College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Wednesday 1/22/20

College basketball season is entering conference play, and we have a ten-game slate tonight.

March Madness is months away, but you can get in all the college hoops hype by playing daily contests at FanDuel today. If you've played NBA DFS before, it's quite simple: pick a total of eight players -- four guards, three forwards, and one utility spot you can use for either position. Stay within the $50,000 salary cap and field the team you think will score the most fantasy points.

Where scoring differs from NBA is in the blocks and steals categories, with each worth two FanDuel points apiece rather than the three you get in daily NBA contests.

Now that you're in the know, we can attack today's main slate, which locks at 7:00 p.m. EST.

Which players should you be targeting, and why?

Guards

Myles Powell, Seton Hall ($8,000) - Powell owns a ridiculous 34.9 usage rate, and he's also taking 40.7% of the Seton Hall Pirates' shots when he's on the floor, per KenPom. Those numbers rival Marquette Golden Eagles' star Markus Howard -- the nation's leading scorer. Powell should have no problem dicing up Providence. The Friars are 56th in Ken Pom's adjusted defense ratings. Backcourt mate, Quincy McKnight, is also a good play at $6,900.

Landers Nolley II, Virginia Tech ($6,800) - Nolley II is having a stellar freshman season for the Virginia Tech Hokies. He owns a 32.8 usage rate and is taking 33.5% of the Hokies' shots when he's on the floor. On tap is a phenomenal matchup with the struggling North Carolina Tar Heels. The Tar Heels have lost four straight games and are 90th in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings.

Marcus Zegarowski, Creighton ($6,200) - Zegarowski is exactly the type of player to target in DFS, as he plays a lot of minutes and takes a ton of shots. He leads the Creighton Bluejays with a usage rate of 24.8. He also takes 24.8% of the Bluejays shot attempts when he's on the floor (also a team-high). The Creighton guard is logging monster minutes, as he's played 36 minutes or more in six out of the last eight games. The matchup with the DePaul Blue Demons is also a pace-up game for the Bluejays. DePaul is 85th in KenPom's adjusted tempo ratings, while Creighton is 172nd. His backcourt mates -- Mitch Ballock ($6,000) and Ty-Shon Alexander ($6,700) -- are solid plays as well.

Tyrece Radford, Virginia Tech ($5,600) - Radford is menace on both ends of the court. The freshman is averaging .91 FanDuel fantasy points per minute. At his production clip, he should pay off his price tag in 24.6 minutes of action (assuming value is 4x off a player's price tag). Radford has played at least 25 minutes in five consecutive games. Throw in a matchup with a fast-paced North Carolina team (50th in KenPom's adjusted tempo ratings), and Radford makes for a good play at a cheaper price tag.

David Johnson, Louisville ($4,600) - Johnson was a consensus top 100 recruit for the Louisville Cardinals. The freshman exploded onto the scene in Louisville's 79-73 win over the Duke Blue Devils on Saturday. Johnson scored 19 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, dished out 7 assists, blocked 2 shots, stole 3 passes, and turned it over 5 times in 27 minutes (39.3 FanDuel points). He was injured late in that game but is expected to play. Roster him before his price tag increases.

Other cheap guards to consider (below $5,000): Denzel Mahoney, Dane Goodwin, Eli Brooks, Wabissa Bede, Leaky Black, Jalen Coleman-Lands, Luwane Pipkins, and Rex Pflueger

Forwards

Paul Reed, DePaul ($8,700) - Reed is excellent on both ends of the floor. The DePaul star is averaging 15.9 points, 11.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 4.8 blocks/steals in 32.7 minutes. That equates to 1.23 FanDuel fantasy points per minute, which is second-best on the slate (only trails Luka Garza at 1.3 FanDuel fantasy points per minute). Throw in a juicy matchup with the defensive-deficient Creighton Bluejays (94th in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings), and Reed becomes my favorite forward target on this slate. Luka Garza ($8,800) and John Mooney ($8,500) are viable alternatives in Reed's price range.

Jon Teske, Michigan ($7,500) - Teske is averaging 1.08 FanDuel fantasy points per minute. At his production clip, he should pay off his price tag in 27.8 minutes of action. The Michigan big man has played 31 or more minutes in three consecutive games. Louisville's leading scorer, Jordan Nwora ($7,400), is a viable alternative in Teske's price range.

Marek Dolezaj, Syracuse ($6,300) - The Syracuse Orange run a tight six-to-seven man rotation, which is great for DFS purposes. Dolezaj plays nearly the entire game (38 minutes or more in four out of the last five games) and has the ability to rack up a solid fantasy-point totals on a nightly basis, due to his ability to contribute in every statistical category. On tap is an intriguing matchup with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Irish are 86th in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings. Additionally, the lanky forward has topped 30 FanDuel points in six out of the last seven games. His teammates -- Elijah Hughes ($7,800) and Buddy Boeheim ($5,400) -- are also worth a look.

Armando Bacot, North Carolina ($5,900) - Bacot is a monster FanDuel fantasy points per minute producer (1.04). If he can avoid foul trouble, he'll push for at least 30 minutes of court time. In that case, his production would crush his current price tag. This should be a decent spot to target the freshman, as the Hokies only have one player that is drawing at least four fouls per 40 minutes, according to KenPom. That player is Landers Nolley II, and he's a guard, which means that Bacot will not be tasked with guarding Nolley II.

Seth Lundy, Penn State ($4,500) - Lundy will likely make his third consecutive start for the Penn State Nittany Lions. As a starter, the freshman is averaging 13.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.0 blocks/steals in 26.5 minutes. His price tag hasn't adjusted fully to his new role and increased minutes.

Other cheap forward to consider (below $5,000): Romeo Weems

Matthew Hiatt is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Matthew Hiatt also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username easternmh. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.