College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 11/14/19

College basketball season is upon us, and we have a four-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

Cassius Winston, Michigan State ($8,300) - The senior point guard is expected to play tonight despite the death of his younger brother earlier this week. Winston is averaging 19.0 points, 1.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and one steal in 29 minutes of game time through two games. That equates to 1.1 fantasy points per minute. With a competitive game expected tonight against the Seton Hall Pirates, Winston should see his minutes spike up (he averaged 33 minutes per game last season).

Tyson Carter, Mississippi State ($7,700) - Carter has been tasked with carrying the load offensively for the Mississippi State Bulldogs with Nick Weatherspoon sitting out due to a suspension. The senior guard has lived up to the task through two games, averaging 25.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 3.5 steals (along with six turnovers). Up next is a matchup with the defensively challenged Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (273rd in Ken Pom's adjusted defense ranking).

Myles Dread, Penn State ($5,800) - The emerging sophomore is averaging 12.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.0 steals, and 0.5 blocks in 20 minutes of action through two games for the Penn State Nittany Lions. Boiled down, Dread is averaging 22.75 FanDuel points in only 20 minutes, which equates to 1.14 fantasy points per minute. The Nittany Lions have beaten their first two opponents by a combined 63 points. As a result, Dread's minutes have been kept in check. The young guard averaged 29 minutes a season ago. Tonight, he figures to see his normal allotment of minutes for the first time all season.

Shavar Reynolds Jr., Seton Hall ($4,500) - Reynolds Jr. will likely enter the starting lineup in place of Myles Powell, Seton Hall's injured star guard. Through two games, Reynolds is averaging nine points, two rebounds, two assists, and one steal in 20 minutes of action. Those numbers figure to go up as the junior guard's role increases.

Noah Locke, Florida ($3,900) - Locke does not stand out when you're scrolling through game logs. However, do not discount the starting sophomore guard. Locke has hoisted up 23 shots in two games but has only made six of those attempts. He leads the Florida Gators' in shot attempts, plays the third most minutes on the team, and is cheap. Saving on his salary will allow you to roster the studs on this short slate.

Forwards

Kerry Blackshear Jr., Florida ($8,100) - Blackshear Jr. transferred from Virginia Tech to Florida for his final collegiate season. The senior big man has recorded a double-double in the first two games of the campaign. Blackshear Jr. is averaging 15.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 steals, and 0.5 blocks. He should have no problem posting a monster stat line against the Towson Tigers. The Tigers are 189th in Ken Pom's adjusted defense ranking.

Lamar Stevens, Penn State ($7,400) - Stevens is one of only six Penn State players in history to record 1,500 career points and 600 rebounds. In only 47 minutes of action this season (two games), the senior forward has scored 30 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, dished out an assist, and recorded a steal (44.9 FanDuel points). Penn State has blown out their first two opponents, which has kept Stevens' minutes in check. Up next is a competitive matchup with the fast-paced Georgetown Hoyas (31st in Ken Pom's adjusted tempo ranking). Fire up the Nittany Lions' senior leader.

Omer Yurtseven, Georgetown ($7,000) - The former five-star recruit and North Carolina State big man has dominated in his first two games as a member of the Georgetown Hoyas. The Turkey native scored 20 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and recorded one assist in his Hoya debut. He followed that up by recording 17 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 blocks in the Hoyas' second game of the season.

Xavier Tillman, Michigan State ($6,800) - In the second game of the season, Tillman scored 17 points, grabbed eight rebounds, had two assists, and recorded one block in the Spartans' 100-47 win over the Binghamton Bearcats. Dating back to the NCAA tournament (last season), the junior forward has recorded at least seven points, six rebounds, one assist and one block in seven consecutive games. Tillman provides a steady floor with a fairly high ceiling.

Thomas Kithier, Michigan State ($4,200) - The sophomore forward has started Michigan State's first two games this season. His minutes have been limited to 19 in each of those games -- one due to foul trouble (in the first game) and the other the score (Michigan State won by 53 in the second game). Kithier is averaging a solid 0.74 fantasy points per minute. At that rate, if he stays out of foul trouble, he should smash value at his current price tag.

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.