This article is part of our FanDuel College Basketball series.
FanDuel rolls out their first wave of NCAA Tournament contests on Thursday. As such, there will be an expanded player pool compared to that of the regular season and conference tournaments. It will result in a lot of new players and plenty more value options.
As of Tuesday night, the contests had not been broken into early and late plays. The only current offerings are contests for the entire day's slate of tournament games. The contests also had yet to reflect the winners of Tuesday's First Four play-in contests. The hope here is to ballpark a split in game times for some potential late Thursday values, with the caveat that a handful of players could surface before Thursday's tipoff.
Now, a refresher of the rules.
FanDuel gives members a $60,000 budget to construct a nine-player team, which includes five forwards and four guards. There are no flex players included. It breaks down to an average of $6,667 worth of salary to spend on each player in your lineups.
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
The clear break in the action comes after the 4:40 p.m. ET tip between Ohio State and VCU. As such, the "early" games are:
Northeastern vs. Notre Dame
UAB vs. Iowa State
Georgia State vs. Baylor
Texas Southern vs. Arizona
Texas vs. Butler
UCLA vs. SMU
Ole Miss vs. Xavier (players not currently in pool, game time announced for 4:10)
Ohio State vs. VCU
Strategy can be challenging with such a large slate. Here are some questions to ask yourself before choosing your lineup:
Can top players on higher seeds "get theirs" before the game becomes a blowout?
Can a lower seed keep it close, allowing their starters to play their regular minutes?
Can a lower seed's stars produce even in a rout?
G – Kevin Ware, Georgia State - $5,400
Yes…that Kevin Ware of Louisville injury infamy. Ware's season-long body of work leaves something to be desired, averaging 7.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.7 steals. However, he was at his best in the Panthers' conference tournament, averaging 26.1 points in two contests after having not reached that total in seven previous contests. Equally important, he played 69 minutes in those outings compared to 94 total in the previous five games (18.8 per game). Ware seems like a feel-good gamble for Thursday.
G – Quincy Ford, Northeastern - $6,200
Ford is another player that heads into the Big Dance riding high coming off the conference tournament. He scored a season-high 22 points in a CAA Championship win over William & Mary, and has hit 14 three-pointers in his last seven games. Yes, Ford's been inconsistent with his scoring, and his peripheral stats, but the Huskies can play a similar style to that of Notre Dame – spread you out and shoot. The Huskies don't like to get up and down the court as much, but they may not have a choice. This game feels like it could stay close, and if it does, Ford will likely be the reason why.
F – Malcom Riley, Texas Southern - $5,600
Riley's price suggests the Tigers will get hosed by Arizona and not produce well in the presumed blowout. Otherwise, Riley should be priced substantially higher. He has three consecutive double-doubles and at least 10 rebounds in five straight games. Since Mar. 5, Riley has averaged 33.9 DraftKings fantasy points, and even if he only gets about half of that against the Wildcats, he's a decent buy.
F – Mo Alie-Cox, VCU - $5,700
Cox represents the Rams' lone low-post presence, and he's really starting to understand how to use his massive 6-6, 250 pound, rock-solid frame. He's had just one game under 20 DK fantasy points in his last 10 outings, averaging 22.9 DK points in that span. Alie-Cox does so with a little scoring, a little rebounding, and a little defense, and there's no reason he cannot continue to thrive come Thursday.
Others to consider:
G - Gabe York, Arizona - $5,100
G - Alex Barlow, Butler - $5,900
F - Ben Moore, SMU - $4,600
F - Bonzie Colson, Notre Dame - $4,600
The late slate, presumably tipping off at 6:50 p.m. ET, includes:
Lafayette vs. Villanova
Purdue vs. Cincinnati
Harvard vs. North Carolina
Stephen F. Austin vs. Utah
LSU vs. North Carolina State
Wofford vs. Arkansas
Eastern Washington vs. Georgetown
Hampton vs. Kentucky (players not currently in pool, game time announced for 9:50)
Working on the assumption that Kentucky players will be added to the pool, there will likely be some tremendous value picks there. It looks like a name-your-score contest for the Wildcats, which should lead to guys like Dakari Johnson, Trey Lyles, Marcus Lee and Tyler Ulis seeing extended second-half minutes. And to be frank, I feel better about the earlier picks than these…so if the contests remain limited to full-day slates, bargain hunting early and leaning on studs later might be the right strategy.
G – Siyani Chambers, Harvard - $5,900
Seeing the Tar Heels get torched by opposing guards happens more often than not, and while Chambers isn't the Crimson's top option, he has a chance to play a complementary role in a bid for the upset. Chambers rarely leaves the court, averaging 34.4 minutes per game, and while he's averaging the lowest scoring total of his three-year career (9.8 points), he's managed to contribute across the board with 4.3 dimes, 1.5 steals, and 2.2 rebounds. Chambers has made only one three-pointer in four of his last five games, but the hunch is he'll see a few extra looks Thursday.
G – Jayln Patterson, LSU - $5,900
Patterson has seen a nice surge in minutes since taking over as the starter for Josh Gray in February. The freshman put up a career-high 20 points against Arkansas in the regular season finale, and in his last five games, he has produced two 22+ DK point outings and two 31+ DK point outings. The rest of the Tigers' starting five have seemingly priced themselves out of value plays, leaving Patterson there for the taking in a game that could be back and forth throughout.
F – Justin Jackson, North Carolina - $5,800
Jackson played with a newfound offensive confidence during the Heels' run into the ACC Championship Game. While it didn't lead to results in the final contest against Notre Dame, Jackson was not bashful with his shot, hoisting 12 three-pointers in his last two outings. He's averaging 13.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in his last five games, leading to a 18.4 DK points per game rate over that span. It's not a ton of points, but he only has one outlier in that stretch, giving your roster a consistent, nearly 20-point performer, who, if I'm not mistaken, has seen his price fall of late.
F – Gary Clark, Cincinnati - $6,200
Clark is truthfully just another body that checks in with a below average salary. He's a safe play with a good floor and the potential to lead your lineup to a victory. For the year, he's averaged 22.3 DK fantasy points, a total that's elevated ever so slightly over the last four games, where he's averaged 23.6 DK points. He's good for about 30 minutes, 5-9 points, 6-12 rebounds and is a guy you can feel safe about plugging into your lineup.
Others to consider:
G - Ryan Arcidiacono, Villanova - $5,600
G - Josh Hart, Villanova - $5,900
G - Farad Cobb, Cincinnati - $5,400
F - Jakob Poeltl, Utah - $5,300
F - Jordan Loveridge, Utah - $5,200 (both Utah forwards have been too inconsistent to earn full endorsement)
F – Lee Skinner, Wofford - $6,000 (love the player, hate the lack of size/matchup)
