasn't fully blossomed in Oregon's system yet. However, Duarte scored eight points and stepped up defensively in the late stages of Oregon's 78-66 win over Houston. Perhaps he's on the verge of a breakout game. For his price tag and starting role, he's worth the roll of the dice. I wouldn't play him in cash games but he makes for an intriguing GPP play.
Forwards
Lamar Stevens, Penn State ($8,400) - Stevens is one of the best two-way players in the Big 10. The senior is averaging 16.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 2.8 blocks/steals in 30 minutes of action so far this season. He offers a combination of a solid floor and high ceiling. Stevens has recorded at least 21.2 FanDuel points in every game this season while tallying 40.1 and 46.1 FanDuel points in Penn State's last two games.
Obi Toppin, Dayton ($8,100) - The Dayton Flyers' is a solid selection for the third straight night. Toppin has scored at least 21 real-life points and 31.9 FanDuel points in all five games this season. Despite the tough matchup with the Kansas Jayhawks, the future NBAer has the talent to succeed in this contest.
Udoka Azubuike, Kansas ($6,500) – The Kansas center is one of the better fantasy points per minute contributors on this slate. Azubuike is averaging 28.82 FanDuel points in 25.8 minutes of action. At his current production level, he'll only need to log around 24 minutes to pay off his current price tag. The good news is that the senior has logged at least 26 minutes in games that have been decided by 15 points or less. With Kansas favored by four, Azubuike's minutes should spike up.
Sandro Mamukelashvili, Seton Hall ($5,200) – The 6’10 Mamukelashvili should have a massive size advantage tonight against anyone the Oregon Ducks run out on the court. The Seton Hall Pirates' big man leads the team in minutes played (134) and ranks second on the team in field goal attempts (49). Take advantage of his low-price tag while you can.
Corey Kispert, Gonzaga ($4,700) – Kispert is one of the few Gonzaga Bulldogs that plays a ton of minutes. However, he’s mired in a major shooting slump. The junior has made just three of his last 24 field goal attempts. Look for him to break out of his slump against the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles shaky defense (183rd in Ken Pom’s adjusted defense ranking).
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.