March Madness Daily Fantasy College Basketball: Thursday's top plays
Thursday's 16-game slate offers DFS players their first chance to cash-in on the NCAA tournament. With a wide array of players to choose from, putting in extra time researching selections will never be more important.
Here are some of the top players to target.
Guard
Treveon Graham, VCU (vs. OSU)
An ankle injury forced Treveon Graham to miss some time earlier in the year, but that now looks to be behind him. Graham stuffs the stat sheet like few players can, and was on the fast track to being named player of the year in the Atlantic 10 Conference before he went down. Over his last five games, Graham is averaging 18.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.4 3-pointers, 2.2 assists and a steal.
Kevin Ware, GAST (vs. BU)
A thigh injury kept Ryan Harrow out of Georgia State's last two games, which allowed Kevin Ware to step in and shine. Remembered mostly for the gruesome injury he suffered while at Louisville a couple years back, Ware is looking to rebuild his legacy. Over the last two games, Ware averaged 13.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.0 steals. Even if Harrow were to be ready to carry a full load Thursday, Ware has carved himself a much larger role in the Panthers' rotation, and is in position to provide daily fantasy players a strong return on their investment.
Others to consider: Karl Cochran, WOF (vs. ARK), Robert Brown, UAB (vs. ISU), Rashad Madden, ARK (vs. WOF), Tyler Ulis, UK (vs. HAMP)
Forward
Rico Gathers, BU (vs. GAST)
Few players in the college game have the ability to put up monster double-doubles the way Rico Gathers can. The junior forward averaged a double-double for the season, and his 11.6 rebounds ranked fourth in the country during the regular season. Now he gets to go up against a Georgia State team that ranks outside the top 200 nationally in rebounding. The last time Gathers faced an opponent outside the Big 12, he recorded 25 points and 28 rebounds.
Steve Moundou-Missi, HARV (vs. UNC)
The discrepancy between the nation's fastest paced team (Virginia Military Institute) and the slowest paced team (American) is greater than 21 possessions per game. One of the top ways to find value on a day-to-day basis is by selecting players that will be forced into playing at a faster pace, thereby upping the number of possessions they receive. North Carolina loves to run and that's going to mean good things for Steve Moundou-Missi. Over his last 10 games, the senior forward is averaging 13.0 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.6 blocks.
Others to consider: Bobby Portis, ARK (vs. WOF), Markus Kennedy, SMU (vs. UCLA), Brandon Ashley, AZ (vs. TXSO), Lee Skinner, WOF (vs. ARK), William Lee, UAB (vs. ISU), Zach Auguste, ND (vs. NE)