College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Monday 12/17/18

College basketball season is back! And this year, with it comes the return of college basketball DFS.

March Madness is still four 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 and consists of four games. A potentially high-paced matchup between the Rider Broncs and Washington State Cougars will be one to get heavy exposure to when filling out your lineups.

Which players should you be targeting, and why?

Guards

Jon Axel Gudmundsson, Davidson ($7,900): Gudmundsson has been a highly-productive player for the Davidson Wildcats. Leading all Wildcats who have logged more than five minutes, he uses 25.6% of his team's possessions while returning averages of 18.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game (32.1 FanDuel points). However, he may be asked to do even more if Kellan Grady -- Davidson's leading scorer -- misses a second straight game. Grady missed Saturday's game with a sore knee, but it's unclear if he'll be out tonight. Gudmundsson put up a dud with 19.2 FanDuel points in the last game absent his backcourt mate, but he's been consistent for most of the season, most recently averaging 42.5 FanDuel points in the three games prior to the Temple loss.

Luguentz Dort, Arizona State ($7,200): By matchup, targeting the Arizona State Sun Devils isn't going to be very popular. Vanderbilt enters play positioned 64th in KenPom.com's adjusted efficiency margin and 84th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Still, as 1.0-point road 'dogs, Dort and the Sun Devils have a nice 77.0-point implied total. Therefore, his price doesn't really capture the upside that comes with the game flow, specifically for the freshman standout. Averaging 32.3 FanDuel points, the young guard has scored 24-plus real-world points four times this season, which has translated to three games of 35 or more FanDuel points. He's using 30.6% of offensive possessions, so expect him to exceed four-times value (28.8 FanDuel points at this price) so long as his shot is on tonight.

Viont'e Daniels, Washington State ($5,700): We've alluded to this intriguing matchup between the Cougars and Broncs, who are expected to score the most combined points (168.0 over/under), giving them the two highest implied totals on the slate. They're two of the three teams the oddsmakers expect to go over 80 as each of them average at least 74.3 possessions per game, according to KenPom's adjusted tempo. Oddly, Daniels is the highest-priced Wazzu guard and is averaging 19.6 FanDuel points. But what makes him stand out is his 32.3 minutes per game, which can add up to big value for a mid-priced guard in a juicy game like this.

Carter Collins, Davidson ($5,500): Unlike Gudmundsson, Collins' viability depends on the availability -- or lack thereof -- of Grady. If Grady's out, Collins is likely to make a second straight start. On Saturday, he did just that, totaling 28.1 FanDuel points and 16 points across 40 minutes. That was an overtime game, but Collins was still in for about 35 minutes. On a short slate like this, we have to target those big minutes for value. Based on the line at FanDuel Sportsbook, Davidson has a 74.75-point implied total as a 2.0-point road favorite against Wake Forest. That's more than three points below their season average (76.7 points per game), but it's worth a look, especially for guys in this price range.

Luke Frampton, Davidson ($5,200): Sticking right there, you could opt to go with one or both of Collins and Frampton. Frampton is a usual starter, but if Grady's out, there will be more opportunities for him to score. Grady leaves behind a team-high 14.2 field goal attempts and a quarter of the team's offensive players by usage. At a $300 discount, the freshman has a path to four-times value. He's coming off a 30.1-FanDuel-point performance in which he hit 8-of-9 from the field and 7-of-8 from the line on his way to 24 points in 38 minutes. Stacking Davidson guards could certainly lead to a tournament win tonight.

Forwards

Robert Franks, Washington State ($8,700): As for as Cougars go, all the salary comes in on the team's starting forwards -- Franks and Elleby. Franks is more of the elite play we are used to seeing at this price. His 31.5% usage rate and 24.4 points per game are 6.3 percentage points and 10.0 points clear of the next-closest guy on the team. The 6'7" senior is also averaging the most FanDuel points per game on the slate (38.4) despite being priced $100 below Oregon State's Tres Trinkle ($8,800). Trinkle's not a bad play in his own right, but Franks should smash in this track meet of a game.

CJ Elleby, Washington State ($8,300): If you find it hard to fit in Franks, Elleby is a nice consolation prize, if you will. Not only is he second on the team in points per game (14.4) and usage rate (25.2%), his 19.9% defensive rebound rate ranks first. He averages 7.9 rebounds to go with 3.0 assists and 1.4 blocks plus steals. After a somewhat lackluster four games to begin the year, Elleby has no fewer than 30.7 FanDuel points in each of the last four, including three outings with 20-plus real-world points and two more with 10 or more rebounds. He has averaged 12.3 shots while he's connected on 59.2% of his field goal tries (64.3% from three).

Jaylen Hoard, Wake Forest ($7,100): The Demon Deacons don't come with a ton of appeal this evening, as their 72.25-point total is the second-lowest mark on the slate. Furthermore, only one starter has a usage rate above 20.2%, and that's Hoard at 27.4%. As the second-highest priced player on his team, that makes him a worthwhile DFS play against a Davidson team that's allowed at least 75 points in five games this season, including three straight (albeit with an overtime game). However, the Wildcats are also outside KenPom's top 100 in adjusted defensive efficiency, and Howard makes for an ideal candidate to stack this game on both sides.

Kimani Lawrence, Arizona State ($5,100): Again, Vandy's been solid, but Arizona State's a top-25 team for a reason. They're a little overrated according to Ken Pom's 42nd-ranked efficiency margin, but they're a top-50 offense, scoring 82.8 points per game in coach Bobby Hurley's system. Lawrence has excelled as much as anyone, averaging 13.8 points on 10.6 shots -- 4.6 from three -- per game. He's had a rough two-game stretch, though, totaling a mere 17.7 FanDuel points in a pair of road games. However, the sophomore is averaging 21.7 FanDuel points for the year thanks to five games above his season average. He has logged 33 or more minutes six times, and there's no reason to expect different here. Lawrence might end up as the slate's best point-per-dollar value when all is said and done.

Brett Oswalt is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Brett Oswalt also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username BRO14THEKID. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his 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.