College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Wednesday 2/5/20

College basketball season is in the middle of conference play, and we have a ten-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: Memphis forward D.J. Jeffries and Georgetown guard Mac McClung are out. Seton Hall guard Quincy McKnight, Miami (FL) guard Chris Lykes, and Miami guard Kameron McGusty are all questionable.

Guards

Myles Powell, Seton Hall ($7,900) - Powell owns a monster 33.7% usage rate and he's shooting 38.8% of the team's shots when he's on the floor, per KenPom. He was uncharacteristically held in check by Naji Marshall in Seton Hall's 74-62 loss to Xavier Musketeers on Saturday. A matchup with Georgetown is a prime bounce-back spot for the Seton Hall star. The Hoyas love to push the tempo (51st in KenPom's adjusted tempo ratings) and aren't particularly concerned with playing defense. Georgetown ranks 111th in KenPom's adjusted defense rating. Powell is my favorite "high-priced" play on this slate.

Marcus Zegarowski, Creighton ($6,400) - Zegarowski averages .8 FanDuel points per minute and at that production clip, he is expected to pay off his price in 32 minutes of action. The Creighton Bluejays guard rarely leaves the court as he's played 32-plus minutes in nine-straight games. Backcourt mates, Ty-Shon Alexander ($7,000) and Mitch Ballock ($6,300), are also solid plays. Markell Johnson ($7,200) and Anthony Edwards ($7,100) are two other guards to consider if you're looking for guards in between Powell and Zegarowski's price points.

David Duke, Providence ($5,900) - Duke provides a stable floor with excellent upside. The Providence Friars guard has eclipsed 20 FanDuel points in six out of the last seven games. He faces off with a Creighton team that he torched earlier this season. In that contest, Duke poured in 36 points, collected four rebounds, assisted on two baskets, recorded three steals, and turned it over three times (46.8 FanDuel points).

Terrell Allen, Georgetown ($4,800) - Georgetown is extremely thin with Mac McClung expected to sit out. As a result, Allen will be tasked with handling the ball for nearly the entire game. The senior has topped 23 FanDuel points while playing 35-plus minutes in each of the last two games. Throw in an intriguing matchup with two fast-paced teams and this is a good spot to target Allen. Also consider backcourt mates, Jagan Mosely ($5,300) and Jahvon Blair ($4,100). Both of them will also play nearly the entire game.

Boogie Ellis, Memphis ($3,800) - Ellis was part of Memphis' highly touted 2019 recruiting class. Over the last three games, the freshman guard is averaging 12.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.0 blocks, and 1.5 steals in 28.6 minutes. He'll be popular at his dirt-cheap price tag. Ellis offers up a ton of salary relief. Jahaad Proctor ($4,000) of Purdue is a viable pivot in Ellis' price range.

Other guards to consider (below $5,000): Scottie Lewis, Miles McBride, Luwane Pipkins, Harlond Beverly (if McGusty is out), Isaiah Wong (if Lykes is out), Lester Quinones Jr., Sahvir Wheeler, and Maliek White.

Forwards

Omer Yurtseven, Georgetown ($8,000) - I debated between mentioning Luka Garza ($8,900), Daniel Oturu ($8,600), or Yurtseven. All three are worthy of their high price tags but are facing off against excellent defenses. However, I'll go with Yurtseven since he's the cheapest of the group combined with the increased offensive responsibility he'll have to undertake with the Hoyas leading scorer Mac McClung sidelined. Yurtseven will be forced to play as many minutes as he can handle. The seven-footer has recorded a double-double in four out of the last five games. The senior owns a usage rate of 27.7%; he also takes 29.5% of the team's shots when he's on the floor, per KenPom. Both of those numbers figure to increase with McClung out. McClung has a usage rate of 28.3% and takes 32.2% of the team's shots when he's on the floor.

Kerry Blackshear Jr., Florida ($6,700) - Blackshear Jr. is producing .96 FanDuel points per minute. At that production clip, he is expected to pay off his price tag in 27.9 minutes of action. The senior has topped 28 minutes of playing time in seven consecutive games. The matchup with Georgia Bulldogs is also a good one. Not only do the Bulldogs struggle defensively (121st in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings) but this also a massive pace-up game for the Florida Gators. The Gators are 296th in KenPom's adjusted tempo ratings while Georgia is 64th. Frontcourt mate, Keyontae Johnson ($5,900), is also worth a look at a cheaper price tag.

Derek Culver, West Virginia ($6,400) - Culver has a sky-high ceiling due to his team-leading 26.6% usage rate and elite rebounding skills (averages 9.2 rebounds in 24.3 minutes). The matchup with the Iowa State could turn into a track meet as both teams rank inside the top 82 of KenPom's adjusted tempo ratings. Combine that with Iowa State's defensive struggles (131st in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings) and this looks like a prime opportunity to bet on Culver's ceiling. Frontcourt mate, Oscar Tshiebwe ($6,100), is a viable pivot at a slightly cheap price tag.

Trevion Williams, Purdue ($5,600) - Williams can rack up fantasy points in a hurry due to his elite rebounding ability and a sturdy 29.9% usage rate. Consequently, he's producing 1.07 FanDuel points per minute. At that production clip, he is expected to pay off his price tag in 20.9 minutes of action. The sophomore has logged 22-plus minutes in six out of the last seven games.

Sandro Mamukelashvili, Seton Hall ($3,800) - Mamukelashvili has now played in two games since returning from a broken wrist that kept him out of action for nearly a month and a half. His minutes increased from five to 16 from game one to game two. I'd expect his minutes to increase even further as the Pirates square off with Georgetown. When healthy, the Seton Hall center is a player deserving of a $6,000-plus price tag. He was averaging .77 FanDuel points prior to injury. Roster him before his price adjusts. Memphis forward Lance Thomas ($4,000) is a solid alternative. Thomas has started each of the last two games in place of the injured D.J. Jeffries. He posted 25.8 FanDuel points against Central Florida and 28.3 FanDuel points against Connecticut.

Others forward to consider (below $5,000): Sam Waardenburg.

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.