This article is part of our DraftKings College Basketball series.
Welcome to our guide on how to set your daily fantasy lineup for College Basketball at DraftKings. Being this is a sport relatively new to daily fantasy sports, let's briefly run down the basics. Your total available salary is $50,000 to build your best squad of eight players, which includes three guards, three forwards and two FLEX. Points are awarded on DraftKings as follows:
Point = +1 point PT
Made 3pt. shot = +0.5 PTs
Rebound = +1.25 PTs
Assist = +1.5 PTs
Double-Double = +1.5 PTs
Triple-Double= +3 PTs
With that out of the way, here are the available GPP contests for college basketball this Saturday:
$30K Storm The Court ($5,000 first prize), Entry Fee: $100
$10K Medium Storm The Court ($1,500 first prize), Entry Fee: $20
$6.5K Buzzer Beater ($600 first prize), Entry Fee: $2
$3.5K Full Court Press ($500 first prize), Entry Fee: $27
$3K Buzzer Beater ($450 first prize), Entry Fee: $2
and many more…
There are the two sets of contest times with the following games included:
12pm – 4pm Eastern
Iowa at Purdue
Oklahoma State at Kansas State
Kentucky at South Carolina
Wake Forest at Clemson
Texas A&M at Tennessee
Arkansas at Missouri
Florida State at North Carolina
Kansas at Texas
TCU at West Virginia
Illinois at Minnesota
Georgetown at Marquette
Iowa State at Texas Tech
Miami at Syracuse
Michigan State at Nebraska
UCLA at Oregon
6pm-12am
LSU at Vanderbilt
Oklahoma at Baylor
Florida at Ole Miss
USC at Oregon State
Richmond at Dayton
Wisconsin at Michigan
Memphis at Tulane
Pacific at Gonzaga
Washington State at Colorado
Auburn at Alabama
Arizona at California
Arizona State at Stanford
Yes, that's 14 hours of basketball and 27 games.
We've covered the basics to play, what you're playing for, and the player pool you'll be drafting from; let's now get down to the dirty work.
As with every other sport, coordinating the right price with the right player is the name of the game. Normally, 15 points and 10 rebounds would be considered a good stat line, but the 29 Fantasy Points (fpts) accrued from such a performance are "deflated" if accompanied with a large price tag. Say John Doe scores 29 fpts with a $9500 price tag.. Those 29 fpts divided by the price of $9500 comes out to .00305 FPs per dollar (for easier viewing .00305 * 1000 = 3.05). If every player on your squad hits 3.05 FPs per dollar, your team will have attained a net score of 152.5 fpts. Top squads on any given night score well over 200 fpts, so that's just not going to get it done. With that in mind, to attain 200 points you'll need 4.0 fpts per dollar – a number I've come to hold sacred when assessing a player's true value. Below you'll find a set of players that stand a very good chance of hitting and surpassing that mark.
Guards:
Raphael Davis, Purdue, $5100
The Boilmakers backcourt played the second half of their most recent game without top scorer Kendall Stephens, who's dealing with a finger injury. With Stephens doubtful against a less than stellar Iowa backcourt, Davis will likely see an expanded role on offense, and he's coming off an already impressive 25.5 FP performance last outing. A realistic target is 22.25 fpts (4.36 fpts per dollar).
Justin Edwards, Kansas State, $4000
Edwards is averaging 16.5 fpts (4.125 fpts per dollar) per game over his last four outings and put up a healthy 20.75 fpts against Oklahoma State three weeks ago. Though not a starter, Edwards averages over 20 minutes a game and represents a suitable value play.
Jalen Jones, Texas A&M, $6300
This, simply put, will not be a high scoring game. That being said, Jones doesn't care. The Aggies have scored an average of 64.5 points over their last two games, yet Jones has averaged 19 points, nine rebounds and one assist over those two games respectively; which is an average of 30 fpts. So, even in a game with lowered point total expected, 26.5 fpts (4.21 fpts per dollar) is well within the wheelhouse for Jones.
Nate Mason, Minnesota, $4800
Mason is a talented freshman recently handed the starting point guard job on a team averaging just over 77 points a game. His last game against Nebraska was one of the uglier games played all year, but I am willing to look past that result and towards a matchup against a Fighting Illini team that is without their top scorer, rebounder, and defender Rayvonte Rice. In the three games prior to the engagement with Nebraska, Mason averaged 22.58 fpts (4.7 fpts per dollar). Look for him to return to that form.
Malcolm Duvivier, Oregon State, $4800
On a team judicious in its game plan (OSU likes to take things slow), Duvivier averages 35 minutes a game, and he's fresh off of a 19-point, six-rebound, five-assist outing. However, six of those points came on free throws in the final 43 seconds in a night where 11 of his points came at the line. In the strategy of picking the best foul shooter on a team in a close game, he's golden with an 80-percent clip from the charity stripe. His reliance on the charity stripe is as much a curse as a blessing, though. Nonetheless, if he simply puts up 2/3 of his 33 fpts from his last game (22 fpts, 4.58 fpts per dollar), he's a great addition to nearly any team.
Ricky Tarrant, Alabama, $5500
Fresh off 21 points in a buzzer beater tip-in overtime loss to Arkansas, Tarrant looks to get his team a tally in the wins column against the lesser Auburn. He's fairly dependent on making baskets, as he averages just over two rebounds and two assists per game, but he's proven to be very skilled in the scoring department with 14 or more points in four of five SEC games. With a mere mortal performance, 23 fpts (4.18 fpts per dollar) appears well within reach.
Bryce Alford, UCLA, $8000
This price tag seems a hefty wage for a player on a team that scored just 55 points last out, but Alford was responsible for a hefty portion of that impotent offense with 18 points, four treys, two rebounds and six assists. Putting the stingy Oregon State Beavers in the rearview mirror and looking forward to their run-happy neighbor in the Oregon Ducks, Alford will look to stuff the stat sheets thick. He's put up 23 points on 3rd-ranked Gonzaga and dished out nine dimes against Cal just a few games ago. With an average of 32 fpts (4 fpts per dollar) over his last three games, Alford has a nice floor and a high ceiling.
Buddy Hield , Oklahoma, $8900 - Averaging 37.3 fpts over last four games
Louis Dabney, Tulane, $6700 - Averaging 30.25 fpts over last four games
Avery Woodson, Memphis, $4400 - Averaging 20.33 fpts over last three games
Anthony Brown, Stanfod , $9000 - Averaging 35 fpts in seven games of Pac-12 play
Michael Qualls, Arkansas, $7400 - Averaging 31.1 fpts in five games of SEC play
Gary Payton II, Oregon State, $7900 - Averaging 35.25 fpts over last two games
Forwards
Brandon Ashley, Arizona, $5200
California just lost to Arizona State at home 79-44. Arizona beat their in state rivals 73-49. Is a massacre in order? Ashley is a 6-9 forward with the size to pull down rebounds (11 vs. Colorado), the perimeter play to knock down triples (three vs. Arizona State), and he can flat out score when needed (as he did in scoring 17 in just 16 minutes of play vs. Stanford). He averages 29 mpg, and with an arsenal of weapons at his disposal, how can he be viewed as anything but a steal at the pedestrian price of $5200? With an average of 22 fpts (4.23 fpts per dollar) over his last two outings, keep him directly in your crosshairs.
Isaac Copeland, Georgetown, $4100
He's a freshman earning more and more minutes as the season progresses. At a cheap price with an average of nearly 20 fpts (4.88 fpts per dollar) over the last three games, Copeland serves as a nice grab from the value bin.
Leron Black, Illinois, $5000
Like Copeland, Black has become a major player on his squad as a developing freshman, and with a considerable splash. His 15-point, 13-rebound performance Wednesday versus Purdue was the key to the Illini victory. This guy might soon become a household double-double machine and I'd like to have him in my lineup while he is priced well in accordance with that standard. A minimum double-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds pulls 24 fpts (4.8 fpts per dollar), anywhere near that target makes Black enticing.
Jordan Bell, Oregon, $5100
In a game where the shots attempted will be high, Bell is the guy to clean the boards when the shots go awry. With Kevon Looney priced in the stratosphere, and Bell averaging 11 rebounds over his last two games, there is little doubt where the value lies. If Bell can merely make a few baskets on top of the undoubted multitude of rebounds coming his way, he's a prime target. If he can reach double digits, a feat reached against the formidable Arizona Wildcat Defense, he could contend for a double-double and the minimum 24 fpts (4.7 fpts per dollar).
Domantas Sabonis, Gonzaga, $5800
Since the inception of conference play, rebounding is Sabonis' specialty. Over the past five games, he's averaging a double-double and an assist. The only quandary with Sabonis is Gonzaga's deep bench and weak opponents in front of him. He's not guaranteed 30 or even 25 minutes every game, as he isn't really needed for heavy run against the teams the Zags are up against. Nonetheless, his dominance on the boards has been good for an average of 25.5 fpts (4.4 fpts per dollar) over the last five games, making him a solid option.
Other Notables:
Nino Williams, Kansas State, $5800 - Averaging 32.38 fpts over last two games
Bobby Portis, Arkansas, $9100 - Averaging 36.2 fpts in five games of SEC play
Dyshawn Pierre, Dayton, $7700 - Averaging 29.3 fpts in six games of A10 play
T.J. Cline, Richmond, $5900 - Averaging 23.95 fpts in five games of A10 play
Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin, $9400 - Coming off a 37.75 fpts performance
Stanley Johnson, Arizona, $7900 - Averaging 32.7 fpts over last three games
