This article is part of our FanDuel College Basketball series.
Sweet 16 Value Plays
FanDuel's Sweet 16 pool offers both single-day contests for just Thursday or Friday and two-day contests that combine all the action for Thursday and Friday. We'll run down at least one option from each of the eight games with the hope that it provides some food for thought while making your selections.
But first, let's do a refresher of the rules.
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 worth of salary to spend per player.
The scoring format for FanDuel is:
Point Scored = +1 PT
Rebound = +1.2 PT
Assist = +1.5 PT
Block = +2 PTs
Steal = +2 PTs
Turnover = -1 PT
Thursday's schedule (in order of start time)
Wichita State vs. Notre Dame
North Carolina vs. Wisconsin
West Virginia vs. Kentucky
Xavier vs. Arizona
Friday's schedule
UCLA vs. Gonzaga
North Carolina State vs. Louisville
Utah vs. Duke
Michigan State vs. Oklahoma
G – Steve Vasturia, Notre Dame - $5,300
Vasturia's fantasy value is hindered a bit by his lack of peripheral stats, as his 3.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.1 steals averages seem to come from peaks-and-valleys performances, as highlighted by his 1-4-1-4-1-6 rebound totals over the past six contests. Vasturia is a proven shooter; however, and in the Irish's short rotation, he continues to play 30+ minutes nightly. This contest also has one of the higher over/under totals for the Sweet 16, suggesting a few extra opportunities for Vasturia.
F - Isaiah Hicks/Joel James, North Carolina - $5,300
These two are being lumped together as their value will completely depend on the status of Kennedy Meeks, who as of Tuesday night was considered a game-time decision due to a knee sprain. James offers the Heels with additional size but has little offensive repertoire and will need to secure 10 rebounds or more in order to provide true fantasy value. Hicks may be a little undersized to guard Wisconsin's bigs on the interior but offers a much more appealing upside play. In his only start this season in place of Meeks, Hicks posted 21 points and five boards in 28 minutes against Boston College.
F – Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky - $6,500
G – Andrew Harrison, Kentucky - $5,900
F – Trey Lyles, Kentucky - $5,800
G – Tyler Ulis, Kentucky - $5,600
First off, I'm not suggesting you stack your lineup with four Wildcats. But the depth the team offers leads to a plethora of fantasy options at a bargain price. Cauley-Stein has seen his price bottom out at this point. The good news if you are considering him; he's averaged 26.6 fantasy points over his last four. The bad news; his totals have gone down in each of the last four games. Harrison falls into a similar category, in that he's been inconsistent but can usually be counted on for roughly 20 fantasy points in your lineup.
Ulis and Lyles are true wildcard plays. Ulis has quietly played 24 or more minutes in eight of his last nine games, failing to reach 19 fantasy points just twice in those nine contests. He's become the Wildcats' go-to ball handler, and his price hasn't increased as much as his performance. Lyles' recent play seems to have been a major cause for Cauley-Stein's downward spiral of late, averaging 20.9 fantasy points over his last nine games, and Lyles is coming off of a 30.7 point performance against Cincinnati. The question for managers is whether to go with the hotter, younger, cheaper players in Ulis and Lyles, or the more stable, more expensive Harrison and Cauley-Stein.
G – Dee Davis, Xavier - $6,400
Davis has been between 21.6-27.1 fantasy points in each of his last five games. He's dished out five or more assists three times in that span and scored in double-figures four times. He's also played at least 36 minutes four times and is a stabilizing force for the Musketeers. This contest feels like the one that could get the most out of hand, but Davis figures to play enough to provide plenty of value.
F – Przemek Karnowski, Gonzaga - $6,300
What's not to love about the consistent fantasy scoring Karnowski provides? In his last 10 games, Karnowski has been below 20 fantasy points just three times, and below 16.6 points just once. He can score, rebound, and block shots, and doesn't need to do all three to provide another 20+ fantasy points on Friday. Karnowski looks like a rock solid choice for production.
G – Quentin Snider, Louisville - $5,400
Snider became a mainstay in this column down the stretch of the regular season but largely failed to produce in his new-found starting role. His 39.3 combined fantasy points in the Cardinals' first two tournament games isn't anything to brag about, but he's playing with more confidence and has seen his offense start to show some consistency. Snider doesn't appear to offer real upside, but another 20 fantasy points wouldn't surprise, and the price is right for that production.
F – Jakob Poeltl, Utah - $5,600
Poeltl has averaged 23.7 fantasy points over his last five games. There is certainly a worry here about being matched up with Duke's Jahlil Okafor, which could lead to some foul trouble and reduced minutes, but when his lowest point total over the last five games is 15.2 points, and the price is this low, Poeltl seems to be a worthwhile investment.
Duke's top four players all check in at $7,700 or more, putting most of their players out of the bargain range. This game has the potential to be high scoring, making a few of the Utes secondary options reasonable gambles.
G – Isaiah Cousins, Oklahoma - $6,500
G – Jordan Woodard, Oklahoma - $6,400
Another twofer here, and Cousins and Woodard are lumped together because they are under the average price tag, and their potential production is the only real way the Sooners can win against Michigan State, as someone has to take the offensive heat off of Buddy Hield. Cousins only scored 15 points in two games last weekend en route to 33.4 total fantasy points. The devil's advocate suggests Cousins can't produce much less and will see an uptick on Friday.
Woodard was more successful last week and has topped 20 fantasy points four times in his last five outings. His recent consistency and slightly lower price tag make him a bit more appealing, though he could draw more attention from the Spartans' defense.
Others to consider:
G – Wayne Blackshear, Louisville - $6,300
G – Bronson Koenig, Wisconsin - $5,000
F – Beejay Anya, North Carolina State - $4,500
F – Abdul-Malik Abu, North Carolina State - $5,400
F – Jordan Loveridge, Utah - $5,400
F – Zach Auguste, Notre Dame - $6,600
F – Brandon Ashley, Arizona - $6,600
F – Domas Sabonis, Gonzaga - $6,400
