CBB Grind Down: Saturday, January 3rd (Early)
Glean insight from one of the game’s best, Varncass, as he lists picks he’ll actually be targeting in his tournament games below, along with detailed analysis and reasoning.
Saturday, January 3rd
We have ten games on the docket here for FanDuel today which should make for an extremely entertaining afternoon slate of games. I would get used to 10 or more on the early slate for Saturdays as that is what it will be most often for the rest of the year. I will do my best to break down all of the games for you as well.
Minnesota at Maryland
| Minnesota | Maryland | |||||||
| Vegas Total | 142 | Fast Break Pts/Gm | 9.50 | Vegas Total | 142 | Fast Break Pts/Gm | 4.82 | |
| Vegas Sprd | 6 | Paint Pts/Gm | 30.70 | Vegas Sprd | -6 | Paint Pts/Gm | 31.45 | |
| Team Proj. | 68 | Opponent TOs/GM | 12.09 | Team Proj. | 74 | Opponent TOs/GM | 14.30 | |
| Ast/TO Ratio | 138% | Field Goal % | 48.00% | Ast/TO Ratio | 96% | Field Goal % | 47.60% | |
Minnesota
Primary Plays
None – I am not a fan of Minnesota here, Maryland is a very solid defensive team that does not play fast and they are at home. Minnesota has been playing very high tempo games recently and their prices are inflated as they are expected to lose this game by six to a solid Maryland team.
Secondary Plays
Carlos Morris – Morris is still cheap at 6,200 and is a fairly safe play. He should hit 20 fantasy points again as he takes 24% of Minnesota’s shots and has been helping out with assists and rebounds lately as well. Morris is a shooter so if Maryland goes zone, he could really put up some points as well.
Maryland
Primary Plays
Jake Layman – Maryland gets a nice tempo-up game here against Minnesota who is going to look to push the pace. Layman plays well in up-tempo games and had one of his worst outputs last game against Michigan State which should scare some off of him. I like him for a nice rebound game as he is a core player on Maryland and the return of Wells and Smotrycz does not affect his playing time.
Secondary Plays
Melo Trimble – Trimble is another one who is not affected by the return of Wells and Smotrycz. He is going to get his minutes every game and has really been playing like a grizzled veteran and not a freshman. He is almost the same price as Wells, but I would take him at the same price as he has been better this year even when Wells was healthy.
Villanova at Seton Hall
| Villanova | Seton Hall | |||||||
| Vegas Total | 140 | Fast Break Pts/Gm | 5.90 | Vegas Total | 140 | Fast Break Pts/Gm | 11.33 | |
| Vegas Sprd | -4 | Paint Pts/Gm | 32.00 | Vegas Sprd | 4 | Paint Pts/Gm | 29.56 | |
| Team Proj. | 72 | Opponent TOs/GM | 13.56 | Team Proj. | 68 | Opponent TOs/GM | 11.30 | |
| Ast/TO Ratio | 135% | Field Goal % | 48.10% | Ast/TO Ratio | 96% | Field Goal % | 46.30% | |
Villanova
Primary Plays
Darrun Hilliard – Hilliard returned from his concussion and did not miss a beat in minutes played. He seemed to take a bit to get into the flow of the game, although I think that he will be better in this one. Recently, he has been playing more like what I expected at the beginning of the season, and $6,300 for Hilliard is still a bargain. He is a solid play today against a Seton Hall team which Villanova should not have trouble scoring against.
Secondary Plays
Daniel Ochefu – Ochefu has really been a stalwart in the middle of the paint for Villanova early in the year. He does not have great upside, but he does block some shots and is a safe play. I would expect a range between 20 and 30 fantasy points today which is solid for $6,400.
Seton Hall
Primary Plays
Brandon Mobley – Mobley was great against St. John’s for Seton Hall in the absence of Whitehead. He is going to continue to play 30+ minutes a game, and as a pick and pop 4 man, is going to continue to take a lot of shots for the Pirates. His price on FanDuel at $6,200 is still too low as I am expecting around 30 points as a new mean for Mobley with no Whitehead.
Khadeen Carrington – I am surprised to see Carrington still at $4,600 here. With all of the possible plays at guard, Carrington may be hard to fit in, but he is going to give you a solid guard play for minimum price. His minutes are solidified with no Whitehead around and he will continue to produce about 20 fantasy points per game despite not being that great of a player. If you need a min salary guy, you could do much worse.
Secondary Plays
Sterling Gibbs – This offense belongs to Gibbs when Whitehead is out. He was fantastic against St. John’s and it did not even matter that I thought his price was too high. Today I am stuck between thinking that his price is too high and wondering if I should expect 30 points from him every time. He has a great offensive rating, is very involved in the offense, and if he can keep assisting like the previous game, I think 35 points could be his new standard.
Continue Reading: FanDuel CBB Grind Down & DraftKings CBB Grind Down
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