Daily Fantasy College Basketball 2015: CBB DraftKings Strategy for Feb. 7

There are enough games Saturday to make a college basketball fan’s head spin, including two separate ACC showdowns pitting Top 10 teams against each other.

That means DraftKings.com players will have plenty of options to choose from when it comes to deciding their lineups. The tricky part will be finding the players with both high and low prices who will outperform their value.

With that in mind, here is a look at five players in particular who will outplay their given daily salary.

Jerian Grant, Guard, Notre Dame ($9,500)

Joe Raymond/Associated Press

You can’t stack your team with expensive players because you will run out of budget money quickly, but there is nothing wrong with featuring one with a favorable matchup.

Last time Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant played Duke he turned in one of the best games for any player this season, with 23 points, 12 assists, six rebounds, three steals and two blocks. It's just too difficult to ignore those numbers heading into Saturday’s rematch.

What’s more, Duke is without Rasheed Sulaimon after he was dismissed from the program. Sulaimon was inconsistent, but he was also arguably the best defender in the Blue Devils’ backcourt. Grant had his way with Quinn Cook and Tyus Jones last time, and there’s no reason to expect anything different for the second game.

Duke may be one of the nation’s best teams, but it checks in at No. 55 in Ken Pomeroy’s defensive rankings. It struggles to keep perimeter players from getting to the rim when not sitting back in zone, and Grant is much better than your typical perimeter player.

Andrew Harrison, Guard, Kentucky ($4,900)

James Crisp/Associated Press

Let’s balance Grant’s high price tag with an absolute bargain in Kentucky’s Andrew Harrison. 

If you believe in individual momentum, this is a steal because Harrison is coming off his best performance of the season in his last game. He torched Georgia for 23 points and seven assists and appeared to have turned the corner confidence-wise when he was on the floor.

No longer was Harrison metaphorically looking over his shoulder at the impressive Tyler Ulis, and he played accordingly. Look for that to continue Saturday against a Florida team that just lost to Vanderbilt and is not nearly as talented as Billy Donovan squads of the past.

Le’Bryan Nash, Forward, Oklahoma State ($7,400)

Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press

Like the Grant play against Duke, look for Oklahoma State’s Le’Bryan Nash to have a big game against an opponent he had his way with once already this season.

Nash walked into Allen Fieldhouse on Jan. 13 and finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal against Kansas and shined even in defeat. Nash proved to be a matchup nightmare because he is too tall for most guards (6’7”) but too fast for most forwards.

Kansas coach Bill Self was certainly complimentary of Nash before the last matchup, via Gary Bedore of the Lawrence Journal-World: “Le’Bryan may be front-runner for Player of the Year, and deservedly so. Whether Jamari (Traylor), Perry (Ellis) or whoever it is has to do a terrific job on him.” 

Look for a repeat performance from Nash Saturday.

Sam Dekker, Forward, Wisconsin ($6,500)

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Wisconsin was favored by a whopping 19 points over Northwestern, according to Odds Shark, as of Friday evening at 11 p.m. ET, so you can’t really go wrong with any Badger.

Bo Ryan’s squad should control the entire game, and the numbers will be there at the end for the individual players, including Sam Dekker.

Consistency is a magic word in fantasy sports, and Dekker brings it in spades. He scored in double figures in 12 of the last 13 games and snagged at least five rebounds in each of those contests but one (when he finished with four). He has played better in Big Ten play than he did in the nonconference portion of the schedule and should be able to do the same against a porous Northwestern defense.

Jim Slosiarek/Associated Press

After all, the Wildcats are a troubling 180th in the country in Pomeroy’s defensive rankings and have trouble stopping just about everyone.

Do you think they are going to struggle against Pomeroy’s No. 1-ranked offensive team in Wisconsin?

Domantas Sabonis, Forward, Gonzaga ($6,200)

Gus Ruelas/Associated Press

Speaking of favorable matchups when looking at Pomeroy’s rankings, Gonzaga is No. 3 in the offensive ratings, while its Saturday opponent, San Francisco, is 204th in the defensive ratings.

It is no surprise, then, that the Bulldogs were 13-point favorites on Odds Shark, which means there will be plenty of minutes and stats to go around for everyone on the team, including super-sub Domantas Sabonis.

Sabonis is averaging 10 points and 7.1 rebounds per game and has two double-doubles in his last three contests. He just missed a third consecutive double-double by a single point and rebound during Thursday’s game against Santa Clara and is playing some of his best basketball of the season. That won't change against San Francisco. 

In fact, Sabonis leads the nation in field-goal percentage at 71.5 percent, which means he is almost a guarantee to come through when given the opportunity to shoot. He will have plenty of opportunities during Saturday’s victory.

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