This article is part of our FanDuel College Basketball series.
FanDuel's early Saturday slate features 13 games, tipping between noon and 3:00 p.m. EST, and includes five matchups from the ACC and three more from the SEC. Suspensions and injuries appear to be giving fantasy players some new names to consider as the season heads into its final month. Here's a look at a few players who could exceed their price tags.
Guards
Bishop Daniels, RUTG vs. PENST ($6,500): Daniels had been relatively quiet prior to Tuesday's game at Illinois, putting up more than eight points just twice in nine games. But he played 38 minutes against the Illini and responded with 15 points, four rebounds, seven assists and two steals. His uptick seemingly comes as a direct result of the suspension to Corey Sanders, who won't return until March 2. Daniels' track record suggests there's plenty of room for bust, especially due to his lack of scoring, but he is one of the very few players the Scarlet Knights have who is capable of any production, and his minutes should keep him from bottoming out.
Luke Kennard, DUKE at LOUIS ($5,100): Now that Matt Jones' absence has been confirmed, the Blue Devils will go to Louisville with virtually a five-man rotation. Kennard has more scoring upside than backcourt mate Derrick Thornton, making him the safer play as well as the higher upside choice. Kennard had 11 points and two rebounds in 20 minutes against Louisville on Feb. 8 and is nearly assured of 35+ minutes, so he figures to provide some peripheral numbers to easily justify this price.
Eli Cain, DPAUL vs. MRQTT ($5,900): Part of the appeal to Cain is that he's highly likely to see low ownership numbers, as freshmen guards from DePaul don't typically move the needle. But Cain is playing well of late, scoring at least 16.9 fantasy points in four straight, topping out with 36.6 points in his last outing against St. John's. He's scored in double digits in six of his last eight games while playing over 30 minutes in all but one of those outings. That one game with decreased minutes was an earlier one against Marquette, which may leave the Golden Eagles not focusing their defensive efforts elsewhere, leaving Cain to continue his recent offensive aggression.
Others to consider: Derrick Thornton, DUKE at LOUIS ($4,800); James Robinson; PITT at SYRCS ($6,600); Jalen Brunson, VLLNV vs. BUTLR ($5,300); Devon Bookert, FLAST at VTECH ($6,300)
Forwards
Matthew Fisher-Davis, VANDB vs. GRGIA ($5,900): Fisher-Davis heads into Saturday riding a three-game hot streak that has seen him increase his scoring in each contest, topping out with a 20-point, four-rebound, two-assist effort last Tuesday against Mississippi State. He's hit for double-digits in three straight and four of his last six games while adding four rebounds in four straight. There doesn't appear to be huge upside, but should Fisher-Davis extend his 22.8+ fantasy point streak to four games, he's be a nice complimentary piece to round out a roster.
Jesse Govan, GTOWN vs. XAV ($6,000): Govan is seeing as many minutes as he can handle without fouling thanks to a broken hand to Bradley Hayes. He's coming off of a career-high 27 points while adding seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals, clearly showing the upside he possesses. Fouls remain a tremendous concern, however, as Govan has at least four in five straight and six of his last seven. Xavier can also throw lengthy forwards Jalen Reynolds and James Farr at Govan. It leads to a very volatile floor for Govan, but you'd be hard pressed to find a player at this price tag with as high a ceiling.
Chris Clarke, VTECH vs. FLAST ($5,200): Clarke's price has yet to catch up to his pre-injury production. The problem is his minutes haven't either, as he's played 13 and 24 minutes in two games since returning from a broken foot. He's averaged 9.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in those two games, but his minutes figure to continue growing as he proves his health and conditioning, and there's a real chance he reaches double-digit rebounds against a guard-heavy Seminoles lineup.
Jaylen Johnson, LOUIS vs. DUKE ($4,500): Johnson gets a brief mention here as he's seen his minutes balance out to around 20 over his last four outings, and the Cardinals have almost as few post options as their opponent thanks to injuries. It's likely Louisville goes small, and Johnson has very limited upside. But we've seen time and time again how weak the Blue Devils are inside, and Johnson could work his way into rebounds and some put-back scoring should his minutes stay steady. The appeal is completely gone should Raymond Spalding (lower body) play.
Others to consider: Jonathan Laurent, RUTG vs. PENST ($5,300); Marshall Plumlee, DUKE at LOUIS ($6,800); I.J. Ready, MISST at ALBMA ($5,900)
