College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Monday 2/17/20

College basketball season is in the middle of conference play, and we have a three-game slate tonight.

March Madness is a month 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 6:30 p.m. EST.

Which players should you be targeting, and why?

Relevant Injury Situations: Mustapha Heron (St. John's (NY)), Tyrese Haliburton (Iowa State), and Brandon Robinson (North Carolina) are out.

Guards

Devon Dotson, Kansas ($8,100) - The Kansas Jayhawks floor general owns a 27.1% usage rate. He's taking 26.7% of the team's shots when he's on the floor, per KenPom. Both of those numbers lead the Jayhawks. Dotson has seen his minutes spike as of late (he averages 34.9 minutes per game) as the sophomore has played 116 out of 120 possible minutes in the last three games. On tap is a huge pace-up game for the Jayhawks as they host Iowa State. Iowa State is 92nd in KenPom's adjusted tempo ratings while Kansas is 224th.

Cole Anthony, North Carolina ($7,700) - The freshman point guard is always viable because he plays a ton of minutes and takes a ton of shots. Since returning from an almost two-months-long injury absence, Anthony is averaging 17.6 field goal attempts in 35.6 minutes of actions (in five games). Throw in a solid matchup against Notre Dame's struggling defense and Anthony makes for an intriguing play. The Irish are 110th in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings.

LJ Figueroa, St. John's ($6,700) - With second leading scorer Mustafa Heron (averaged 13.8 points per game) lost for the season, look for Figueroa to carry an even heavier offensive load. The junior is averaging 14.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 2.7 blocks/steals in 28.2 minutes. In the Red Storm's first game sans Heron, Figueroa scored 19 points, collected a rebound, assisted on 2 baskets, and stole 4 passes in 33 minutes (30.2 FanDuel points) in St. John's 80-69 win over Providence. Marcus Garrett ($6,800) is also worth consideration in Figueroa's price range.

TJ Gibbs, Notre Dame ($5,000) - Gibbs is averaging 0.63 FanDuel points per minute. At that production clip, he is expected to pay off his price tag in 31.7 minutes of action. The Notre Dame guard has played 34-plus minutes in 10 out of the last 12 games. Ochai Agbaji ($5,000) is a viable alternative price in Gibbs' price range.

Prentiss Hubb, Notre Dame ($4,800) - Hubb has a respectable 20.9% usage rate (third best on the team); he's also taking 20.1% of the team's shots when he's on the floor (also third highest on the team). The Notre Dame point guard is locked into heavy minutes as he's averaging 34.8 minutes per game (second on the team). On tap is a phenomenal matchup against the fast-paced (55th in KenPom's adjusted tempo ratings) and defensive-deficient North Carolina Tar Heels. The Tar Heels have fallen to 79th in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings.

Other forwards to consider (below $5,000): Christian Keeling, Greg Williams Jr., Dane Goodwin, and Rex Pflueger

Forwards

John Mooney, Notre Dame ($8,500) - Mooney is an elite rebounder (12.8 rebounds per game), but he's also heavily involved offensively. The senior has a usage rate 26.3%; he takes 27.6% of the team's shots when he's on the floor, per KenPom. Both of those numbers lead the Irish. He's recorded a mind-boggling 18 double-doubles in the last 20 games. He's well worth his slate high price tag.

Udoka Azubuike, Kansas ($8,000) - The seven-foot throwback center is a monster on both ends of the floor. Over the last four games, Azubuike is averaging 14.5 points, 12.7 rebounds, 0.5 assists, and 2.8 blocks/steals in 28.8 minutes. He should have no issues eviscerating Iowa State's atrocious defense. The Cyclones are 122nd in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings. Tyrique Jones ($8,200) of Xavier is also an outstanding high-end forward play. Jones has topped 40 FanDuel points in three out of the last four games.

Kennedy Brooks, North Carolina ($7,000) - Cole Anthony's return has definitely impacted Brooks' production. However, I'm willing to play Brooks on this slate due to a thin forward position and a juicy matchup with Notre Dame. As mentioned above (in the Anthony section), the Irish are brutal defensively. Another reason to be bullish on Brooks: he is coming off 32 FanDuel points against Virginia's stingy defense (4th in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings).

Armando Bacot, North Carolina ($6,500) - The Tar Heels' center is averaging 0.97 FanDuel points per minute. At that rate, he'd be expected to pay off his price tag in 26.8 minutes of action. Bacot has logged 26-plus minutes in 11 consecutive games.

Juwan Durham, Notre Dame ($4,900) - While he rarely plays big minutes, Durham can rack up fantasy points in a hurry (he averages 1.08 FanDuel points per minute). Over the last four games, Durham is averaging 11.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.75 assists, 1.0 blocks/steals in 19.8 minutes. That equates to 21.3 FanDuel points which is more than enough to pay off his cheap price tag.

Other forwards to consider (below $5,000): Michael Jacobson

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.