College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Friday 1/10/20

College basketball season is entering conference play, and we have a two-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?

Relevant Injury Situations: Iowa Guard CJ Fredrick is not expected to play.

Guards

Anthony Cowan Jr., Maryland ($7,000) - Cowan Jr. leads the Maryland Terrapins in minutes (33.1 per game), points (16.7), assists (4.1), and steals (1.3). His ability to contribute in all of the statistical categories makes him an intriguing DFS target. On tap is a juicy matchup with the Iowa Hawkeyes' vulnerable defense. The Hawkeyes are 101st in Ken Pom's adjusted defense rating.

Kamar Baldwin, Butler ($6,400) - Baldwin owns a shot percentage of 35.5% and an usage rate of 30.5% -- both of which rank inside the top 45 in the nation, per Ken Pom. Up next is a significant pace-up game as Baldwin's Butler Bulldogs travel to Providence. Butler is 329th in Ken Pom's adjusted tempo rating while Providence is 142nd. That should create extra opportunities for the Butler star.

Joe Toussaint, Iowa ($5,700) - Toussaint has played 29 and 35 minutes in the last two games as a result of CJ Fredrick's foot injury. Fredrick is reportedly still in a walking boot, which makes him unlikely to suit up on Friday night. As a result, Toussaint should play heavy minutes once again. His price tag has not caught up to his new role. Connor McCaffrey should also log major minutes in the back court with Fredrick sidelined. He's also underpriced ($5,400) and makes for a fine play.

Aaron Wiggins, Maryland ($5,600) - With the Terps' slate-leading implied team total of 74.0, you're going to want a ton of exposure to Maryland players. Wiggins plays a lot of minutes and takes a lot of shots. The sophomore has played at least 32 minutes in four out of the last five games. He's attempted at least 10 shots in eight out of the last nine. He's a good play at a middling price tag.

Darryl Morsell, Maryland ($4,900) - Of the cheap guards, Morsell is easily my favorite. He's a good rebounder (5.3 rebounds per game), and when he makes shots, he can rack up a big fantasy total. I'll bet on him at his cheap price tag against Iowa's struggling defense. The Hawkeyes are 101st in three-point percentage allowed (31.2%) and 197th in two-point percentage allowed (49.8%), per Ken Pom.

Forwards

Luka Garza, Iowa ($8,700) - Garza is easily the top play on the slate as the Iowa center is a monster on both ends of the floor. Garza is averaging 22.1 points, 10.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 2.2 blocks/steals in 30.4 minutes. He's recorded at least 36.8 FanDuel points in eight straight games. He's well worth his expensive price tag.

Jalen Smith, Maryland ($7,500) - Smith is averaging 1.09 fantasy points per minute, which is second-best on this slate (behind only Garza's 1.30 FanDuel points per minute). At that production rate, he'll pay off his price tag if he logs at least 27.5 minutes (assuming value is 4x of player's salary). Smith has played at least 28 minutes in six out of the last seven games. Throw in a phenomenal matchup (as mentioned above), and he's unavoidable on a two-game slate.

Joe Wieskamp, Iowa ($6,700) - Wieskamp is averaging 35.5 minutes in what's been basically two games without CJ Fredrick. That's a steep increase from the 30.7 minutes he's averaging this season. While he's overshadowed by Garza, Wieskamp has strung together several productive games, topping 25 FanDuel points in six consecutive outings.

Bryce Nze, Butler ($5,800) - While he won't score a ton of points, Nze is a force in the paint on both ends of the court. The junior averages 7.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.6 blocks/steals to go with 9.8 points per game. The matchup with Providence should allow Nze to rack up boards. Providence ranks 271st in two-point percentage and 143rd in three-point percentage, per Ken Pom.

Ryan Kriener, Iowa ($4,800) - The Iowa forward is producing 0.89 FanDuel points per minute. At that production rate, Kriener will pay off his price tag if he logs at least 22 minutes. Kriener has seen 25 and 28 minutes in Iowa's last two games. He's my favorite cheap play on this two-game slate.

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.