DFS College Basketball: Thursday Preview

DFS College Basketball: Thursday Preview

This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.

Thursday's college hoops slate features a smaller group of games with only one marquee match-up: San Diego State at Arizona State. The other three games are projected to end in blowouts so you'll want to plan accordingly.

TARGETS

1. Taveion Hollingsworth, G, Western Kentucky ($7,100 DK)

The Hilltoppers are projected to score almost 80 points in today's game, an ideal starting point for filling out your lineup. Western Kentucky's offense is ranked top-50 in the country (per KenPom) and is facing a Gardner-Webb team that finished last season ranked No. 218 in KenPom's overall standings. By the way, this will be Gardner-Webb's first game of the season. Charles Bassey ($9,200 DK) is the premier option in this game and will likely dominate whenever he's on the court. His only potential issue is playing time, which could be limited if the game turns into an early blowout. Western Kentucky played a similar opponent in their last game and Bassey ended up playing just 20 minutes. 

2. Ethan Thompson, G, Oregon State ($8,300 DK)

The Beavers are projected to score around 77 points in today's game, another promising source of fantasy points. Oregon State's offense runs through Thompson so he's our best bet for a big pay day. Thompson plays the most minutes on the team and effectively leads the team in usage rate and it's not even close. He's the Beaver to target if you trust them to play well against a weaker opponent. Note: Oregon state has a rebounding advantage entering this game so I'd expect Warith Alatishe ($8,000 DK) to have a big night on the glass. A cheaper option is shooter Zach Reichle ($5,300), essentially the third scoring option for the Beavers. 

If you don't trust Oregon State and would rather gamble on Portland, then Ahmed Ali ($7,900 DK) could offer some excellent value. He's currently using an absurd 35 percent of his team's possessions when on the court, one of the highest usage rates in the country. 

3. Matt Mitchell, F, San Diego State ($7,400)

This game has the highest over/under total on the board so it's probably a good idea to target someone here as well. I'm thinking San Diego State will keep up with Arizona state, so I like Matt Mitchell ($7,400) as he's the key Aztec player in the game. In comparing the teams side-by-side, it becomes apparent that the Aztecs have a clear edge when it comes to rebounding. For this reason I like Nathan Mensah ($5,800 DK) and Aguek Arop ($5,400) as value plays for the Aztecs.  If you're looking for a Sun Devil, then I strongly suggest picking Josh Christopher ($6,500 DK). The five-star freshman is taking over 30 percent of his team's shots when on the court and appears poised to have an impressive year. He scored 28 points against Villanova earlier in the season which leads me to believe he's capable of doing it again.

FADES

1. Jacob Falko, G/F, Gardner-Webb ($6,600 DK)

As mentioned above, this is Gardner-Webb's first game of the season so there's significant uncertainy involved with its depth chart. The roster mostly consists of freshmen and transfers, making fantasy forecasts somewhat difficult. Falko joins GW after playing two years of  junior college basketball at Cecil (Md.) College, and is currently penciled in as a starter. His pricetag makes sense if he starts, but even then we can't be too sure. The only Bulldog that we can safely bet on is Jaheam Cornwall ($7,600). He played a signficant part on last year's team.

2. North Dakota St. vs South Dakota St.

This game currently has the lowest over/under total on the board and I tend to like the under in this situation. North Dakota State prefers playing a slower pace and relies on its defense to keep the games close. NDSU played at Kansas on this past Saturday and only lost by a final score of 61-65. It wouldn't surprise me if we see a similar score in this matchup, although I should note that South Dakota State is noticeably skilled when it comes to offense (its offensive efficiency currently ranks at No. 32 in the country per KenPom). If you think this game will be higher scoring, then I like Douglas Wilson ($7,200 DK) for the Jackrabbits and Rocky Kreuser ($6,800 DK) or Sam Griesel ($6,400) for the Bison.

3. Remy Martin, G, Arizona State ($8,900)

Martin might prove me wrong but I'm doing it anyway. San Diego State is notoriously tough on defense so I wouldn't be surprised if Martin doesn't provide any value given his high salary. Earlier in the season against Villanova, Martin finished the game with just five points, one rebound, and two assists in 37 minutes of action. San Diego State's defense is currently ranked No. 24 compared to No. 22 for Villanova (in terms of efficiency, per KenPom). All things considered, I'd rather take a chance on Alonzo Verge ($8,100) or Josh Christopher ($6,500 DK) in this matchup.

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. Steve Peralta plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Buddusky, DraftKings: Buddusky24.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Steve Peralta
Graduated from USC in 2012 while interning for ESPN and FOX Sports. Following graduation, I started working full-time for FOX Sports and been there ever since. Been an avid fantasy player for over fifteen years. In addition to my fantasy teams, you'll also find me rooting for the USC Trojans and New York Yankees.
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