College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Wednesday 2/19/20

College basketball season is in the middle of conference play, and we have a 10-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 7:00 p.m. EST.

Which players should you be targeting, and why?

Relevant Injury Situations: Omer Yurtseven (Georgetown), Mac McClung (Georgetown), Isaiah Livers (Michigan), and Isaac Okoro (Auburn) are all questionable.

Guards

Tre Jones, Duke ($7,600) - The Duke Blue Devils' floor general is one of the best two-way players in the country. Jones is a safe target since he rarely leaves the court (35-plus minutes in eight out of the last nine games) and owns a solid 24.8% usage rate, per KenPom. Throw in a matchup against North Carolina State's struggling defense, and Jones looks like one of the best plays on the board tonight. North Carolina State is 92nd in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings. Elijah Hughes ($7,900) and Marcus Carr ($7,500) are also worth consideration in Jones' price range.

Alpha Diallo, Providence ($7,200) - When's he playing well, Diallo has one of the highest upsides in all of college basketball. Fortunately, Diallo is hitting his stride as the calendar turns towards March. The Providence Friars' star has topped 25 FanDuel points in four straight games, including two straight games with 47-plus FanDuel points. Up next is a phenomenal matchup against a fast-paced (68th in KenPom's adjusted tempo ratings) and vulnerable Georgetown squad. The Hoyas are 114th in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings. Look for Diallo to post another massive stat line. Collin Gillespie ($7,100) is a viable alternative in Diallo's price range.

CJ Bryce, North Carolina State ($6,200) - Bryce is averaging .75 FanDuel points per minute. At that production clip, he is expected to pay off his price tag in 33 minutes of action. The senior has logged 36-plus minutes in each of the last four games. Bryce eclipsed 22.3 FanDuel points in all four of those games. I also like Nate Hinton ($6,000) and J'Von McCormick ($6,100), who are both priced slightly beneath Bryce.

David Duke, Providence ($5,300) - Duke is averaging .73 FanDuel points per minute. At that production clip, he is expected to pay off his price tag in 29.1 minutes of action. Duke has played 30-plus minutes in 11 consecutive games. As noted above (in the Diallo blurb), the matchup with Georgetown is intriguing.

Jahvon Blair, Georgetown ($5,000) - Blair has played 160 out of the last 160 minutes for Georgetown as Mac McClung continues to deal with an injury. Over the last four games, Blair is averaging 21.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 0.5 steals. If McClung sits again, Blair will become one of the best guard value plays on the slate. If McClung is back, then we can pivot to Cassius Stanley ($5,000) and/or Georgia guard Sahvir Wheeler ($4,300). Stanley should be back tonight after missing the Blue Devils' last game, while Wheeler is averaging 20.68 FanDuel points over the last four games.

Other guards to consider (below $5,000): David Johnson, Gabe Kalscheur, Payton Willis, Jalen Coleman-Lands, DeJon Jarreau, Marcus Sasser, Devonte Green, Terrance Shannon Jr., DJ Stewart Jr., and Luwane Pipkins.

Forwards

Reggie Perry, Mississippi State ($8,200) - Perry is a monster on both ends of the court. He leads the Mississippi State Bulldogs with a 29.3% usage rate; he's also taking 28.1% of the team's shots when he's on the floor (also team-high), per KenPom. Throw in a massive pace-up game against the South Carolina Gamecocks, and Perry should have plenty of opportunities to make an impact on the stat sheet. South Carolina is 25th in KenPom's adjusted tempo ratings, while Mississippi State is 276th. Daniel Oturu ($8,800) is obviously an outstanding play, albeit slightly more expensive than Perry. I also like Omer Yurtseven ($8,500) as another quality forward spend, if he's able to suit up tonight.

Vernon Carey Jr., Duke ($7,700) - Big Vern owns a 30.5% usage rate; he's also taking 28.7% of the team's shots when he's on the floor, per KenPom. Both of those numbers lead the Blue Devils. As a result, he's producing 1.3 FanDuel points per minute, which leads the entire slate. At that production clip, he is expected to pay off his price tag in 23.7 minutes of action. Carey Jr. has logged 23-plus minutes in eight out of the last nine games. I also like Trayce Jackson-Davis ($7,300) if you can't quite get up to Big Vern.

Austin Wiley, Auburn ($6,500) - Wiley is an elite rebounder and rim protector. The Auburn big man has seen his minutes increase dramatically as of late. Despite averaging only 21.2 minutes of action this season, Wiley has topped 30 minutes in each of the last three games. In those three games, Wiley averaged 16.7 points, 13.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 3.0 blocks/steals (equates to 38.83 FanDuel points).

Rayshaun Hammonds, Georgia ($5,700) - Hammonds is super talented but is also maddeningly inconsistent. He started the season priced in the $7,000 range but has fallen to an intriguing $5,700 tonight. It's time to take advantage of his depressed price tag. He owns a 23.0% usage rate, and he's also taking 25.8% of the team's shots when he's on the court, per KenPom. Both of those numbers are second behind only star guard Anthony Edwards ($7,000), who I also like a lot tonight. On paper, Hammonds has his work cut out for him as the Georgia Bulldogs host 13th-ranked Auburn. However, Auburn's defense is nothing to fear as they rank 68th in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings. Saddiq Bey ($6,100) and Dwayne Sutton ($6,000) are two other quality forwards that fall in between Hammonds and Wiley in the pricing spectrum.

Anfernee McLemore, Auburn ($4,500) - I love targeting cheap guys who can rack up fantasy points in a hurry. McLemore fits that bill as he's averaging .81 FanDuel points per minute. At that production clip, he is expected to pay off his price tag in 22.2 minutes of action. The Auburn forward has played 22-plus minutes in five of the last six games. If Isaac Okoro misses his second straight game, McLemore should be locked into 25-plus minutes (barring foul trouble). Keep an eye out on Georgetown center, Omer Yurtseven's status. If Yurtseven is unable to suit up, Qudus Wahab ($4,500) becomes a phenomenal source of salary relief.

Other forwards to consider (below $5,000): Matthew Hurt, Wendell Moore Jr., Jaylen Butz, Manny Bates, Romeo Weems, Alihan Demir, Adbul Ado, Brandon Johns (if Livers is out), and Steven Enoch.

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.