DFS College Basketball: Saturday Preview

DFS College Basketball: Saturday Preview

This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.

The Saturday college basketball slate starts later than normal today, with featured contests on DraftKings and FanDuel beginning at 7 p.m. EST. Both sites include five-game slates, headlined by two top-5 teams squaring off in Spokane as Texas takes on Gonzaga. DraftKings features their $10 Big Jam Contest with a $1,000 top prize, while FanDuel has the $7 All-American with $500 to first. Let's get on to the action.

Top Players

Marcus Carr, G, Texas ($7,800 DK, $7,700 FD)

Carr transferred over to Austin after two strong seasons leading the way for Minnesota, and he should be up for the challenge against the top the top-ranked Zags as a fifth-year senior who has gone through the gauntlet of Big Ten play. Carr is difficult to defend due to his ability to shoot the three and drive to the basket, as evidenced by recording seven 25-plus point games last season. His ability to provide on the glass in the passing game makes him worth paying up for.

Bryce Hamilton, G, UNLV ($7,000 DK)

Hamilton accounted for more than one-third of the team's points in the season opener, dropping 22 points despite shooting 1-of-9 from deep. He's the clear go-to-guy for the Runnin' Rebels, accounting for a massive 36.4 percent of shots when on the floor last season. A California team that's expected to be at the bottom of the Pac-12 likely won't slow him, especially after giving up 80 to UC San Diego on Tuesday.

Middle Tier

Aaron Cook, G, Georgia ($6,300 DK, $7,000 FD)

Georgia needed a point guard after Sahvir Wheeler transferred to Kentucky and recruited Cook from Gonzaga, who struggled to get significant playing time behind Jalen Suggs and Andrew Nembhard. He's the only notable PG on the roster and should see 35-plus minutes most of the time, and he'll likely be the main contributor offensively. Cook tallied 34 fantasy points in the season opener, making him a great target in this range.

Khalif Battle, G, Temple ($6,200 DK, $7,100 FD)

Battle's $900 discount on DraftKings makes him essentially a must-have, though he may be a bit chalky in GPPs. USC certainly presents a stout defensive challenge, but that's a bigger problem for Temple's frontcourt with the Trojans starting three players 6-foot-9 or taller. Battle recorded 22 points on an efficient 9-of-14 shooting in the season opener and accounted for a 28.8 percent usage rate last season.

Values

Braelen Bridges, F, Georgia ($5,200 DK, $5,400 FD)

Bridges nearly posted a double-double in his Georgia debut, logging 31 minutes and posting a team-high eight rebounds. A transfer from Illinois-Chicago, he came off the bench last season but his per-40 minute numbers of 20.7 points and 10 rebounds are quite impressive. He looks to be locked into a much bigger role under Tom Crean and shouldn't have much of an issue exceeding his salary projection if he stays out of foul trouble.

Cedric Henderson Jr., G/F, Campbell ($4,800 DK, $5,200 FD)

Henderson's numbers jump off the page compared to the other players in the sub-$5k range, having averaged .97 fantasy points per minute last season. He led Campbell with 37 minutes Friday and even though this is the second leg of a back-to-back, I don't see them having a deep enough rotation to limit his minutes much. In this range, a tough matchup against Duke isn't enough to make you avoid him.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ryan Pohle
Ryan Pohle is a DFS Product Specialist at RotoWire and has written for the site since 2020.
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