Daily Fantasy College Basketball Picks for DraftKings and FanDuel - 3/18/16

March Madness is upon us and it feels so good. As I'm writing this only one big upset has occurred, although a 12 over a 5 doesn't really seem like an upset anymore because it happens so often. But anyways, another way to supplement your love for postseason college basketball is with some DFS, and we've got you covered with some of our favorite value plays for Friday's massive slate. If you've got some ideas or questions about any of the picks, feel free to drop a comment below and as always, best of luck during this month of madness.

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Upper Tier

Gary Payton II
FD - 9400 DK - 10100
My favorite big dollar guy on the slate today is Gary Payton II, the senior guard out of Oregon State. I love Payton because he’s similar to Denzel Valentine in that he does everything for his team, but he comes in at about a 20% discount. Payton II leads his team in scoring, rebounding, assists, and steals, so you know he’s going to be relied on heavily today against VCU. The Rams are about an average defensive team, and don’t really have any defensively intimidating guards who can shut Payton down. The O/U on this game is decent, and the spread is pretty close, so I fully expect Payton II to get his normal minutes and put up big numbers in this one.

Buddy Hield
FD - 9100 DK - 10600
I don’t like the price on DraftKings, but the FanDuel price has come down enough to where I think Hield makes a terrific value play. Hield is the second leading scorer in the country at 25 ppg, and has an insanely high usage rate of 30.5%. The potential for a big scoring game is definitely here because Bakersfield doesn’t have anyone who can effectively matchup with Hield on the perimeter. There is some concern for a blowout in this one, but I still think that Hield will get enough minutes and usage in this one to reach value.

Isaiah Miles
FD - 8300 DK - 8600
Another guy I really like who’s a bit cheaper than the aforementioned guys is Isaiah Miles out of St. Joseph’s. The senior forward has truly been an offensive force this season, leading the Hawks in scoring and rebounding, all while shooting 53% from the floor, 39% from 3, and 88% from the free throw line. In addition, he’s second on his team in usage and shot attempts per game. These types of numbers are ideal for a guy in March when teams tend to lean heavily on their most efficient scorers. Cincinatti is a tough defensive matchup, but I think they are a little softer on the inside than in years past. Look for Miles to make some noise in this one.

Devin Williams
FD - 8100 DK - 7500
This is just a huge double-double waiting to happen. Devin Williams is a forward out of West Virginia who has football player strength, and he uses it to his advantage in the paint. His defensive rebounding rate is one of the highest I’ve ever seen, at nearly 30% (which is just absurdly high). He’s really the only guy on the interior for West Virginia who can score efficiently as well, so he should get plenty of looks inside. Stephen F. Austin does not have anyone on the interior who can match Williams physically, so I’m expecting big things from Williams in this one.

 

Middle Tier

Jaylen Brown
FD - 7400 DK - 7900
Ivan Rabb
FD - 7300 DK - 7400
I’m not sure who I like more of these guys (and you could even play them both), but Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb get a huge boost today due to the injury to Tyrone Wallace on Wednesday. Brown is a more polished scorer than Rabb, and was second on the team in shot attempts and scoring. Rabb is the better of the two on the glass, averaging over 8 rebounds per game with a 22 % defensive rebounding rate. If I had to choose I’d lean toward Rabb just because Hawaii is weak on the interior, so he could have a huge game on the glass, but strongly consider having each of these guys in your lineups today.

Stephen Thompson Jr.
FD - 6300 DK - 5700
I already wrote about Gary Payton II, but I also really like his backcourt mate Stephen Thompson Jr. Oregon State has been without one of their better players (Tres Tinkle) in their last four games, and over that stretch Thompson Jr. has really picked up the slack on offense, averaging 16 ppg over this stretch (his season average is only 11 ppg). As I mentioned earlier, VCU doesn’t really have any defensive stoppers on the perimeter, so I can see this hot streak continuing. His price has not caught up to his recent production so you can really take advantage and get some value on this guy.

Tyler Davis
FD - 6600 DK - 6600
Texas A&M has been a big surprise to many this season, and a lot of that has to do with the Aggies production on the inside. Davis is the Aggies biggest body, and he uses it to his advantage, especially on the offensive glass where he’s got an offensive rebounding rate of 15% (which is extremely high). The matchup with Wisconsin-Green Bay is ideal for Davis because the Pheonix do not have much of an interior presence (none of their big men average more than 5 rebounds per game). The spread is a little concerning, but if this one stays close and Davis gets his minutes he could easily produce a big double-double in this one.

Jabari Bird
FD - 5800 DK - 5200
Jordan Matthews
FD - 5700 DK - 5300
Same story, different dance with these Cal guys. Because Wallace is out for Cal, one (or both) of these guys is going to become the primary ball-handler in the matchup with Hawaii. This increased responsibility on the offensive end makes the value for both of these guys go up tremendously, so you’ve got to strongly consider both of them. Both of these guys average at least10 ppg on the season (so it’s not like they’re bad or anything), so they should definitely be able to do something with the increased usage. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend throwing all 4 of the Cal guys out in your lineups today, but I strongly recommend using 2-3 of the Cal guys I’ve mentioned.

Zak Irvin
FD - 6700 DK - 6500
A guy who’s really come on strong as of late is Zak Irvin out of Michigan. Over his last 5 games, he’s averaging about 15 ppg (season average is only 11), and has seen his usage increase as a result. He’s been really consistent this season as well, and has only had a handful of “bad” DFS games on the year. Notre Dame loves to push the pace, so this should be a high-scoring affair where Irvin gets plenty of opportunities to rack up some points. In addition, the Fighting Irish have a below average defense, so I think Irvin is a really safe option to reach value, especially for cash games.

 

Lower Tier

Aly Ahmed
FD - 5300 DK - 5900
He’s on the higher end of the lower tier (and probably in the mid-tier on DraftKings), but I really like Ahmed out of Bakersfield. Even though he’s priced pretty low, he’s the team’s leading scorer and second leading rebounder. That kind of production for these prices are rarely seen, and it really gives this guy some big upside. Add in the fact that Oklahoma is pretty weak on the interior, and I could see Ahmed easily hitting x4 value in this one, even on DraftKings where his price is a little higher.

Reed Tellinghuisen
FD - 4700 DK - 5000
I might be one of the few people in the country who think that South Dakota State is going to win this game, and I think that Reed Tellinghuisen will need to be a big factor for that prediction to come true. Tellinghuisen doesn’t do anything exceptionally well, but he does a bit of everything (which is great for a guy priced this low). He’s getting around 30 mpg, so if the Jackrabbits can keep it close, Tellinghuisen should get a good amount of run here. I don’t love the matchup because Maryland is solid on the interior, but it’s tough to ignore a guy who gets this much run on these prices.

Zak Showalter
FD - 4600 DK - 4600
Another guy near the minimum prices who’s getting over 30 mpg is Zak Showalter out of Wisconsin. Like Tellinghuisen, Showalter doesn’t do anything exceptionally well (he’s priced near the minimum after all), but does enough in multiple areas of the game to provide some value upside. I get the feeling that Pitt’s stingy interior defense is going to force the Wisconsin guards to come up with some scoring, and that kind of opportunity for these prices is what we love in DFS. Not a lock by any stretch of the imagination, but he’s a solid tourney option if you want to spend up more on some of the bigger guys today.

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