This article is part of our FanDuel College Basketball series.
Week 3 of the FanDuel value picks is upon us, but before we take a look at this week's selections, let's first refresh everyone on the format. FanDuel gives members a $60,000 salary budget to construct a nine-player team, which includes five forwards and four guards. There are no flex players included. That breaks down to an average of $6,667 per player. The scoring format for FanDuel looks like this:
Points Scored = +1 PT
Rebound = +1.2 PT
Assist = +1.5 PT
Block = +2 PTs
Steal = +2 PTs
Turnover = -1 PT
Once again, FanDuel is offering an assortment of different contests which include a wide variety of price ranges and total entries. Below are just a few of the options to choose from.
CBB Salary Cap 60K – Entry fee: $25 – Total Entries: 10 – First Prize: $112.50
CBB 50/50 League 60K – Entry fee: $50 – Total Entries: 10 – First through Fifth: $90
CBB $8K Alley Oop – Entry fee: $25 – Total Entries: 367 – First Prize: $1,000
CBB $11K Bank Shot – Entry fee: $2 – Total Entries: 6,321 – First Prize: $1,000
As usual there are two different time frames for each of the contests. Below we've listed the matchups that you can choose from, and they are broken down into each time frame.
12 p.m – 2 p.m. ET
Georgia Tech at North Carolina
Minnesota at Wisconsin
Miami at Louisville
Butler at Xavier
Clemson at Duke
Pittsburgh at Syracuse
Kansas State at Baylor
West Virginia at Oklahoma State
Villanova at Marquette
TCU at Kansas
Oklahoma at Texas Tech
Florida at LSU
Iowa State at Texas
Notre Dame at Boston College
Arkansas at Mississippi State
6 p.m. – 9 p.m. ET
Virginia Tech at North Carolina State
Tennessee at Mississippi
UCLA at Arizona
Cal at Stanford
DePaul at Georgetown
Cincinnati at Houston
Auburn at Kentucky
Georgia at Alabama
Colorado at Oregon State
After two successful weeks in helping readers find good value plays, we aim to make it a third straight this Saturday. We are looking for the players that will provide high-end production at a mid-to-low range cost. Searching for players in that $4,000-$7,000 price range is a good place to start. If you end up grabbing a few guys around $4,000 that you think will hit the 20+ point mark, it leaves you with a good chunk of money to pick up a couple of the high-end players that are guaranteed to perform. Let's take a look at this week's selections.
Early Games
Isaiah Cousins (Guard), Oklahoma, $6,100
Cousins plays the point in a high-octane offense for the Sooners that includes stars all over the floor. Although teammate Buddy Hield is a Wooden Award candidate and considered one of the best guards in the country, many think Cousins is just as talented. Over his last three games against fast-paced teams, Cousins averaged 25.5 fantasy points per game under FanDuel's format, including a 27.4-point performance against West Virginia. This Saturday, the Sooners tip it up against Texas Tech, who ranks dead-last in the Big 12 in scoring margin at -2.8. The Sooners are second at +10.6 and will run all over the Red Raiders this weekend in what should be an up-and-down game. Look for a solid day out of Cousins, who comes in just below the average price tag of $6,667.
Luke Fischer (Forward), Marquette, $6,000
Fischer is a 6-11 center who averages 28.3 minutes per game for the Golden Eagles. Over his last five contests, he's averaging 20.9 fantasy points per game, and in the two home games included in that set, he went for 20.5 points and 23.2 fantasy points, respectively. Blocked shots are huge, as they count for two points apiece, and Fischer averages 2.1 per game for the season and averaged 2.4 per game over the last five. He's been very consistent of late and should put up good numbers in Milwaukee on Saturday when Marquette takes on Big East leader Villanova.
Trevon Bluiett (Forward), Xavier, $5,300
Bluiett has been very impressive in his freshman campaign and enters Saturday's contest as Xavier's leading scorer at 12.1 points per game. He is also second on the team in floor time at 28.3 minutes per game, which provides plenty of opportunity for production. In his last game on Wednesday night, Bluiett only played 12 minutes, and unfortunately the reason is unknown. What we do know is that he hit two free throws in the final minute to seal the deal for Xavier, which suggests two things: the first is that if he was hurt, it couldn't have been bad enough to keep him out of the game in the final moments, and it also suggests that if he was in the doghouse for some reason, again it couldn't have been bad enough to keep him out of the final moments of the game. Xavier is a bubble team as of now, so they will need all hands on deck moving forward. In the three games prior to Wednesday, Bluiett averaged 23.9 fantasy points per game, which is great production for a player with a $5,300 price tag. Look for him to have a good performance against Butler at home on Saturday.
Other Notables:
Dustin Hogue, (Forward), Iowa State, $6,500
Michael Cobbins, (Forward), Oklahoma State, $5,300
Bronson Koenig, (Guard), Wisconsin, $5,700
Kasey Hill, (Guard), Florida, $5,300
Late Games
Karl-Anthony Towns, (Forward), Kentucky, $6,800
The 6-11 freshman forward is really starting to get the hang of the college game, and he has been playing very well of late. Over his last five contests, he's averaging 26.9 fantasy points per game, including a 38.1-point performance against LSU. Towns averages 2.3 blocks per game, and completely dominates the paint when he is on the floor. The Wildcats tip it up against a struggling Auburn team this Saturday in their pursuit of perfection. We expect big things out of Towns once again, and should provide plenty of fantasy value at $6,800, which is right around the average.
Ralston Turner, (Guard), North Carolina State, $5,200
Turner is the glue that holds his team together. He does a lot of things right, and doesn't make a lot of mistakes. The senior guard averages 31.1 minutes per game, which gives him plenty of opportunity. He has performed well in four of the last five games, with the exception of the contest against Virginia, and let's face it, no one puts up good numbers against that team. In the remaining four games, Turner averaged 17.9 fantasy points per game and scored in double digits in all of them. If turner can hit the 20+ point mark this Saturday at a $5,200 price tag, then he is of very good value. NC State plays a brutal Virginia Tech team that has allowed at least 70 points to five out of their last six opponents. Look for good things out of Turner.
Jamee Crockett, (Guard), DePaul, $5,900
No, he's not brother to Davey and I'm sure he's heard every joke in the book by now. Crockett, however, is a solid guard that plays good defense, and provides consistent production on a nightly basis. Over his last four games, he's averaged 23.8 fantasy points per game, including a 28.9-point performance against Seton Hall. The senior guard leads the team in playing time at 30.7 minutes per game, which is always good when you are looking for a guy to produce. He has a below-average price tag and the team is going to need everything they can get from him on Saturday if they expect to beat Georgetown. Senior leaders love a good challenge, and we think Crockett will step up Saturday.
Other Notables:
Tony Parker, (Forward), UCLA, $5,700
Kenny Gaines, (Guard), Georgia, $6,400
Rodney Cooper, (Guard), Alabama, $5,200
