March Madness is upon us, but you can get into college hoops today by playing daily contests at FanDuel.
If you've played NBA DFS before, college basketball DFS is similar. You pick a total of eight players -- four guards, three forwards, and one utility spot. Stay within the $50,000 salary cap, and field the team you think will score the most fantasy points.
The scoring settings differ from NBA in the blocks and steals categories; each is worth two FanDuel points, rather than the three you get in NBA contests.
Now that you're in the know, let's attack today's main slate. All betting lines come from FanDuel Sportsbook.
And of course, remember to get those picks in for the GMC Mountain Climber Pick 'Em contest for your chance at $20,000 in prizes. And don't forget to reserve your Sierra.
Guards
Kameron McGusty, Miami ($7,500) - McGusty leads the Miami Hurricanes in usage for the season with a 26.7% clip, according to Sports-Reference. He's taken things to a new level of late, hoisting 19, 18, and 18 shots in Miami's last three games. The Iowa State Cyclones are a difficult matchup, but so were the Auburn Tigers in the last round. McGusty torched Auburn for 20 real-life points, 6 boards, 4 assists, and 4 steals en route to 42.2 FanDuel points. McGusty is my favorite high-end guard play.
Ochai Agbaji, Kansas ($6,800) - Agbaji is one of the premier plays on the slate. The Kansas Jayhawks are 7.5-point favorites over the Providence Friars in a game with a 141.5-point total, which gives Kansas a slate-leading 74.5-point implied total. Agbaji spearheads KU in both points per game (19.3) and usage rate (26.7%). Providence (283rd in KenPom's adjusted tempo) is a big pace-down spot for Kansas, but the Jayhawks shouldn't have too much trouble with the Friars' 57th-ranked D. And if Kansas gets out front, it should force Providence to speed up.
Izaiah Brockington, Iowa State ($6,500) - Brockington is the Cyclones' leader in usage rate (27.7%), and while his FanDuel output has been wildly volatile lately, he's got a ceiling that is pretty rare for this salary. Brockington has three games of at least 36.4 FanDuel points since February 12th, although he's been held to 14.4 FanDuel points or fewer twice in his last three starts. The recent form could keep people away, and Brockington is capable of going off against Miami's 121st-ranked defense.
A.J. Reeves, Providence ($5,000) - As mentioned earlier, the Friars (283rd in tempo) are in a huge pace-up spot against Kansas (64th). That bodes well for their outlook. Reeves has logged at least 23 minutes in eight consecutive games, and he's posted at least 19.0 FanDuel points five times in that stretch. He's a decent way to save salary.
Forwards
Armando Bacot, North Carolina ($8,700) - Bacot has the best floor/ceiling combination on the slate. He's scored at least 32.2 FanDuel points in seven straight contests while producing at least 41.6 FanDuel points in three of those games. The clash between the North Carolina Tar Heels and UCLA Bruins boasts a 141.5-point total, which is tied for the top clip on the slate, and a 2.5-point spread. It should be a good fantasy environment, and Bacot is capable of a slate-best FanDuel output.
Zach Edey, Purdue ($7,000) - The Purdue Boilermakers are commanding 12.5-point favorites against the Saint Peter's Peacocks, and Purdue's 73.00-point implied total is a number we need to target. Saint Peter's is 240th in tempo and 29th in defense, so they have the ability to make this more of a half-court slugfest -- and that's why I prefer Edey or Trevion Williams ($7,200) to Jaden Ivey ($7,700). Edey hasn't played more than 21 minutes in six straight, but he has averaged 1.43 FanDuel points per minute in that time. He could be too much for Saint Peter's to handle.
Hassan Drame, Saint Peter's ($5,200) - Saint Peter's have their work cut out for them as big underdogs versus the Boilers, but it's not a horrible matchup for their offense against a Purdue team that is only 88th in defense. Drame is a low-salary way to get a piece of the Peacocks. Through two tourney games, he's averaging 29 minutes and 22.6 FanDuel points. That'll play at this salary.
Cody Riley, UCLA ($4,800) - Riley is a dart throw I can stomach. He's started both of the Bruins' NCAA Tournament games, playing 23 and 28 minutes while scoring 18.5 and 15.6 FanDuel points. That's not too shabby for $4,800, and he could see plenty of run if UCLA needs his size on defense. UNC (32nd in tempo) is a pace-up foe for UCLA (270th), and Riley should benefit from that.