College basketball is back, and we have a six-game slate today.
March Madness is a ways 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.
Scoring differs from NBA in the blocks and steals categories; each worth two FanDuel points apiece rather than the three you get in NBA contests.
Now that you're in the know, we can attack today's slate, which locks at 6:00 p.m. EST. All stats come from KenPom unless otherwise noted.
Which players should you be targeting and why?
Guards
Remy Martin, Kansas ($7,600) - If you've played college basketball DFS before, you'll probably remember Remy Martin from his stint at Arizona State. The senior elected to transfer to Kansas to play his final season of college basketball. He was recently voted as the Big 12 Conference pre-season Player of the Year. Martin racked up 15 points, two rebounds, and four assists over 18 minutes in the Jayhawks lone exhibition game.
Davonte Davis, Arkansas ($6,900) - Davis emerged as the Arkansas Razorbacks x-factor late last season. He had a huge NCAA tournament which helped Arkansas reach the Elite 8. Davis averaged an impressive 13.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals/blocks, and 2.3 turnovers (24.1 FanDuel points) during the NCAA tournament. His role is expected to grow this season. The matchup with the Mercer Bears is enticing; Mercer is ranked 178th nationally to start the 2022 college basketball season.
Ochai Agbaji, Kansas ($6,200) - Agbaji is one of the nation's best defenders. However, Kansas will need their senior guard to elevate his offensive game this season. If the Jayhawks' lone exhibition game is any indication, we could see a break-out season for Agbaji. Agbaji scored 17 points, grabbed seven rebounds, dished out assists, and recorded two steals in that game. Additionally, Agbaji led all Jayhawks with 12 field goal attempts.
Wendell Green Jr., Auburn ($5,100) - Green Jr. had a massive freshman Eastern Kentucky last season. He averaged 15.8 points, 5.0 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game. He elected to transfer to Auburn over the offseason. Ironically, Green Jr.'s last game at Eastern Kentucky was against Auburn's season-opening opponent Morehead State. Green dropped 29 points, collected three rebounds, and dished out four assists in that game.
JD Notae, Arkansas ($4,800) - Notae's 28.6% usage rate last year ranked inside the top 100 nationally. The Razorbacks lost two of their highest usage players from the 2021 season (Moses Moody and Justin Smith). Consequently, Notae's role should be massive this season. He's significantly under-salaried to start this season.
Forwards
Paolo Banchero, Duke ($8,000) - Every year it seems like the Duke Blue Devils have a new high-profile post player. This season that is Paolo Banchero. The freshman is a five-star prospect (ESPN's 3rd overall prospect) out of Seattle, Washington. Banchero recorded 21 points (led team) and nine rebounds in Duke's lone exhibition game.
Johni Broome, Morehead State ($7,300) - Broome earned numerous accolades for the Morehead State Eagles as a freshman in the 2020-21 season. That included OVC Freshman of the Year and first-team All OVC honors. He was a beast on both ends of the court. Broome had a 27.0% usage rate, 14.5% offensive rebounding rate, 25.8% defensive rebounding rate, and an 8.2% block rate last season. Needless to say, the expectations for the Eagles big man are through the roof this season.
Walker Kessler, Auburn ($6,300) - Kessler is another face that changed schools during the offseason. The Auburn big man was nearly unstoppable as a freshman while playing for the North Carolina Tar Heels; Kessler averaged an impressive 1.3 FanDuel points per minute last season. He should get a chance to shine in Auburn's offense this season. Kessler started in Auburn's lone exhibition game. He scored four points, grabbed five rebounds, tallied one assist, and recorded an eye-opening six blocked shots in that game.
Mark Williams, Duke ($6,000) - Williams flashed an enormous ceiling despite being utilized as a role player a season ago. He averaged 1.08 FanDuel points per minute last season. Entering this season, Williams is expected to take a giant second-year leap. The sophomore scored 14 points, recorded five rebounds, and blocked five shots in Duke's exhibition win over Winston Salem-State.
Juwan Gary, Alabama ($4,500) - Gary only averaged 9.4 minutes per game last season. Despite the limited playing time, the Alabama Crimson Tide forward averaged 0.96 FanDuel points per minute. He is another young player whose role is expected to change this season, and he is a great source of salary relief on Tuesday night. I wanted to note that Gary was suspended for Alabama's exhibition game. However, he is expected to play in the season opener.
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.