Daily Fantasy College Basketball 2015: DraftKings Lineup Advice for Feb. 12

The Madness is almost upon us, but there are still plenty of critical conference showdowns remaining in the college basketball season before the tournament.

Conference clashes also represent opportunities for DraftKings.com players to recognize favorable matchups to exploit as familiar foes square off. There are bound to be impressive performances during Thursday’s games, and the question is whether DraftKings players can figure out where they will come from and where to find the best value.

With that in mind, here is a look at a few players in particular who will shine during Thursday’s schedule and outperform their price tags.

*All stats and point spreads are as of Wednesday night.

Stefan Moody, Guard, Ole Miss ($7,300)

Michael Hickey/Getty Images

Injuries often mean opportunity in fantasy sports, and that is exactly what will present itself to Ole Miss’ Stefan Moody Thursday.

Florida’s Michael Frazier II will miss the matchup between the Gators and Rebels, which is a boost to Moody’s status considering Frazier is an excellent defender who could have chased Moody around and bothered his shots. Now the floor should open up for Ole Miss’ leading scorer at 15.5 points per game. 

What’s more, Moody is playing some of his best basketball of the season as of late, as Ole Miss Basketball pointed out:

Look for that individual momentum to continue against the injury-depleted Gators Thursday.

Nic Moore, Guard, SMU ($7,800)

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

The last time SMU played Houston, guard Nic Moore drilled an incredible eight three-pointers on his way to 28 points and six assists. What’s more, he only turned the ball over one time in the contest.

Houston is an abysmal 1-9 in American Athletic Conference play and is a 10.5-point underdog in this one, per Odds Shark. SMU should have its way with the Cougars, and Moore will once again exploit this mismatch. 

In fact, Houston is a measly 226th in the country in Ken Pomeroy’s defensive efficiency rankings and simply does not have the personnel to stop someone like Moore, who leads the Mustangs in points (14.5) and assists (5.5) per game.

Brandon Taylor, Guard, Utah ($7,200)

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Delon Wright may be Utah’s leading scorer, but Brandon Taylor is the cheaper option and is playing impressive basketball as of late. That will not change during Thursday’s game against Stanford.

Utah is an 11.5-point favorite, via Odds Shark, so plenty of players should rack up impressive stats in this one. Taylor has scored in double figures and dished out at least four assists in seven of the last eight contests, and even mixed in a four-steal game during that stretch for good measure.

He is also fresh off an 18-point performance against Colorado where he hit six shots from beyond the arc.

Sometimes it’s smart to ride the hot hand in fantasy, and Taylor will not disappoint against an overmatched Stanford squad.

Jarrod Uthoff, Forward, Iowa ($6,500)

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

Grabbing Jarrod Uthoff for your lineup is all about the matchup against Minnesota.

The last time Iowa faced the Golden Gophers, Uthoff went off for a career-high 22 points and tallied five rebounds, four assists and four blocks. Minnesota paid so much attention to stopping Aaron White that it let Uthoff go off on the way to a two-point victory.

Naturally, Uthoff hit the game-winning shot with only seconds remaining. 

Uthoff is Iowa’s second-leading scorer (11.4 points per game) and rebounder (6.2 boards per game), and should have plenty of confidence heading into the rematch with the Golden Gophers given his last performance. Grab him for a value price of $6,500.

Josh Scott, Forward, Colorado ($5,900)

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Colorado’s Josh Scott is a cheap sleeper option for your lineup, which is critical when trying to balance the budget.

He returned from an extended absence from injury in Colorado’s last game against Utah, so he should receive regular minutes again now that he has a game under his belt. That is good news considering he is the Buffaloes’ leader in minutes per game at 31.

He is largely on here because of his defense, although he does average 13.6 points per game. Scott blocks 1.9 shots a contest and averages 7.2 rebounds per game, and he should serve as a defensive enforcer against a California offense that ranks a lowly 248th in Pomeroy’s offensive rankings.

Colorado coach Tad Boyle discussed the importance of Scott’s return, via Brian Howell of The Denver Post: “Our players have a lot of confidence in Josh and he's one of our leaders. To have him back, I think, gives them an added boost of confidence, as well.” 

Having the defensive-oriented Scott on the Thursday roster against a poor offense like California should provide an additional boost of confidence for DraftKings players as well.

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