College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Monday 2/1/21

College basketball season is in the midst of conference play, and we have a three-game slate today.

March Madness is a ways off at this point, 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 NBA contests.

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

Which players should you be targeting, and why?

Relevant injury situations to monitor: This slate hinges on who the Miami (FL) Hurricanes have available to play on Monday night. Earl Timberlake is out indefinitely, while Chris Lykes, Isaiah Wong, Elijah Olaniyi are all questionable. Oklahoma Sooners guards Austin Reaves and Alondes Williams are questionable.

All stats come from KenPom unless otherwise noted.

Guards

Mac McClung, Texas Tech ($7,800) - McClung has finally emerged as the Texas Tech Red Raiders' primary scoring option. He has a team-leading 26.0% usage rate and he's taking 28.4% of the Red Raiders shots when he's on the floor. Moreover, McClung has been nearly unstoppable over the last four games. Over the last four games, McClung is averaging 24.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 2.2 blocks/steals in 35.5 minutes.

Kameron McGusty, Miami ($6,800) - Miami has been playing shorthanded for most of the season. McGusty is fully healthy after missing nearly a month with an injury of his own. He will be the number one scoring option if Isaiah Wong and Chris Lykes are unable to suit up on Monday night. Over the last three games, McGusty is averaging 16.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2.7 blocks/steals in 35.0 minutes. If Wong and Lykes are both back, McGusty is still a fine play (ceiling would be significantly lowered). Lykes would likely be on a minutes limit even if he's back. Wong is a solid play if he's able to play after leaving the Hurricanes' last game with an ankle injury. I'd favor Wong over McGusty.

Kevin McCullar, Texas Tech ($6,400) - McCullar was one of the few players that didn't receive a significant salary hike. The Red Raiders guard has the ability to contribute on both ends of the court. He's averaging a healthy .88 FanDuel points per minute. At that production level, he should pay off his salary in 29.1 minutes of action (assuming value is 4x of a player's salary). McCullar has logged at least 32 minutes in three straight games.

DJ Steward, Duke ($6,100) - The freshman's rates are solid across the board. Steward has a 21.3% usage rate, 12.2% defensive rebounding, 13.1% assist rate, and 2.6% block rate. He also plays a ton of minutes (averaging 31.7 per game). Up next is a juicy matchup with the injury-riddled Miami Hurricanes. The Hurricanes have lost four straight games and their defense has slipped to 83rd nationally.

Harlond Beverly, Miami ($5,900) - Beverly may be counted on to play nearly the entire game on Monday night if Isaiah Wong can't play. The sophomore's 22.6% usage rate ranks third amongst the Hurricanes behind Isaiah Wong and Earl Timberlake. Both players may not be available on Monday night, as noted above. If Wong is back, Beverly is a fine play. However, if that scenario presents itself, I'd prefer Jordan Goldwire ($5,700).

Other player to consider for salary relief ($5,000 or less): Damien Baugh.

Forwards

Jalen Johnson, Duke ($7,200) - Johnson leads Duke with a 27.8% usage rate and a 29.7% defensive rebounding rate. His 8.0% offensive rebounding rate ranks second amongst the Blue Devils. As a result, his upside is through the roof. Not unlike many young players, Johnson is foul prone and that tends to cut into his playing time (called for 4.3 fouls per 40 minutes). That shouldn't be an issue against Miami as they may only have one player available who draws more than 4.0 fouls per 40 minutes (Anthony Walker). I believe Johnson will be extremely popular on Monday night. He's only three games removed from posting 64.5 FanDuel points performance against Pittsburgh. DeAndre Williams ($7,700) is also a solid play.

Matthew Hurt, Duke ($6,900) - The sophomore plays a ton of minutes and takes a ton of shots. Hurt is averaging 33.1 minutes per game and 13.2 field goal attempts per game. Additionally, he's averaging .94 FanDuel points per minute. At that production level, he should pay off his price tag in 29.4 minutes of action. Hurt will likely be the highest-rostered player on the slate.

Anthony Walker, Miami ($5,600) - Walker has been pushed into monster minutes due to the transfer of Matthew Cross and the injury to Earl Timberlake (out indefinitely). The sophomore forward has played 31 and 36 minutes in each of the last two games, respectively. His size will be vital against Duke's talented frontcourt duo of Matthew Hurt and Jalen Johnson. Walker's price tag hasn't fully caught up to his expanded role (averaging nearly 22 FanDuel points per game over the last three games). I also like Isaiah Adams ($6,000), who's priced between Hurt and Walker.

Wendell Moore Jr., Duke ($4,800) - Inconsistency has plagued Moore Jr.'s first year and a half at Duke. However, it appears that he's finally out of Coach K's doghouse as his playing time has solidified. The sophomore has logged 25-plus minutes in four straight games. Additionally, the former five-star prospect has similar rates as teammate DJ Steward. Moore Jr. has a 21.0% usage rate, 14.6% defensive rebounding rate, and 10.9% assist rate. However, he's significantly cheaper than Steward and makes for a solid value play. If he can start knocking down a few more shots, he should smash his current salary (he only made 9 out of 28 field goal attempts over the last three games).

Nysir Brooks, Miami ($4,400) - Brooks is another Hurricane that could play extended minutes if several of his teammates are unable to play. The Hurricanes center is an active rebounder and solid shot blocker. The senior leads the team with an 11.7% offensive rebounding rate and a 17.6% defensive rebounding rate. He also has a 4.6% block rate. If Isaiah Wong is out, Miami will be down their top two players in usage rate (Timberlake is second).

Other players to consider for salary relief ($5,000 or less): Brady Manek (better if Austin Reaves is out), Jalen Hill (only if Austin Reaves and Alondes Williams are out), Jamille Reynolds, Victor Iwuakor (only if Austin Reaves and Alondes Williams are out), and Deng Gak (only if Chris Lykes, Isaiah Wong, and Elijah Olaniyi are 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.