NCAAB

College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Wednesday 2/26/20

Matt Hiatt Feb 26th, 2020
Taking on Georgetown, Markus Howard is in a smash spot on Wednesday night. Who else should we be targeting?

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?

Known Relevant Injury Situations: Mac McClung (Georgetown), Myreon Jones (Penn State), and Rylan Jones (Utah) are all questionable.

Guards

Markus Howard, Marquette ($8,500) - The nation's leading scorer takes on the fast-paced (94th in KenPom's adjusted tempo ratings) and defensive-deficient Georgetown Hoyas (122nd in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings. Howard's usage rate is an enormous 37.9%; he's taking 41.4% of the team's shots when he's on the floor, per KenPom. Both of those numbers also lead the nation. Howard pasted Georgetown for 47.4 FanDuel points already once this year.

Justin Champagnie, Pittsburgh ($6,000) - Champagnie is averaging .76 FanDuel points per minute. At that production clip, he is expected to pay off his price tag in 31.6 minutes of action. The Pittsburgh Panthers guard has played 32-plus minutes in seven out of the last eight games. Andrew Nembhard ($5,800) is also worth a look in Champagnie's price range.

Trey McGowens, Pittsburgh ($5,600) - McGowens owns a 24.0 usage rate, and he's also taking 22.6% of the team's shots when he's on the floor. On tap is a matchup with Syracuse's notorious 2-3 zone. I'm expecting McGowens to get plenty of looks from beyond the arc. McGowens leads the Panthers in three-point attempts this season (118 per KenPom). That could lead to a big night for McGowens as the Orange have struggled defending the three-ball. Syracuse is allowing opposing teams to connect on 31.8% of their three-point attempts. This slate is loaded with guards I like on the cheaper end, and they include Jordan Bowden ($5,700), Ron Harper Jr. ($5,500), Au'Diese Toney ($5,300), Geo Baker ($5,300), and Jay Heath ($5,200).

Jahvon Blair, Georgetown ($5,000) - I'm expecting Blair to bounce back after his brutal performance against DePaul in Georgetown's last outing (recorded 9.1 FanDuel points). With Mac McClung questionable (at best), Blair should once again be locked into huge minutes. In the last six games, the Georgetown guard has played 235 out of a possible 240 minutes. Over those six games, Blair is averaging 26.2 FanDuel points. IF McClung returns, we can pivot to Arkansas guard Isaiah Joe ($5,000). Joe returned to the Arkansas lineup last Saturday after a three-week injury absence and logged 37 minutes (recorded 29.1 FanDuel points).

Darryl Morsell, Maryland ($4,800) - Morsell is one of my favorite cheap targets since he's a big part of the Maryland Terrapins rotation. The junior has logged 31-plus minutes in six out of the last seven games. He's also one of the few players under $5,000 with 30 FanDuel points upside. On paper, the matchup with Minnesota isn't appealing (37th in KenPom's adjusted defensive ratings). However, upon closer inspection, this matchup should favor Morsell. The Golden Gophers have defended the two-pointer well (allowing 44.7%, which is 34th in the country per KenPom), but have struggled to defend the three-ball (allowing 31.9%, which is 112th in the country, per KenPom). Morsell is connecting on 34.2% of long-range attempts.

Other guards to consider ($5,000 and below): Prentis Hubb, TJ Gibbs, Sacar Anim, Tomas Woldentensae, Josiah-Jordan James, Jared Hamilton, Scottie Lewis, Myles Dread (if Myreon Jones is out), and Rex Pflueger.

Forwards

John Mooney, Notre Dame ($8,400) - With double-digit points and rebounds in 19 out of the last 21 games, John Mooney is a walking double-double machine. The Notre Dame star is averaging 16.3 points, 12.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.8 blocks/steals in 32.5 minutes. On tap is a mouth-watering matchup with the struggling Boston College Eagles. The Eagles have fallen to 124th in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings. Mooney is well worth his expensive price tag. Daniel Oturu ($8,800) is also a fine option, albeit slightly more expensive than Mooney. However, let me be clear, I do prefer Mooney over Oturu.

Lamar Stevens, Penn State ($7,300) - Stevens is producing 1.04 FanDuel points per minute. At that production clip, he is expected to pay off his price tag in 28.1 minutes of action. He's logged 29-plus minutes in eight of the last nine games. He also carries a solid floor as he's recorded 23-plus FanDuel points in ten consecutive games.

Kerry Blackshear Jr., Florida ($6,600) - Blackshear Jr. is one of the best two-way players in the SEC. The senior is averaging 13.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 blocks/steals in 27.6 minutes. On tap is a massive pace-up game for the Florida Gators as they host Louisiana State. Florida is 303rd in KenPom's adjusted tempo ratings while LSU is 86th. The pace bump should allow Blackshear Jr. to have plenty of extra opportunities to make his imprint on the stat sheet.

Keyontae Johnson, Florida ($6,300) - Johnson is heating up as the SEC play winds down. Over the last five games, Johnson is averaging 30.8 FanDuel points. His recent hot stretch should continue as the Florida Gators square off with the fast-paced and defensive-optional LSU Tigers. LSU is 179th in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings.

Yves Pons, Tennessee ($5,400) - Pons is an appealing target since he rarely leaves the court, and he's cheap. Pons has played 38-plus minutes in four out of the last six games. Over the last six games, the Tennessee forward is averaging 10.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 0.8 assists, and 1.5 blocks/steals in 35.7 minutes (equates to 23.65 FanDuel points). Throw in a major pace-up game for Tennessee as they travel to Arkansas, and Pons looks like one of the better cheap forwards on this slate. Tennessee is 318th in KenPom's adjusted tempo ratings, while Arkansas is 62nd.

Other forwards to consider ($5,000 and below): Juwan Durham, Theo John, Adrio Bailey, Brendan Bailey, Both Gach (better if Jones is out), Mikeal Jantunen, Donta Scott, and Terrell Brown.


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.