NCAAB

College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Tuesday 2/11/20

Matt Hiatt Feb 11th, 2020
Cole Anthony and the Tar Heels square off with Wake Forest in a game full of fantasy goodness. Who else should we be targeting?

College basketball season is in the middle of conference play, and we have a ten-game slate tonight.

March Madness is a month 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?

Relevant Injury Situations: DJ Funderburk (North Carolina State), Jericho Hellems (North Carolina State), Josiah-Jordan James (Tennessee), Garrison Brooks (North Carolina), Haanif Cheatham (Nebraska), and Dachon Burke Jr. (Nebraska), are all questionable. Isaiah Joe (Arkansas) and Brandon Robinson (North Carolina) are both out.

Guards

Cole Anthony, North Carolina ($7,800) - Anthony has played in each of the last three games after missing most of December and all of January with an injury. Over the last three games, Anthony is averaging 22.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.33 assists, and 0.5 steals in 35.3 minutes of action. Throw in a matchup with the defensive-deficient (135th in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings) and fast-paced (71st in KenPom's adjusted tempo ratings) Wake Forest Demon Deacons and Anthony is the top guard play on the board.

Elijah Hughes, Syracuse ($7,500) - Hughes is an intriguing target due to his tremendous floor and massive upside. The Syracuse guard has a usage rate of 25.5% (leads team) and takes 26.9% of the team's shots when he's on the floor, per KenPom. Hughes has played the entire 40 minutes in six straight games. He's recorded 23.4-plus FanDuel points in every game this season. On tap is a matchup with the vulnerable North Carolina State defense. The Wolfpack are 106th in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings.

Brandon Childress, Wake Forest ($6,100) - Childress leads the Demon Deacons in minutes (34.7 per game), points (15.0 per game), assists (4.5 per game), and steals (1.4 per game). He's topped 20 FanDuel points in seven consecutive games. Up next is a phenomenal spot for Childress and the Demon Deacons as they host the struggling North Carolina Tar Heels. The Tar Heels have fallen to 73rd in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings. Cartier Diarra ($6,100) is also worth a look in Childress' price range. Breein Tyree ($7,100), Anthony Cowan Jr. ($7,000), and Ashton Hagans ($7,000) are solid guard plays if you need someone between Childress and Hughes' price range.

Buddy Boeheim, Syracuse ($5,300) - Syracuse is a fun team to target in DFS since most of the starters will play nearly the entire game and the rotation is six-to-seven players deep depending on the night. Boeheim has logged 160 out of160 possible minutes over the last four games. The prolific three-point shooter should see plenty of open looks against North Carolina State. The Wolfpack are allowing opposing teams to connect on 32.6% from beyond the arc, per KenPom. Backcourt mate, Joseph Girard III ($5,000), is also worth a look tonight.

Santiago Vescovi, Tennessee ($4,900) - Vescovi is averaging .68 FanDuel points per minute. At that production clip, he is expected to pay off his price in 28.8 minutes of action. The Tennessee point guard has played 31-plus minutes in five consecutive games. Backcourt mate, Jordan Bowden ($5,200), is a slightly more expensive alternative.

Other guards to consider (below $5,000): Scottie Pippen Jr., DJ Stewart Jr., Jervay Green, Darryl Morsell, Desi Sills, Jalen Harris, Justin Pierce (if Garrison Brooks is out), Tomas Woldentensae, Thorir Thorbjarnarson, Maxwell Evans, Christian Keeling, Eric Ayala, and Andrien White

Forwards

Jalen Smith, Maryland ($8,500) - Smith will look to extend his double-double streak to seven games as the Maryland Terrapins host the Nebraska Cornhuskers. In addition to being a strong rebounder and an elite shot-blocker, the Maryland big man is averaging 15.0 points per game. His ceiling is sky-high in a pace-up game (Maryland checks in at 223rd in KenPom's adjusted tempo ratings while Nebraska is 32nd) against Nebraska's non-existent defense. The Cornhuskers are 165th in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings.

Reggie Perry, Mississippi State ($8,200) - Perry has been a tear as of late. The Mississippi State Bulldogs' big man is averaging 22.5 points, 9.75 rebounds, 2.75 assists, and 1.25 blocks in 35.5 minutes over the last four games. Look for Perry to continue his recent domination as the Bulldogs play at Mississippi. The Rebels susceptible defense (75th in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings) should be no match for Perry. Xavier Tillman ($8,300) and Obi Toppin ($8,300) are also worth a look in Perry's price range.

Nick Richards, Kentucky ($6,800) - Richards is enjoying a breakout season as a junior. The Kentucky Wildcats forward is averaging .94 FanDuel points per minute. At that production clip, he is expected to pay off his price tag in 28.5 minutes of action. Richards has logged 29-plus minutes in six out of the last seven games. Throw in a matchup with Vanderbilt's atrocious defense and Richards is one of my favorite plays on the entire slate. Vanderbilt ranks 212th in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings.

Olivier Sarr, Wake Forest ($6,700) - Sarr is a dominant force on both ends of the court for the Demon Deacons. The seven-footer is averaging 13.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.5 blocks/steals in 26.8 minutes. Sarr has recorded at least 22 FanDuel points in nine straight games. He should have plenty of opportunities to pad the stat sheet in the projected fast-paced and high scoring affair between Wake Forest and North Carolina. Both teams rank inside the top 71 of KenPom's adjusted tempo ratings.

Braxton Key, Virginia ($5,800) - Key is averaging 0.71 FanDuel points per minute. At that production clip, he is expected to pay off his price tag in 32.7 minutes of action. Key has logged 32-plus minutes in 10 out of the last 11 games. The matchup with Notre Dame Fighting Irish is a huge pace-up game for the Virginia Cavaliers. Notre Dame is 178th in KenPom's adjusted tempo ratings while Virginia is 353rd.

Other forwards to consider (below $5,000): Khadim Sy, Adrio Bailey, EJ Montgomery, Reggie Chaney, Manny Bates (if Hellems or Funderburk are out), and Jonathan Laurent (if Avery Anderson III is out).

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.