This article is part of our FanDuel College Basketball series.
Before inspecting some potential value plays for FanDuel's two Saturday offerings, a quick review of the rules never hurts.
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 is:
Points Scored = +1 PT
Rebound = +1.2 PT
Assist = +1.5 PT
Block = +2 PTs
Steal = +2 PTs
Turnover = -1 PT
The early contests start at noon ET and use a player pool featuring the following games that tip between noon and 5:00 p.m.
North Carolina State at Boston College
Louisville at Florida State
Michigan at Maryland
Georgetown at St. John's
Missouri at Georgia
North Carolina at Miami
TCU at Oklahoma
Cincinnati at Tulane
Villanova at Xavier
Butler at DePaul
Mississippi at LSU
West Virginia at Baylor
Iowa State at Kansas State
Virginia Tech at Virginia
Arkansas at Kentucky
Texas at Kansas
16 games, 32 teams, 160 starters to build your nine-man roster. Given the plethora of options, the task of narrowing down your choices can be a bit daunting. It also lends itself to a diverse competition, where even star players may come in at under 50 percent ownership. Guess right on a big day, and you'll be looking at a good chance at cashing in.
G – Quentin Snyder, Louisville, $5,000
Snyder has been the benefactor of Chris Jones' previous suspension and subsequent dismissal from the program. In two games without Jones, Snyder has averaged 37 minutes of action. While he's only scored 19 total points in those two outings, he's found ways to chip in across the board, averaging 20.7 FPPG in those contests. Simply put, he has to produce something when given that much run, making him a solid bargain choice.
G – Michael Albrecht, Michigan, $6,400
Something I find myself searching for when bargain hunting is a simple check on minutes played. Yes, you can be a glue guy and be on the court without helping in the stat column, but eventually, if you're playing at least 35 minutes, the ball comes your way enough to impact the game. Albrecht simply never leaves the court, playing at least 34 minutes in each of his last seven games. He's managed at least 10 points in six straight, and peeked with a 32.3-fantasy-point outing on Monday against Ohio State.
G – Angel Rodriguez, Miami, $6,600
Rodriguez is a bit of a gamble, as prior to Wednesday's 40.3-fantasy-point eruption, he had only topped 20 points once in his last eight games. The poster child for a streaky shooter, Rodriguez isn't priced at a discount either, checking in right at the average per player. Call this a speculative play, but the Tar Heels have a knack for allowing big production to opposing guards (see Olivier Hanlan, Tyus Jones, Cameron Wright, Trevor Lacey). Rodriguez's risk and price will probably have most managers glancing over him, making him a gamble that could have big rewards if you're feeling lucky.
F – Beejay Anya, North Carolina State, $4,900
Anya is the anti-minutes-played producer. While he did play 32 minutes Tuesday at North Carolina, he's seen 20 minutes or fewer in eight of his previous nine outings. He also isn't a big scorer, having not topped eight points in that span. But Anya is impacting the game on defense, averaging 4.3 blocks in his last four games. It's resulted in a 22.4 FPPG average over that span, a total that is vastly exceeding his current price tag.
F – Isaac Copeland, Georgetown, $6,600
Copeland has seen his minutes increase over this last three games, and has responded by averaging 14.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists. His price tag has caught up, as his season averages aren't even half that of his recent surge, so there's certainly some risk, but Copeland is a hot player who could get lost in this crowded slate.
Others to consider:
G – Keith Shamburger, Missouri - $5,400
G – Marial Shayok, Virginia - $4,800 (check the status of London Perrantes)
F – Trevon Bluiett, Xavier - $5,600 (earning a permanent spot in this column)
F – Dylan Osetkowski, Tulane, $5,000
Saturday's late slate includes the following games, which tip between 6:00p.m. ET and 9:00 p.m:
Iowa at Penn State
Tennessee at Florida
Mississippi State at South Carolina
Syracuse at Duke
Northwestern at Illinois
Tulsa at Memphis
UTEP at Southern Miss
Auburn at Texas A&M
Arizona at Utah
Washington at USC
While there are definitely values available across the slate, I'm taking a bit of a different approach here by highlighting guys who are likely dismissed simply because of the teams they play on. It's far too easy to glance over a UTEP-Southern Miss matchup to select more familiar names from Duke and Syracuse, but when you're opponents all do that, going against the grain can offer solid returns.
G – Duane Notice, South Carolina - $5,200
Notice is riding a three-game hot streak, posting at least 25.5 FPPG in that stretch. The Gamecocks are not a good offensive team, but if you're a fan of taking a few gambles on hot players, Notice fits that bill.
G – Chip Armelin, Southern Miss - $6,100
As previously noted, the hunch here is that this matchup gets glanced over by casual fans when building a roster, and both teams are dependent on a core group for the bulk of their production. Armelin is the team's leading scorer at just under 16 points per game, and he has rested only 12 total minutes in his last 10 games.
F – Julian Washburn, UTEP - $5,400
Washburn has scored in double-figures in three straight, and is another player who just doesn't leave the floor often. He's played at least 30 minutes in 10 straight, six times topping 37 minutes over that stretch. He's has consecutive 30+ FPPG outings, and has only produced fewer than 24.2 fantasy points twice in his last 10 games.
F – Rashad Smith, Tulsa - $6,500
Since dislocating two fingers on Feb. 18, Smith has averaged 15.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.0 blocks and 1.0 steals per game. It's not the best matchup, and Smith posted 23.4 fantasy points in a previous matchup with Memphis, but he's another solid option that likely is not a household name.
Others to consider:
G - Kedren Johnson, Memphis - $5,500
G – Kasey Hill, Florida - $5,600
F – Devin Robinson, Florida - $5,400
F – Kaleb Tarczewski, Arizona - $5,700
F – Malik Price-Martin, USC - $5,000
