NCAAB

College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Monday 11/15/21

Matt Hiatt Nov 15th, 2021
Darius Days and the LSU Tigers headline the Monday night slate. Who else should we consider targeting?

College basketball is back, and we have a five-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 7:00 p.m. EST. All stats come from KenPom unless otherwise noted.

Which players should you be targeting and why?

Guards

Darius McGhee, Liberty ($7,600) - The diminutive guard is an elite DFS play because he plays a ton of minutes and possesses the ability to contribute in every major statistical category. McGhee played 80% of the Liberty Flames minutes last season. He also took 29.0% of the Flames shots (led team) when he was on the floor a season ago. Additionally, McGhee recorded a 14.2% assist rate.

Andre Curbelo, Illinois ($7,100) - Curbelo's role should expand significantly as a sophomore. He averaged 19.0 minutes per game as a freshman but was plagued with inconsistency. Despite that, Curbelo averaged an impressive 0.91 FanDuel points per minute. The sophomore missed the Illinois Fighting Illini's season opener. He returned to the starting lineup for the second game and racked up 25.3 FanDuel points in only 19 minutes of action.

Noah Fernandes, Massachusetts ($5,800) - The junior is struggling with his shot but if he runs into a good shooting night, he could post a monster box score. Fernandes is taking 27.9% of Massachusetts' shot attempts when he's on the floor. He is also posting a solid 20.8% assist rate which compliments his 14.4% defensive rebounding rate. Fernandes could fly under the radar on Monday night.

Xavier Pinson, Louisiana State ($5,700) - The Louisiana State Fighting Tigers lost a ton of talent from last year's Sweet 16 team. Fortunately, the Tigers landed Xavier Pinson via the transfer portal. Through two games, Pinson leads the Tigers with a 34.7% assist. He also ranks second amongst the Tigers with a 25.6% usage rate.

Brandon Murray, Louisiana State ($4,500) - Murray is another of the new faces in Baton Rouge this season. The freshman is a four-star prospect and owns a starting assignment for Louisiana State. Obviously, it is early in the season, but Murray ranks 60th nationally in offensive rating (161.7).

Forwards

Darius Days, Louisiana State ($7,900) - The Tigers lost three of their best players from last season (Trendon Watford, Cameron Thomas, and Javonte Smart). Days could emerge as one of college basketball's top players in 2021. After two games, Days is averaging 23.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 0.5 assists, and 0.5 blocks per game. I like his chances of posting a third straight monster game as the Tigers face off with Liberty; Liberty ranks 92nd nationally in defensive efficiency. Days is the top overall play on Monday night.

Seth Lundy, Penn State ($6,600) - Lundy should be able to feast on the Minutemen's weak interior defense. Massachusetts is allowing opponents to convert on 52.0% of their two-point attempts (211th nationally). Meanwhile, Lundy posted an effective field goal percentage of 70.0% in the Penn State Nittany Lions season opener. He led the Nittany Lions with 23 real-life points in that game. Frontcourt mate John Harrar ($6,900) possesses a huge ceiling. Harrar has recorded 10-plus rebounds in three straight games, dating back to last season.

Trent Buttrick, Massachusetts ($6,000) - Buttrick will face off with his former team on Monday night. The Minutemen forward is intriguing due to his ability to contribute on both ends of the court. Buttrick leads Massachusetts with 25.0% usage rate. He is also posting an impressive 21.9% defensive rebounding rate and a 9.4% steal rate. The matchup with Penn State isn't overly imposing because the Nittany Lions rank just 73rd nationally in defensive deficiency.

Malik Williams, Louisville ($5,900) - Williams is an elite rebounder and shot blocker for the Louisville Cardinals. He has grabbed 23 rebounds through two games this season. Williams is also posting an impressive 5.8% block rate. The Cardinals center will have a significant size advantage over the Navy Midshipmen's under-sized front court. He's one of my favorite value plays on this slate.

Jacob Grandison, Illinois ($5,300) - Grandison was inserted into the Illini's starting lineup late last season. The senior has been tremendous through two games. He is averaging 17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists. With Kofi Cockburn set to miss his third straight game, Grandison's offense will be needed against Marquette.


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.