We're back at it again for another exciting day of March Madness. As of this writing we've seen some strange things happen (I'm looking at you Michigan State), while some of the dominant teams look every bit as dominant as we expected. As the tournament gets deeper, the matchup's get more competitive so finding good picks across all price points is key to cashing in this college basketball postseason. We've got our favorite value guys on the slate, so let's get to it.
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Georges Niang
FD - 9900 DK - 10100
I wrote about him last time and boy did he deliver, posting a monster 28 point performance while accumulating some good stats across all of the other categories. I loved the matchup last time, and while this one isn't quite as good, it's still very favorable for Niang. Little Rock, while obviously formidable, doesn't have any strong interior presence and really struggled with Purdue on the inside (even though they won). Judging by last game, the Cyclones are going to run their entire offense through Niang (he took 23 shots) and I don't see that kind of usage changing as long as they continue to advance. I think this game is going to be higher scoring than many think, and Niang should have another big game here.
Jamal Murray
FD - 9100 DK - 9000
He struggled in the first half against Stony Brook last time out, but improved dramatically in the second half to reach a respectable value of greater than x3. Believe it or not, I actually like his matchup against Indiana just as much, if not more than the previous matchup with Stony Brook because outside of Yogi Ferrel, Indiana doesn't really have any guards that scare me too much. Robert Johnson is back playing, but I don't think he's quite 100% in game shape just yet, so Murray should see plenty of time being guarded by well, quite frankly people who can't guard him. He leads the team in scoring and shot attempts, and in a fast paced game with Indiana I think he's got a great chance to really fill it up today.
Brandon Ingram
FD - 8700 DK - 9500
Another guy I really like today is Brandon Ingram out of Duke. This kid has been sensational this season, ranking second on his team in scoring and rebounding while averaging over a shot and a steal per game. His long, rangy frame and ability to score from the outside make him a tough matchup, especially for a team like Yale who don't really have an inside out guy to defend him all over the court. The O/U is ok in this one, but I personally believe it's a little low and that this game will be scored in the upper 70's by both teams. The combination of pace and matchup's (or lack thereof) for Ingram makes me think that he's going to put up another solid performance today.
Daniel Hamilton
FD - 8400 DK - 8800
I think Daniel Hamilton is primed for a big game today for a number of different reasons. First of all, both teams like to score and push the pace, so I see a lot of potential for scoring, rebounding and assisting for the Huskie guard. Secondly, he's a matchup nightmare (similar to Ingram) who can shoot over the top and post up smaller guys, while simply driving around bigger, slower defenders. My guess is that Kansas is going to throw a bunch of different looks at Hamilton and see if any of them work because that's the way most teams play him. Hamilton has been insanely hot as of late, posting greater than x4 value in 5 of his last 7 games, and I don't see any reason why that streak would end today.
Fred Van Vleet
FD - 7700 DK - 7800
This guy has been money for Wichita State for pretty much his entire career, and has really been playing well this postseason. He's hit x4 value in back to back games for the Shockers, and it appears that they are content to run their offense through him and Ron Baker. As I've mentioned before, playing experienced senior guys who know what it takes to get it done in March is key when building lineups because they provide reliable and consistent production. I don't particularly love the matchup with Miami, but it's hard to bet against a guy who's playing this well and who's done it in the past. Look for Van Vleet to continue his strong March run.
Joel Berry II
FD - 6500 DK - 6900
I know that it's weird to recommend Berry when I just talked about seniors, but I think he's a much safer pick than Marcus Paige at this point. Berry has become Carolina's main threat from the perimeter this season, and leads UNC guards in pretty much every statistic across the board. He's about as reliable as they come as Berry has reached x3 value in 8 straight games, and some of those games he reached x4. This matchup with Providence should be a track meet as both teams are high scoring and look to push the pace as much as possible. I think Providence is going to key in on stopping Brice Johnson in this one, which will open up plenty of opportunities for Berry to have a big night.
Anthony Gill
FD - 7300 DK - 7400
Another guy I mentioned last time out who played really well is Anthony Gill out of Virginia. He went for a great value of x5 last time out, and while I don't necessarily expect him to reach that value tonight, he should be able to get close. Butler and Virginia are both pretty methodical teams that don't like to run too much so that worries me a bit, but Gill is relied on too heavily by the Cavaliers to not get a mention. He leads the team in rebounding, offensive rebounding and is second in scoring. This is a simple case of a guy being vastly undervalued, and until his price jumps up another $500 or so I'm going to keep putting him in my lineups.
Isaiah Hicks
FD - 5200 DK - 4900
His price still remains low because his minutes fluctuate so much, but make no mistake, Isaiah Hicks is one of the premier big men in college basketball that not a lot of people know about. He's got a PER of 22.5, which would be good enough to get him starting minutes almost anywhere else in the country. Kennedy Meeks has really been struggling this year, and Hicks has seen more minutes than Meeks in 3 straight games now. I think this is a game where Roy Williams is going to give him 20-25 minutes, and every time Hicks has played 20+ minutes he's hit at least x3 value this season. As I mentioned earlier, this game has a high O/U so Hicks should see plenty of opportunities to work inside. I've got him in all of my lineups today.
Mike Tobey
FD - 4900 DK - 4600
Another guy who should probably be starting (and it wouldn't surprise me if he got starter minutes in this one) is Mike Tobey out of Virginia. The senior center can really do some good things, but has graciously excepted a lesser role for the sake of team. But now with Virginia's frontcourt really struggling (outside of Anthony Gill), Tony Bennett should look to the senior Tobey to pick up the slack. Because Butler has a strong inside presence, I think Tobey gets a bump in minutes tonight and should be able to produce. I don't like him as much as Isaiah Hicks, but Tobey could have a nice game if he sees the minutes.
Sterling Gibbs
FD - 5100 DK - 5300
This is more of a tournament play for me, but Sterling Gibbs has been on a nice hot streak as of late, scoring in double figures in 5 of his last 6 games (and the one he didn't he scored 9). Kevin Ollie has been giving the Seton Hall more and more minutes down the stretch, but his price hasn't really moved to reflect this. I think Kansas is going to key in on some of the other Huskie players, so Gibbs could see plenty of opportunities to impact the game. Not a safe pick, but in a potentially high scoring game I could see Gibbs hitting some good value today.
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