This article is part of our FanDuel College Basketball series.
Welcome back to our FanDuel Value Picks of the Week. Conference tournaments are just a week away and Selection Sunday is right around the corner. This will mark the last Saturday of the regular season and before we take a look at this week's value plays, let's quickly review 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 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
FanDuel offers a wide variety of contests for all types of players. Here are just a few that are offered this coming Saturday:
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 FanDuel contests. Below we've listed the matchups that you have to choose from and our value plays, broken down into each time frame.
12:00p.m. ET – 4:00 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Florida State
Michigan State at Indiana
Oklahoma State at West Virginia
Florida at Kentucky
Kansas State at Texas
Syracuse at North Carolina State
Butler at Providence
St. John's at Villanova
California at Arizona State
Clemson at Notre Dame
Seton Hall at Georgetown
Northwestern at Iowa
LSU at Arkansas
Kansas at Oklahoma
Stanford at Arizona
No matter the sport, size of your league or scoring format, the key to fantasy success is finding valuable and productive players at a low cost. The weekly purpose of this column is to provide you with players that should perform at a higher level than their price tag would suggest. Here are the picks of the week playing in the early slate of games:
G - Kelly Oubre, Kansas, $6,700
Leading up to the start of the year, Oubre was considered one of the best freshman in the country, and he's handled it very well up to this point. He's averaged 13.7 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game over his last three contests. Oubre played 26.3 minutes per game over that span, and that number should only rise now that teammate Perry Ellis has been ruled out for Saturday's game at Oklahoma. The Jayhawks will look to Oubre for more offensive production in Ellis's absence, and it should be a fast-paced game which will only help the cause. These teams squared off back in January with a final score of 85-78 in favor of Kansas. Oubre went for 19 points and nine rebounds in that one for a 31.8-fantasy-point performance. Look for similar numbers Saturday.
G – Kendal Yancy, Texas, $5,400
Yancy is a prime example of a player who has made the most out of his recent boost in playing time. His season average is 21.5 minutes per game, however, over his last five games he's averaging 31.8 minutes per contest. In those five games, Yancy is averaging 22.9 FPPG including a 38-point performance against Iowa State. He scored 29 points in that game, including six 3-pointers. Yancy's price tag hasn't come even close to his recent production, and at $5,400, he is a must play this Saturday.
F - Chris Obekpa, St. John's, $6,000
If you've watched St. John's play this year you've probably wondered who the big fella in the old school short shorts was. That would be Obekpa, a junior forward averaging 3.2 blocks per game. As one of the premier rim defenders in college basketball, he provides you an easy six fantasy points just in blocks alone. Pair that with a 6.9 rebound per game average, and you are well on your way to a good night. All you need is for Obekpa to score 10 points, and you're looking at 25-plus fantasy points at a just-below-average price tag. He's swatted at least five shots seven times this year, and guys like this have huge upside.
Other Notables:
F – Devin Williams, West Virginia, $6,300
F – Zach Auguste, Notre Dame, $5,800
G – Ralston Turner, North Carolina State, $5,700
Now let's take a look at the value picks in the late list of games:
6:30 p.m. ET – 10:00 p.m
Virginia at Louisville
Colorado at Washington State
Missouri at Mississippi State
Iowa State at TCU
Duke at North Carolina
Vanderbilt at Ole Miss
G - Wayne Blackshear, Louisville, $5,700
On Feb. 18, Blackshear was held scoreless at Syracuse in what was an absolute nightmare of a game for the Louisville offense. Perhaps this is why his price tag hasn't caught up to him just yet. Since that night, the senior forward has averaged 21.8 fantasy points per game in four contests. He plays 30.5 minutes per game, which allows plenty of opportunity for production. Last Saturday he went for 29.3 fantasy points at Florida State over 37 minutes, and he continues to grind down low alongside superstar Montrezl Harrell. Louisville is in big need of a statement win at home, and we look for the senior to step up on Saturday against Virginia.
G – Riley LaChance, Vanderbilt, $5,300
LaChance is a freshman who averages 33.8 minutes per game for the Commodores, who are looking to win their fifth straight game on Saturday. He's scored at least 18 fantasy points in four out of his last five games including a 24.3-point performance Wednesday against Mississippi State. LaChance is an elite scorer for a freshman, and he's backed that up by scoring at least 20 points three times this season. He averages a steady line of 12.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. LaChance should have a field day on Saturday against an Ole Miss team that has given up over 70 points to each of its last three opponents.
G – Trey Zeigler, Texas Christian, $6,200
Zeigler has been on a tear as of late, averaging 26.4 fantasy points per game over his last four contests. He topped 30 fantasy points in two of those games, including a 34.7-point performance against Oklahoma. Zeigler played at least 30 minutes in three of those four games, so he's getting plenty of floor time. Keep in mind that the Horned Frogs will be playing at home against a fast-paced Iowa State team, in what should be an up-and-down game. Expect good things out of Zeigler on Saturday.
Other Notables:
F – James Siakam, Vanderbilt, $6,200
F – Dustin Hogue, Iowa State, $5,700
G – Quentin Snider, Louisville, $4,900
