College basketball season is upon us, and we have a six-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 7:00 p.m. EST.
Which players should you be targeting, and why?
Guards
Nate Pierre-Louis, Temple ($7,400) - Pierre-Louis is the Temple Owls' second-leading scorer (12.3 points per game) and leading rebounder (8.6 per game). However, it's his ability to rack up defensive stats that makes him so valuable in DFS and real-life. The Temple guard is averaging three blocks/steals per game. Pierre-Louis will almost always guard the opposing team's best player, which is one of the reasons he played nearly 35 minutes per game a season ago.
Marcus Zegarowski, Creighton ($7,300) - The Creighton Bluejays rely heavily on Zegarowski on the offensive end to log huge minutes. The sophomore leads the Bluejays in scoring (19.4 points per game) and plays the second-most minutes (34.7 minutes per game). He also leads the team in field goal attempts (14.3 per game). With a slate-high implied team total of 78.5, Zegarowski makes for a fantastic option.
Tyrell Terry, Stanford (6,700) - Terry has a solid floor due to his ability to contribute on both ends of the court. He's recorded at least 22.6 FanDuel points in 9 out of 10 games this season. The freshman is averaging 15.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.1 steals in 30.3 minutes. With the second-highest implied team total on the slate (75.75), Terry is a good choice at a reasonable price tag.
Jahaad Proctor, Purdue ($5,100) - Proctor has been the one consistent player for the Purdue Boilermakers so far this season. The senior guard leads Purdue in points (13.3 per game), field goal attempts (11.5 per game), and minutes played (31.6 per game). On tap is a matchup with the Ohio Bobcats' susceptible defense. Look for Proctor to produce one of his best games, as the Bobcats are 164th in Ken Pom's adjusted defense ranking.
Sasha Stefanovic, Purdue ($4,400) - The sophomore's price tag hasn't caught up to his starting assignment and increased minutes. Since joining the starting lineup (three games), Stefanovic is averaging 13.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 2.0 blocks/steals in 30.3 minutes.
Forwards
Kristian Doolittle, Oklahoma ($7,600) - Doolittle is a force on both ends of the court for the Oklahoma Sooners. The senior forward is averaging 16.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.7 blocks/steals in 31.5 minutes of action. Doolittle has seen his minutes increase as of late, as he's logged 38 minutes in each of the last two games. Doolittle should have no problem taking advantage of Creighton's thin frontcourt.
Oscar Da SIlva, Stanford ($7,000) - Da Silva leads the Stanford Cardinal in points (17.4 per game) and rebounds (5.6 per game).The German is hoisting up nearly 20% of the team's field goal attempts. The matchup with the San Francisco Dons is phenomenal. The Dons struggle defensively (195th in Ken Pom's adjusted defense ranking) and also like to push the pace of the game (81st in Ken Pom's adjusted tempo ranking). That combination should certainly enhance Da Silva's box score.
Brady Manek, Oklahoma ($6,200) - The junior has scored at least 10 real-life points in all nine games this season. Over the last two games, Manek is averaging 15.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.0 assist, and 2.0 blocks in 31 minutes of action. However, his price hasn't budged. With a high-scoring affair anticipated between Oklahoma and Creighton (over/under of 153), Manek is a good choice at a middling price tag.
Kerry Blackshear Jr., Florida ($6,600) - The Florida Gators' big man is averaging 13.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.8 blocks/steals in 27.9 minutes. Blackshear Jr.'s price has cratered after two down games. The matchup with the Providence Friars represents a huge pace-up game for the Gators (Providence ranks 67th in Ken Pom's adjusted tempo metric while Florida is 311th). Get Blackshear Jr. while he's still cheap; he's a good bet to top 30 FanDuel points for the fifth time this season.
Trevion Williams, Purdue ($4,800) - Williams is a monster fantasy points per minute producer. The Purdue big man is averaging 1.03 fantasy points per minute this season. The only thing that holds him back is playing time. Williams played 18 minutes or fewer in each of the Boilermakers first seven games. He's logged at least 18 minutes in each of the last three games. With Matt Haarms doubtful with a concussion, Williams' playing time should be solidified against the Ohio Bobcats. He should easily pay off his price tag if he logs at least 18 minutes for the fourth consecutive game (assuming value is 4x of a player's price tag).
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.