DFS College Basketball: Wednesday Preview

DFS College Basketball: Wednesday Preview

This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.

The DFS landscape on Monday features a heavy seven-game slate on DraftKings, while FanDuel is only offering four matchups for their featured set of contests.  To further complicate matters, the two sites don't agree on what should be featured, which forces us to deviate from our normal framework somewhat. 

Here are the two games that are shared by both sites:

Georgia Tech (-4.5) @ Georgia O/U: 145.5

Indiana (-18) vs. Princeton O/U: 142.5

FanDuel rounds out their slate with these two games:

Texas A&M (-18) vs. Troy O/U: O/U: 139.5

Memphis (-15) vs. Arkansas-Little Rock O/U: 147.5

Meanwhile, DraftKings adds these five games to the aforementioned GT/UGA and PRIN/IU matchups:

St. John's (-9.5) vs. Columbia O/U: 144

Louisville (-36) vs. USC Upstate O/U: 140

UNC (-31) vs. Elon O/U: 145

Oregon State (-11.5) vs.UCSB O/U: 143.5

St. Mary's (-8.5) @ Fresno State O/U: 128.5

As you can see, quite a jumble. I'll organize this mess with three sections of elite and value plays, starting with the two games shared by the two sites. We'll continue with a section on FanDuel's additional contests and conclude with an analysis of the five additional FanDuel games.

FANDUEL/DRAFTKINGS SHARED GAMES

ELITE PLAYERS

James Banks III, Georgia Tech, (DK $9,400, FD $7,900) @ UGA

Banks may very well be one of the top talents across every slate. The senior center has swatted a mind-blowing 11 balls over just two games played. He kicked off the year with a 20/13 double-double, and chances are good that we'll see a second one in this intrastate rivalry game. The favorable spread and money line make Banks a reliable add in both formats.

Rayshaun Hammonds, Georgia, (DK $8,400, FD $7,700) vs. GT

The Bulldogs are ready to turn some heads in the SEC with a talented stable of players, and Hammonds has jumped out of the gate with three incredibly strong outings. He kicked off the year with a poor shooting night against WCU, but his other numbers have been spectacular. He's averaging a double-double with 14.3 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists over three games.

Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana (DK $8,400, FD $7,400) vs. Princeton

I tuned in to some of the Troy/Indiana game for the sole purpose of getting a look at this highly-touted freshman.  This kid can flat out play. He's had no problem sliding right into a starting role in the Hoosiers' frontcourt, and his numbers are trending upwards at a considerable tick. He just eclipsed 40 FP in his last game against Troy, where he made plays all over the court on the way to a 17/14 double-double.

VALUE PLAYS

Drew Friberg, Princeton, (DK $5,800, FD $5,700) at IU

Princeton has always had a reputation as a strong three-point squad, and Friberg is one of the cornerstones of that effort.  Although he had a poor 0-for-5 night from beyond the arc against San Francisco, he's averaged out to a solid 41 percent from long range.  Friberg will live and die by this stat, and the Tigers will need plenty of threes to keep up with Indiana.

Donnell Gresham Jr., Georgia (DK $5,700, FD $5,600) vs. GT

The Northeastern transfer is playing out his final year of eligibility with the Bulldogs, and so far he's found a stable home in Georgia's rotation with a solid average of 24.3 minutes on the floor.  The season is young and I expect Gresham to integrate his skills into the Georgia offense further with each passing week, and his current numbers support that trend. 25 FP will get us over 4x value for Gresham, which is decent enough for the price.

ADDITIONAL FANDUEL GAMES

ELITE PLAYERS

 Markquis Nowell, Arkansas (FD $7,500) @ Memphis

The diminutive, 5-foot-7 sophomore is building off an impressive freshman campaign with the Trojans, and he's already distinguishing himself as a legit scoring threat, averaging 21.3 points over his first four games.  He gets a lot of his scoring production from beyond the arc and is averaging almost six assists per game as well. The game against Memphis will be a tough matchup, but the 147.5 o/u is an encouraging indicator.

 Zay Williams, Troy (FD $7,300) @ Texas A&M

Williams joins the starting five after an encouraging freshman season where he performed aptly in a reserve role.  He's blowing those first-year totals out of the water so far, with stable lines that are trending up. The highlight of his season so far is a 28/8/2 line against Indiana, so he's had a shot against some stiff competition.

VALUE PLAYS

 Savion Flagg, Texas A&M (FD $5,700) vs. Troy

Based on pedigree, Flagg shouldn't be a value play at all as the Aggies' top player, but his less-than-stellar numbers so far have driven him down to this price.  With the upside potential, I think it's pretty hard to avoid him when he's this cheap, although it is just below the FD median price. I'm hoping he'll break his two-game cold spell and give us respectable numbers against a weak opponent.

Precious Achiuwa, Memphis ($5,900) vs. Arkansas-Little Rock

The 6-9 freshman is turning heads while Jason Wiseman sits due to eligibility issues.  While there's no timetable for Wiseman's return, Achiuwa is doing enough to earn more playing time, regardless of that outcome.  His 20-point, eight-rebound game against Alcorn State is an encouraging sign of what he's capable of while manning the four spot, and he should see a similar stat line in another favorable matchup on Wednesday.

ADDITIONAL DRAFTKINGS GAMES

ELITE PLAYERS

 Cole Anthony, UNC ($9,900) vs. Elon

If you see UNC on any slate, Anthony is the elite you want to target. The freshman is a bonafide one-and-done prospect if I've ever seen one, and over three games he's shown to be the five-star stud everyone expected.  Sure, he carries a heavy price tag, but when 50 DKFP isn't outside the realm of possibility, he's ultimately worth the cost.

 Tres Tinkle, Oregon State ($9,700) vs. UCSB

It's hard to argue with Trinkle's four-game average of 47.4 DK points per game, and he looks to be in a plum spot against UCSB's 277th-ranked scoring defense.  He's averaging a true double-double right now, and he's in line for one on Wednesday.

 L.J. Figueroa, St. John's ($8,600) vs. Columbia

This side of the slate is loaded with high-end talent and it's hard to narrow them down, but I like Figueroa as one of the more consistent ballers on the site. His floor numbers are steady just below 40 DKFP per game, which makes him an ideal cash play. He also faces Columbia's 184th-ranked scoring defense.

VALUE PLAYS

 Mustafa Lawrence, Fresno State ($5,100) vs. St. Mary's

The Bulldogs' starting point guard isn't going to wow you with his current numbers, but I have to focus on opportunity with our value plays, and Lawrence is in line for plenty of that.  He's got the ability to pop with a good assist number, but he hasn't quite perfected his long-range shot this season. If he heats up tonight, he could be a great value add.

 Armando Bacot, UNC ($4,700) vs. Elon

Assuming the Tar Heels have their way against Elon, I think Bacot is a guy who should see extended run on Wednesday.  As the Tarheels presumptive No. 1 center, the freshman woke up with his first double-double of the season against Gardner-Webb.  He'll need some seasoning before he jumps into conference action, so I think the team will give him all the minutes he can handle. 

 Rasheem Dunn, St. John's ($4,800) vs. Columbia

I think Dunn will break into the starting lineup soon, possibly as early as Wednesday.  The St. Francis transfer was granted a waiver last week and he logged 27 minutes in his first action with the Red Storm.  I think we'll see a bigger number from him tonight as he continues to siphon minutes from Nick Rutherford.

GAME TO TARGET

Georgia (-4.5) @ Georgia, o/u 146, 7:00 p.m. EST 

This game has the most favorable metrics in the sportsbooks, and the contest is deep with talent beyond the first two elites we mentioned. Khalid Moore (DK $8,000, FD $7,100) and Michael Devoe (DK $6,700, FD $6,100) are legit scoring threats for the Yellow Jackets. On the other end, Anthony Edwards (DK $9,200, FD $7,600) and Tyree Crump (DK $6,300, FD $6,000) lead a balanced backcourt attack for the Bulldogs.

GAME TO FADE

Louisville (-36) vs. USC Upstate, o/u 140, 7 p.m. EST

There's no doubt that the Cardinals have a wealth of talent, with dominating players like Jordan Nwora and Steven Enoch, but this game will get out of hand early. We could dive into the bargain bin for backups like Samuell Williamson ($5,400) or LaMarr Kimble ($4,800), but that's about it.

Have questions about our DFS content? Want to learn more about games that aren't mentioned here? Leave a comment, or jump in on our subscriber Discord to chat with other CBB DFS players.

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
Jeff Edgerton
Jeff has provided sports content for numerous sports outlets and has played fantasy sports since scores had to be tabulated via newspaper. He started working with RotoWire in 2017. Originally from South Carolina, he's a lifelong Clemson fan now enjoying the sun in Los Angeles.
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