Welcome to our newest edition of college basketball picks here at DFSR. A couple times a week we'll be taking a look at the NCAA basketball slate and throwing out some of the value plays.
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Malcolm Hill FD 9300 DK 8500
Let’s get things rolling tonight with one of the most diverse offensive players in the Big Ten, Malcolm Hill. Illinois has been pretty terrible this year, but Hill has been a bright spot for them, particularly on the offensive end. He’s 18.6 ppg, just under 7 rpg, and about 3.5 apg on the season, which is especially impressive given he plays in the defensive minded Big Ten. I’m excited about the matchup with Indiana because they like to get up and down the floor, so I feel like this game should have no trouble exceeding the already high O/U. There’s a lot of mid-tier value on the slate so I wouldn’t spend up too much on the high priced guys, but Hill is definitely one I wouldn’t mind paying up for.
Dedric Lawson FD 8700 DK 8500
This is one of the rare cases in which a guy priced this high is actually underpriced in my view, which makes Lawson one of my favorite value plays of the night as well. This game has the second highest O/U of the night making this a pretty attractive game to target in general. I cannot stress how dominant Lawson has been as of late, recording a double-double in his last 5 games while averaging 19 ppg and 11.6 rpg. Combine that with the fact that he’s averaging about 3 blocks/steals per game and Lawson has not only a high ceiling, but a pretty high floor. I’m playing him in all of my lineups tonight.
Jakob Poeltl FD 10300 DK 9800
I don’t like him as much from a PPD standpoint, but there’s no denying that Poeltl will likely be the highest scoring player on the slate tonight. Utah has been much better than most expected this year, and the 7-foot Poeltl is the biggest reason why. To just give you a glimpse, he’s averaging 21 ppg and 9.6 rpg over his last 5. Not many programs have a guy who can match up with a 7-footer in college, and Arizona St. is certainly no exception. There is blow out possibility to be concerned about, but if this one ends up being close Poeltl should have a monster game.
Yogi Ferrell FD 7700 DK 8000
As I mentioned earlier, this slate has a ton of guys in the mid-tier of pricing that have excellent value, and Ferrell is my favorite from the group. I already alluded to the fast paced nature of this game, and this certainly works in favor of a guy like Ferrell who constantly has the ball in his hands for Indiana. Ferrell had a good game against the Fighting Illini in their last matchup in which he scored 16 points to go along with 9 assists in an absolute blowout at home that saw his minutes get buzzed a bit. I expect this game to be much closer than the last one, which means Ferrell should get more minutes against an Illinoi defense that has been shaky at best.
Michael Humphrey FD 5800 DK 5900
A guy coming in at the lower end of the mid-tier price range is Michael Humphrey of Stanford. This is a classic example of a price that hasn’t adjusted yet for the minutes he’s in line to receive due to injuries on his team. Now that Reid Travis is out for the year, Humphrey has received 36 minutes in each of the two games he has started in place of Travis (and put up a monster 52.5 FD score in the first one). These kinds of minutes against a team that has a scoring defense ranked 231st in the nation? Sign me up. I’ll have Humphrey in all of my lineups tonight.
Marshall Plumlee FD 6900 DK 6700
Another guy I like at the mid-tier price point tonight is Marshall Plumlee. It’s rare that I would mention a guy who doesn’t really have many plays drawn up for him to score, but I really think Plumlee could have a big game in this one. The O/U for this one is the highest of the slate, so it should be a fast-paced game (giving Plumlee plenty of chances for rebounds and second-chance points). Florida State has really struggled against bigs this season, and that’s good news for Plumlee who’s routinely seeing 36+ minutes per game. This one’s more of a flyer for a tournament than a cash game play, but it could have a huge payoff if Plumlee has the kind of game I think he can have in this one.
Avery Woodson FD 4800 DK 4700
The value plays on this slate are a bit rough again, but I’ll try to highlight some of the guys I think have some upside. Avery Woodson has been getting minutes in the high 20’s and low 30s over his last 5 games, and is coming off back-to-back games in which he reached x5 value. In this game that should be one of the highest scoring of the night, I’m looking for Woodson to produce at a high level again. He’s my favorite low priced guy tonight by far.
Marcus Allen FD 4600 DK 5000
Another guy who is getting minutes that far exceed his price point is Marcus Allen of Stanford. I already mentioned how terrible USC’s defense is, and between that and the high O/U, Allen should see a bump in his numbers across the board. He’s far from being the best offensive option on his team, but if he sees 30 minutes in this one he could easily hit 4x value.
I don’t really like anyone else at this price point. I guess if you’re feeling particularly risky, you could grab Matt Jones in his first game back for Duke, but that would be a tournament play only for me.
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