College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Tuesday 2/25/20

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: Garrison Brooks (North Carolina), CJ Fredrick (Iowa), Isaac Okoro (Auburn), KJ Buffen (Mississippi), and Chris Clarke (Texas Tech) are all questionable.

Guards

Cole Anthony, North Carolina ($7,600) - Anthony is a high-floor option with significant upside since he's heavily involved in the Tar Heels' offense. The freshman rarely leaves the floor and takes a ton of shots. He owns a 31.6% usage rate, and he's taking 32.5% of the team's shots when he's on the floor, per KenPom. Throw in a matchup against North Carolina State's struggling defense (73rd in KenPom's adjusted defense rating), and Anthony makes for a great play. Tre Jones ($7,700) is also a solid option in Anthony's price range.

Cassius Winston, Michigan State ($7,400) - The Michigan State floor general leads the Spartans with a 29.9% usage rate. He's also taking 30.2% of the Spartans' shots when he's on the floor, per KenPom. The senior has topped 20 real-life points in four out of the last six games. Look for him to have one of his better games of the season as the matchup with the Iowa Hawkeyes should be a fast-paced affair. Both teams are ranked inside the top 100 of KenPom's adjusted tempo ratings. Additionally, Iowa is vulnerable defensively as evidenced by their 92nd ranking in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings.

Jared Butler, Baylor ($6,200) - The Baylor guard owns an impressive 26.6% usage rate; he's taking 29.7% of the Bears shots when he's on the floor, per KenPom. Both of those numbers lead the team. Look for Butler to post a massive stat line for the fourth straight game. Over the last three games, he is averaging 20.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.3 steals in 33.3 minutes. I like Markell Johnson ($6,800) and Jahmi'us Ramsey ($6,600) as strong guard options in between Butler and Winston's price range.

Nick Weatherspoon, Mississippi State ($5,800) - Weatherspoon is averaging 0.76 FanDuel points per minute. At that production clip, he is expected to pay off his price tag in 30.5 minutes of action. The Mississippi State guard has logged 30-plus minutes in seven out of the last eight games. Up next is a major pace-up game for the Bulldogs as they host the Alabama Crimson Tide. Mississippi State is 256th in KenPom's adjusted tempo ratings while Alabama is 3rd. Backcourt mate Robert Woodard II ($5,600) is also worth consideration at a slightly cheaper price tag.

Kevin McCullar, Texas Tech ($4,600) - Despite playing in a reserve role for most of the year, McCullar has started each of the last two games. In those two games, McCullar averaged 7.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 0.5 assists, and 3.0 blocks/steals in 30.5 minutes. His price tag hasn't adjusted for his massive role change. Connor McCaffrey ($4,700) is also worth a look in McCullar's price range.

Other guards to consider ($5,000 and below): Mark Vital, Cassius Stanley, Herbert Jones, Blake Hinson, Jalen Coleman-Lands, Terrance Shannon Jr., John Newman III, Christian Keeling (better if Brooks is out)., and DJ Stewart.

Forwards

Reggie Perry, Mississippi State ($8,000) - Perry is a monster on both ends of the court. As a result, he is one of the few players with 50-FanDuel-point upside. Perry is averaging 17.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.0 blocks/steals in 31.0 minutes. His 28.7% usage rate leads the Bulldogs, per KenPom. He's my favorite overall play on the entire slate. Tyrique Jones ($8,100) is also a fine option in Perry's price range while Luka Garza ($9,000) and Xavier Tillman ($8,700) are also excellent plays if you can afford their expensive price tags.

Vernon Carey Jr., Duke ($7,600) - Big Vern is producing 1.3 FanDuel points per minute, which leads the slate. At that production clip, he is expected to pay off his price tag in 23.4 minutes. Carey Jr. has played 23-plus minutes in 10 out of the last 11 games. Look for him to dominate Wake Forest's struggling defense. The Demon Deacons are 125th in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings. I also like Naji Marshall ($7,500) in Carey's price range.

Kevin Samuel, TCU ($6,600) - Samuel posted a huge stat line in his last outing against West Virginia's swarming defense (third in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings). He recorded 19 points, eight rebounds, five blocks, and two steals in 36 minutes in that one. The sophomore is an elite rebounder and strong rim protector. Samuel leads TCU in rebounds (8.7 per game) and blocks (2.8 per game). He's also averaging 10.5 points per game, which ranks third on the team. The middle tier is loaded with strong forward options and that includes: Joe Wieskamp ($6,700), Austin Wiley ($6,500), Armando Bacot ($6,400), Aamir Simms ($6,400), Freddie Gillespie ($6,200), and Brady Manek ($6,100).

Aaron Henry, Michigan State ($5,200) - Henry has logged 35-plus minutes in three straight games, which is up significantly from his season average (28.6 minutes per game). Over the last three, the sophomore is averaging 11.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 0.8 steals/blocks in 35.7 minutes. DJ Funderburk ($5,200) is also a fine option in Henry's price range.

Ryan Kriener, Iowa ($4,400) - Kriener is one of the better value plays if CJ Fredrick -- who is questionable -- misses his third straight game. Kriener, the starter in place of Fredrick, is averaging 11.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 2.5 blocks in 30.0 minutes over the last two games. If Fredrick returns, we can pivot to Mississippi State forward Abdel Ado ($4,400).

Other forwards to consider ($5,000 and below): Khadim Sy, Michael Jacobson, Matthew Hurt, Wendell Moore Jr., Romeo Weems, Zach Freemantle, Manny Bates, and Jericole Hellems.

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.