College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Friday 3/29/19

March Madness is here. And just because your bracket is toast that doesn't mean the DFS grind stops.

As all year, you can get in on college hoops DFS 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 Thursday's Sweet 16 slate, which locks at 7:09 p.m. EST and consists of four tournament matchups. In Kansas City, we get the most appealing game for fantasy purposes, as the high-paced North Carolina Tar Heels clash with the Auburn Tigers in a game with a juicy 165.0 over/under.

Which players should you be targeting and why?

Guards

Cassius Winston, Michigan State ($8,600): As Michigan State and LSU match up in one of tonight's two East Region semifinals, we get a game with an over/under (147.0) that would be the highest on most slates. Don't discount it because of UNC/Auburn and all its shiny options -- particularly at the top with Winston. The junior point guard has maintained his production through two tournament games, averaging 33.0 FanDuel points behind 19.5 points and 6.5 assists. His usage rate sits at 28.4% for the year, while he's used 29.7% and 26.9% against Bradley and Minnesota, respectively. He's shown that he can get the job done scoring or by assisting, tallying 26 points in the opening round and nine assists in the second. Either way, he'll be heavily involved in Sparty's 76.5 total. And it just so happens LSU (49th) is the worst defense left on this slate, according to KenPom.

Coby White, North Carolina ($7,400): Beside the Spartans, the only team in a better spot and also projected to win are the Tar Heels. Auburn is the second-worst defense on the slate at 45th in the adjusted rankings, and the two teams' style of play has UNC at a slate-high 85.25 total. That's 5.5 more than the next-closest team, their opponent, and it's just a hair under their average of 86.0 for the regular season. In other words, this is a North Carolina game, and one tailor-made for White to go off. At 6'5", the talented freshman actually has a size advantage over the likes of Jared Harper (5'11") and Bryce Brown (6'3"), which could help him to get up shots and convert at a high rate. White has had some issues doing that of late, but in the last five games, he's scored 20 or more he's averaged 40.1 FanDuel points. At this lower price, that could amount to big value at one of your guard spots.

Justin Robinson, Virginia Tech ($6,400): Last time these two ACC foes met, Robinson wasn't able to suit up for Virginia Tech (nor was Zion for Duke). But the price discount is real because of the sernior guard's recent injury and lack of production. Yet, he managed 13 points and 23.4 FanDuel points in his second game back against Liberty, doing so off the bench in 29 minutes. What was most encouraging though is his 24.8% usage rate, a number near spot on his 24.9% average for the season. He draws an uptempo game and a good enough total against the Blue Devils. If you are still iffy, however, Auburn's Bryce Brown is an option as well. He is better suited for tournaments because of his reliance on scoring alone.

Nassir Little, North Carolina ($5,100): Another one of Roy Williams' freshman is worth consideration this evening, though it's not a given. Little has been labeled a game-time call after coming down with an illness this week. If the game was yesterday, his coach said that he couldn't play, so watch out for an update later today. If he's ultimately given the green light, Little is a no-brainer bargain because of Kenny Williams' status. Williams pulled his hamstring in the last game and did not return, and there's hasn't been much of an update since. It looks like he's unlikely to play, which would lead to more minutes for Little. After all, he's been very active so far in the Dance, averaging 19.5 points, 5.5 boards and 24.6 FanDuel points a game. Further boosting his upside is the unique size advantage he'll have against Auburn's backcourt. He's but another way to get exposure to the Heel's sky-high total.

Forwards

Luke Maye, North Carolina ($8,300): There is no such thing as too much UNC tonight. While many will flock to Duke's Zion Williamson and R.J. Barrett, they seem a bit overpriced for a tough, slower-paced matchup. As for the more experienced Maye, his price captures both his high floor and higher ceiling. In averaging 31.3 FanDuel points for the season, the senior forward has turned in at least 27.8 FanDuel points in each game going back to February 20. It's been over a month since he's provided anything short of 3.3 points per $1,000 at tonight's price. In that same time, he's put up 30 or more six times with five double-doubles and a big 48.5-point game. He's a lock for 33 to 35 minutes against an Auburn squad allowing 71.2% shooting on unblocked attempts at the rim, according to Hoop-Math.

Chuma Okeke, Auburn ($7,600): Because of a ridiculously good game script, just about everyone is in play on both sides. Even if you're rolling out Maye, there's nothing stopping you from rostering Okeke as well. He primarily slots in at power forward, and at 6'8" he at least has a neutral matchup against however UNC throws at him. And he doesn't have to score to have a big night. He's averaging 3.0 blocks-plus-steals a game this year (six points in FanDuel scoring), which includes five straight games of at least three steals and one block. The Tar Heels turn the ball over 13.1 times a game and allow 6.7 steals to their opponents (315th). His upside is closer to 40 FanDuel points with North Carolina pushing the pace to 7.7 more possessions per 40 minutes.

Naz Reid, LSU ($6,600): Reid has played well in his first two tournament games, but his numbers have taken a backseat to a guard-heavy approach -- behind Tremont Waters -- so far. Still, he's taken 31 and 33 minutes for 24.0 and 17.8 FanDuel points, respectively, scoring at least 13 in each. He has two double-doubles in his last three games overall, and he's secured four in his last six. He has a unique combination of size and versatility with an ability to hit from outside -- 0.8 threes a game -- at 6'10" 250 pounds. Reid could give the Spartans problems, particularly if the Tigers opt for Reid as their sole big and send Kavell Bigby-Williams to the bench. A matchup with either Goins or Ward is a plus for the Tigers and those deploying Reid on this Friday slate.

Aaron Henry, Michigan State ($4,800): After getting a well-documented tongue-lashing from coach Tom Izzo, freshman Aaron Henry enjoyed a very good performance in Round 2, turning 34 minutes into nine points, nine rebounds, three assists and 23.3 FanDuel points. He has now played 30 or more minutes in three of four and in five of eight during the month of March. He's an all-around contributor who should feed off a high total, not to mention an LSU team giving up 22.4% of their opponent's attempts in transition, where Michigan State takes 29.4% of their attempts this season.

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.