NCAAB

College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Monday 12/30/19

Matt Hiatt Dec 30th, 2019
Precious Achiuwa should continue his recent hot stretch. Who else should we be targeting on Monday night?

College basketball season is upon us, and we have a four-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 6:30 p.m. EST.

Which players should you be targeting, and why?

Guards

Charlie Moore, DePaul ($7,600) - The DePaul Blue Demons guard is a valuable DFS commodity, as he logs a ton of minutes and attempts a lot of shots. Moore leads the Blue Demons in minutes played (34.9 per game), points (16.5 per game), assists (6.7 per game), and field goal attempts (13.8 per game). On a slate lacking top-end guard plays, Moore stands out.

Collin Gillespie, Villanova ($6,300) - Gillespie has recorded at least 21.2 FanDuel points in nine consecutive games. The junior guard has also logged at least 35 minutes in Villanova games decided by nine points or fewer (four games). With Villanova installed as a six-point favorite, Gillespie should be on the court for almost the entire game. That's good news for the Wildcats' second-leading scorer (14.2 per game) and top assist man (4.9 per game).

Brandon Robinson, North Carolina ($5,600) - Robinson has struggled shooting the ball in each of the last five games. Over those five games, the North Carolina guard is 11 of 37 in field goal attempts. Robinson made 49.4% of his field goal attempts last season, so, at some point, his shooting is bound to improve. Despite the shooting slump, Robinson is averaging 21.03 FanDuel points over the last three. He remains underpriced with Cole Anthony sidelined.

Anthony Nelson, Seton Hall ($4,100) - This play is contingent upon Myles Powell's availability. Powell is reportedly doubtful for tonight's contest after sustaining a concussion two weeks ago. If he misses the game, Nelson is the best value play on the slate. In two games without Powell, Nelson averaged 11.0 points, 1.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 2.5 steals in 36.5 minutes of action.

Jeremiah Francis, North Carolina ($3,900) - Francis has settled in as the Tar Heels' point guard with Cole Anthony sidelined. His minutes have increased in three straight games from 15 to 23 to 28. However, his price tag has not accounted for his increased role. In the last two games, the freshman averaged 11.5 points, 1.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.0 steals. At $3,900, he's a solid value play.

Forwards

Paul Reed, DePaul ($8,300) - Reed is a menace on both ends of the court. The junior is averaging 15.5 points per game, but it's his ability on the defensive end that makes him so valuable. Reed is averaging 10.9 rebounds and 4.9 blocks/steals in 32.2 minutes. Reed's upside is unmatched on this slate, as the DePaul forward has topped 40 FanDuel points in 5 of 13 games this season.

Precious Achiuwa, Memphis ($7,700) - The five-star recruit was part of a loaded Memphis Tigers 2019 freshman class. Achiuwa is dominating both ends of the court. The freshman is averaging 14.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 2.8 blocks/steals in 27 minutes of action. On tap is a juicy matchup with the Tulane Green Wave. Tulane is 222nd in Ken Pom's adjusted defense ranking.

Saddiq Bey, Villanova ($6,600) - The sophomore is averaging 15.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.2 blocks/steals in 31.1 minutes. The matchup with Xavier isn't great (24th in Ken Pom's adjusted defense ranking), but Bey should play a ton tonight, as his size will be needed against Xavier's strong front line.

Garrison Brooks, North Carolina ($6,600) - Brooks has stepped up his production with Cole Anthony out. In three games without Anthony, the junior averaged 15.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.7 blocks/steals in 33.3 minutes. That equates to 30.3 FanDuel points per game. Grab him before his price tag increases.

Armando Bacot, North Carolina ($6,200) - The five-star center is the Tar Heels' most important player with Cole Anthony sidelined. Bacot is averaging 1.08 fantasy points per minute, which is third-best on the slate. At his current production, he'll pay off his price tag in 23 minutes of action (assuming value is 4x of player's price tag). The freshman has logged at least 25 minutes in three out of the last four games. He's one of my favorite plays on the entire slate.

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.