Big 12 Basketball Daily Fantasy Picks for Jan. 30
There are two Big 12 games in the Draft Kings Daily Fantasy Sports pool for men’s college basketball as Big 12 play continues on Monday.
Those games are Baylor at Texas and Iowa State at Texas Tech.
This season, when Big 12 games are part of the pool at Draft Kings, I’ll provide my recommendations based on the lineup I’m playing that day. In this case, the recommendations are for a Classic game, which features eight players — three guards, three forwards, and two guards/forwards (utility). The lineup must contain players from at least two different games. The salary cap is $50,000.
The goal is to fill out a complete Big 12 lineup. With two games and four teams, I’ll take two players from each team.
Here is Monday’s lineup/recommendations:
Guards
Jaren Holmes, Iowa State ($7,200), Gabe Kalscheur, Iowa State ($6,600), LJ Cryer, Baylor ($6,300),
This is a great matchup for Iowa State, but it’s an even better matchup for the guards. So I’m loading up on Holmes and Kalscheur here. In their last Big 12 game against Kansas State, the pair put up a combined 61 fantasy points. With the status of guard Caleb Grill still up in the air, it’s best to go with these two guards, as opposed to rolling the dice on Grill.
As for Cryer, he’s on a tear right now, and while he might get outscored by a teammate, I’ll trust that Cryer can hit some 3-pointers and get close to 20 points in real life, even against Texas’ tough defense. When he’s on, he’s getting fantasy players more than 25 points per game.
Forwards
Kevin Obanor, Texas Tech ($7,100), Jalen Bridges, Baylor ($6,900), Timmy Allen, Texas ($6,700)
I need a sure thing against Iowa State’s defense, which is one of the best in the country. Obanor seems like the best shot at consistent production from the Red Raiders. He averages 26.7 fantasy points per game and had scored at least 30 in each of the past two games. He rarely bottoms out.
Bridges has been consistent of late for the Bears, and when he can connect on a couple of 3-pointers he becomes quite valuable, fantasy-wise. I think he’s the Bear that will be the hardest matchup for Texas because of his length and ability to play inside and outside.
Allen presents the Bears with a matchup problem, too. He’s Texas’ best option inside. Like Bridges, he can stretch defenses and he’s capable of a double-double. He’ll have some trouble with Baylor’s Flo Thamba inside, but when Thamba is off the floor it’s likely Allen will thrive. He should get close to his per-game average of 24 fantasy points.
Utility
G Tyrese Hunter, Texas ($5,600), G.F KJ Allen, Texas Tech ($3,000)
Hunter is a good option here. Baylor is using more zone defense and if they try to match up and trap, the Bears’ focus will be on Marcus Carr. Hunter is not a tremendous 3-point shooter, but he has a good mid-range jumper and he can gather fantasy points with assists and rebounds.
Allen? Well, I’m not expecting much. But, with the status of Richard ‘Pop’ Isaacs up in the air, and the Red Raiders in desperation mode, maybe Allen can have a productive game?
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Scoring system: Point: +1 Pt; Made 3pt Shot: +0.5 Pts; Rebound: +1.25 Pts; Assist: +1.5 Pts; Steal: +2 Pts; Block: +2 Pts; Turnover: -0.5 Pts; Double-Double (Max 1 Per Player: Points, Rebounds, Assists, Blocks, Steals) +1.5 Pts; Triple-Double: Max 1 Per Player (Points, Rebounds, Assists, Blocks, Steals): +3 Pts
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard
