Tuesday’s beginning of the 2019-2020 college basketball season brings plenty of opportunity on DraftKings and FanDuel. The seven game slate on DK and five game slate on FD kick off the season in exciting fashion. Kentucky facing Michigan State and Kansas playing Duke in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden is certainly a great way to start the season. And, if that was not enough, the ACC is starting conference play on day one of the season.
Studs
Cassius Winston, G, Michigan State (DK: 8,800, FD: 8,500)
Cassius Winston is the clear star of this team. The Spartans have a tough matchup in game one against Kentucky on a neutral floor, but Winston will carry this team. That is especially true with the recent injury to Joshua Langford. Winston averaged 18.8 points and 7.5 assists a season ago and those numbers could even get better this time around.
C.J. Bryce, G, North Carolina State (DK: 6,600, FD: 6,800)
C.J. Bryce joins Markell Johnson (DK 7.5, FD 7.2) to form one of the best backcourt duos in the ACC. Both are great scorers, but it is Bryce who can do a ton of work on the glass. Bryce may not get those bonus points like Johnson will for knocking down a bunch of three-pointers, but he will score. In North Carolina State’s recent exhibition game against Mount Olive, Bryce tallied 20 points, ten rebounds and six assists.
Payton Pritchard, G, Oregon (DK: 7,200, FD: N/A)
Payton Pritchard is one of the best leaders on the floor in the country. Last year he averaged 12.9 points and 4.6 assists, but he will be asked to do even more scoring in 2019-2020. The Ducks have a lot of new faces to fill in around Pritchard and that means, at least for now, Pritchard will take on more of a scoring load than we saw last year. The Ducks are also the most favored team on the slate, facing off against Fresno State at home. The Ducks should run away with this one and Pritchard will likely lead the way in both scoring and assists.
Bargains
Jalen Harris, G, Nevada (DK: 5,100, FD: N/A)
This is a very, very different Nevada team than the one that went to the NCAA Tournament three years in a row. Steve Alford is the new coach and just about the entire roster features new faces. One of those new faces is Louisiana Tech transfer Jalen Harris. The 6-5 guard was clearly the Wolfpack’s main scoring threat during their two exhibition games. He led the team in shots and scoring in both contests, tallying a combined total of 47 points and 15 rebounds. Harris is a lock for me on DraftKings.
Matthew Hurt, F, Duke (DK: 5,400, FD: 6,100)
Matthew Hurt is not getting as much attention as the other Duke freshmen, and rightfully so, but if you are looking to save some salary, the 6-8 power forward is a solid option. In both of Duke’s preseason exhibition games, it was Hurt who took the most shots. Hurt is a little bit risky since he will give way to Vernon Carey (DK: 8,500, FD: 8,000) on the glass, but he has already proven that he is not afraid to shoot the ball. Of course, Kansas will provide much stiffer competition than anything Hurt has ever seen, but Duke is going to score some points against the Jayhawks and Hurt will get his share.
Avoid
Jordan Ford, G, St. Mary’s (DK: 8,100, FD: 7,900)
Jordan Ford is the best player on a top 25 team, but he is also very point dependent from a DFS standpoint. Against a Wisconsin team that always slows the game down and plays tough defense, there are better options out there. This is a game on a neutral floor in Sioux Falls, South Dakota though, so the Gaels are favored to win. However, at this price, Ford can be avoided.
