DFS College Basketball: Wednesday Preview

DFS College Basketball: Wednesday Preview

This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.

Wednesday features ten total games, and our coverage between the two sites is pretty clean.  Only one game separates the offerings.  Let's dive right in!

Overview

Alabama (-3.5) vs, Mississippi State O/U: 155.5

North Carolina (-5) vs. Pittsburgh O/U: 137.5

Notre Dame (-5.5) @ NC State O/U:148

Florida State (-7) @ Wake Forest O/U: 142

Kansas (-6.5) @ Iowa State O/U: 145.5

Xavier (-2.5) vs. Seton Hall O/U: 134.5

LSU (-5) vs. Arkansas O/U: 146

Duke (-11.5) @ Georgia Tech O/U: 139

Texas (-2) vs. Oklahoma O/U: 136.5

Wisconsin (-4) vs. Illinois O/U: 124 (FANDUEL ONLY)

TOP PLAYERS

 Tyrese Haliburton, Iowa State (DK $9,300, FD $8,700) vs. Kansas

The sophomore point guard tops the salary list on both sites. He has the goods to be a triple-double threat in the right scenario and currently ranks 27th in the country with an offensive rating of 127.8.  He's also dropping dimes at a relentless clip, with a 15th-tanked assist rate of 39.8 percent. His scoring rate is bolstered by a consistent presence beyond the arc, where he's firing threes at a 42.5 percent conversion rate.

 John Mooney, Notre Dame (DK $9,100, FD $8,400) @ NC State

I suspect Mooney will be one of the chalkiest options at center on Wednesday.  He's logged double-doubles in 11 of 13 games played this season, a feat he's likely to repeat Wednesday against the Wolfpack.

 Reggie Perry, Mississippi State (DK $8,800, FD $8,000) @ Alabama

The 6-10 sophomore is having a great season so far, averaging 15.8 points and 10 rebounds over 13 games. He currently leads the SEC with seven double-doubles  Although he'll be squaring off against a tough Alabama squad, Perry had proven to be matchup-proof.

 Garrison Brooks, North Carolina (DK $7,800, FD $6,900) vs. Pittsburgh

Brooks is coming off a career-high 35 points against Georgia Tech and finds himself with yet another favorable matchup against Pittsburgh.  The loss of Cole Anthony (knee) stings, but Brooks has picked up the slack and delivered in a serious way, averaging 13.9 points and 8.7 rebounds over 14 games.

 Skylar Mays, LSU (DK $7,200, FD $7,000) @ Arkansas
 Javonte Smart, LSU (DK $6,600, FD $6,400) @ Arkansas

The Tigers have a lot of solid playmakers, but Mays and Smart deserve special mention in a game that checks the necessary boxes for me in terms of O/U and point spread. Mays leads the team in scoring, although Smart isn't far behind.  They combine as one of the more formidable backcourts in the country, and although Smart was in the midst of a scoring slump he exploded with 21 points in his last game against Tennessee, The tandem combines an average of eight assists between the two of them, and I wouldn't rule out a stack in this scenario. 

Also consider: Jericho Sims, Texas (DK $6,100, FD $6,100) vs. Oklahoma

VALUE PLAYS

 Prentiss Hubb, Notre Dame (DK $5,700, FD $5,800) @ NC State

I'm thrilled to see the Irish's starting point guard at such a favorable price.  The 6-3 sophomore is coming off a masterful game against Syracuse, netting a 22/9 line while letting loose the long ball.  He drilled six threes out of 13 attempts in the game, which is evidence of how high his ceiling can go when he's running hot from long range. The Wolfpack ranks a paltry 299th in defending the three, so Hubb should get plenty of looks from beyond the arc tonight.

 Matthew Hurt, Duke (DK $5,300, FD $5,600) @ Georgia Tech

It's hard to shine with Vernon Carey Jr. and Tre Jones stealing most of the thunder for Duke, but the freshman forward is a diamond in the rough at this price.  Early reports suggest that Tech will be one of the punching bags of the conference this season, so the team should have an easy time. Hurt has seen increased minutes when Duke wins by 10 or more points, so the game sets up well for him.

 Jaden Shackelford, Alabama (DK $5,600, FD $5,200) vs. Mississippi State

Although he's only logged two starts this season, he's averaging over 26 minutes per game and is making a big impact in his freshman year.  His scores have been all over the place, demonstrating scores from four to 28 points, but in the past four games his totals have evened out to an average of 17 points and 4.5 rebounds, and I think those numbers represent a much better expectation over his season averages.

 Dane Goodwin, Notre Dame (DK $5,100, FD $5,100) @ NC State

Hubb and Goodwin could also be a viable backcourt stack for a lot less cash. I've now promoted more than half of the Irish's starting lineup, which is a pretty strong indicator of how I think this game will go. The 6-6 sophomore is a streaky shooter at times and didn't play well in their last game against Syracuse, but it was the sole blemish of a five-game run where he averaged 15 points, 4-8 rebounds and 2.7 assists.

 M.J. Walker, Florida State (DK $4,800, FD $4,800) @ Wake Forest

Walker's missed four games due to injury, and that's resulted in a bargain salary point for FSU's presumptive starting off-guard.  He rallied back from a one-game absence with 23 points off the bench in a tough loss to Louisville and I suspect he'll be back in the starting lineup as they try to regain their footing against the Demon Deacons.

Illinois @ Wisconsin (FANDUEL ONLY)

This game features one of my favorite players in the country in Kofi Cockburn ($6,700), who's almost single-handedly turned the Illini into contenders in the Big Ten. Ayo Dosunmu ($6,200) is the second guy up for Illinois, as he's a solid multi-category performer who's making plays all over the court.  On Wisconsin's side, Nate Reuvers would be the logical choice but I'm going to fade him against Cockburn. He struggled against Ohio State's Kaleb Wesson and I think Cockburn is a stiffer test. The low O/U in this matchup leads me to look past most targets here, but I think Wisconsin's Kobe King ($4,400) might be worth slotting as a tournament flier.  He's recently woken up with increased minutes and could beat value here if you need cap room.

GAME TO TARGET

Xavier (-2.5) vs. Seton Hall

I'm giving his game the target designation because I went through my endorsements with the full intention of including players in this game and managed to omit them entirely.  We shouldn't ignore this game, however. My top picks for this game:

ELITE: Myles Powell, Seton Hall ( DK $8,600, FD $7,200)

ELITE: Tyrique Jones, Xavier (DK $7,600, FD $7,100)

VALUE: Jared Rhoden, Seton Hall (DK $5,900, FD $5,600)

VALUE: Quentin Goodin, Xavier (DK $5,400, FD $5,400)

GAME TO FADE

Texas (-2) vs. Oklahoma

The spread is favorable but I think this matchup will be more of a defensive slug-fest, and aside from the Sims endorsement, I was able to find better value elsewhere.

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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