NCAAB

College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 3/5/20

College basketball season is wrapping up conference play, and we have a seven-game slate tonight.

March Madness is right around the corner, 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?

Known Relevant Injury Situations: Will Richardson (Oregon), Alterique Gilbert (Connecticut), Kyle Young (Ohio State), and Josh Green (Arizona) are all questionable. Chris Duarte (Oregon) is OUT.

Guards

Payton Pritchard, Oregon ($8,300) - Pritchard is one of the best two-way players in the country. He owns a team-leading 28.2% usage rate, per KenPom, which figures to be on the rise with Chris Duarte sidelined. His role on offense could potentially be through the roof if Will Richardson -- currently listed as questionable -- also sits out. Not to mention the matchup with the California Golden Bears is a smash spot. The Golden Bears are 137th in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings.

Remy Martin, Arizona State ($6,900) - The Arizona State Sun Devils point guard owns a 29.8% usage rate and he's also taking 29.9% of the team's shots when he's on the floor, per KenPom. Additionally, he's averaging .875 FanDuel points per minute. At that production, he is expected to pay off his price tag in 31.5 minutes of action. Martin has logged 31-plus minutes in 18 out of the last 19 games. Ethan Thompson ($6,700) is worth a look at Martin's price range.

Nico Mannion, Arizona ($6,200) - The Italian point guard is averaging .77 FanDuel points per minute. At that production clip, he is expected to pay off his price tag in 32.2 minutes of action. Mannion has played 33-plus minutes in nine out of the last ten games. His prospects are further enhanced with a matchup against the fast-paced (77th in KenPom's adjusted tempo ratings) and defensive-deficient Washington State Cougars. The Cougars are 93rd in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings. Nate Hinton ($6,300) and Tyrell Terry ($6,200) are fine plays in Mannion's price range.

Duane Washington Jr., Ohio State ($4,500) - Washington Jr. has started each of the last two games with Kyle Young sidelined. In those two games, Washington Jr. averaged 17.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.0 blocks/steals in 35.5 minutes. If Young is back -- which is reportedly unlikely -- Washington Jr. loses some appeal but he's still a decent play regardless. Fortunately, this slate is loaded with several cheap guards in good matchups.

Rob Edwards, Arizona State ($4,300) - I'm not sure what Edwards has to do in order to see a price increase. The senior has topped 21 FanDuel points in four consecutive games. Edwards is averaging 16.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 0.8 assists, and 2.0 blocks/steals in 33.3 minutes over the last four games.

Anthony Mathis, Oregon ($4,000) - Mathis should make his second start with Oregon's second-leading scorer, Chris Duarte, sidelined. In the Ducks' last game, Mathis scored 13 points, grabbed three rebounds, and assisted on two baskets in 34 minutes (19.6 FanDuel) against Oregon State. The matchup with the California Golden Bears should be advantageous to Mathis as he's connecting on 42.3% of his three-point shots. California is allowing their opponents to make 35.1% from beyond the arc (273rd in the country, per KenPom).

Other guards to consider ($5,000 and below): Boogie Ellis, Alex Lomax, Caleb Mills, Lester Quinones, Andres Feliz, Dexter Dennis, Marcus Tsohonis, Luther Muhammad (if Kyle Young is OUT), and Addison Patterson (if Will Richardson is OUT).

Forwards

Precious Achiuwa, Memphis ($8,200) - Achiuwa is having a monster freshman season for the Memphis Tigers. The highly-touted forward is averaging 15.5 points, 10.4 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and 3.0 blocks/steals in 29.9 minutes this season. Despite the difficult matchup with the Wichita State Shockers (8th in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings), Achiuwa is my top forward play on this slate. In the Tigers' first matchup of the season with the Shockers, Achiuwa scored 22 points, collected 12 rebounds, swatted four shots, and stole a pass in 29 minutes (43.4 FanDuel points). Additionally, he's been playing well as of late. Achiuwa has recorded 40-plus FanDuel points in four out of the last six games including a 57.4 FanDuel points performance in the Tigers' last outing.

Kaleb Wesson, Ohio State ($7,400) - Wesson is a dominant force in the paint for the surging Buckeyes. The Ohio State big man provides a solid floor with an enormous ceiling due to his ability to contribute in every statistical category. Additionally, Wesson has a team-best 26.9% usage rate, per KenPom. He's averaging 32.23 FanDuel points over the last three games despite squaring off with two teams located within the top 30 of KenPom's adjusted defense ratings (Maryland ranks 21st while Michigan is 27th). Oscar da Silva ($7,600) and Tres Tinkle ($7,800) are solid options who are priced in between Wesson and Achiuwa.

Zeke Nnaji, Arizona ($7,100) - Nnaji is averaging .95 FanDuel points per minute. At that production clip, he is expected to pay off his price tag in 29.9 minutes of action. The freshman has logged 30-plus minutes in seven out of the last eight games. Throw in a matchup against a struggling Washington State squad and Nnaji looks like one of the best overall plays on the entire slate. Isaiah Stewart ($7,200), Jaime Echenique ($6,700), and Kofi Cockburn ($6,700) are other mid-tier forward options worth consideration.

Isaiah Whaley, Connecticut ($6,000) - Whaley has flourished as a starter in place of the injured, Akok Akok. In four games since the season-ending injury to Akok, Whaley is averaging 15.0 points, 9.25 rebounds, 0.75 assists, and 3.0 blocks/steals in 33.5 minutes (equates to 31.98 FanDuel points). Roster him while he's still cheap. Romello White ($6,200) is a fine alternative or complement to Whaley.

Other forwards to consider ($5,000 and below): Andre Wesson, Grant Anticevich, Trey Wade, Stone Gettings (better if Josh Green is OUT), and Andre Kelly.


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.