NCAAB

College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Monday 3/2/20

Matt Hiatt Mar 2nd, 2020
Taking on North Carolina State, Vernon Carey Jr. and the Duke Blue Devils are in a phenomenal spot. Who else should we be targeting on Monday night?

College basketball season is wrapping up conference play, and we have a two-game slate tonight.

March Madness is right around the corner, 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: None

Guards

Tre Jones, Duke ($7,800) - Jones owns a 24.8% usage rate, and he's also taking 24.0% of the team's shots, per KenPom. Both of those numbers are second on the team behind Vernon Carey Jr., Jones also rarely leaves the floor as he's logged 35-plus minutes in 11 out of the last 13 games. The sophomore has topped 22 FanDuel points in 15 consecutive games. With Duke carrying an implied team total of 82 (slate high by nearly 13 points), you're going to need plenty of exposure to the Blue Devils.

Jared Butler, Baylor ($7,000) - Butler's price is on the rise after four consecutive solid outings. Over the last four games, Butler is averaging 19.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.8 steals in 32.2 minutes. Despite the difficult matchup with Texas Tech (10th in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings), Butler is a fine option. His usage rate of 26.8% leads the Bears, per KenPom. He's also hoisting up 29.8% of the team's shots when he's on the floor. Markell Johnson ($7,200) is also a solid option in Butler's price range.

CJ Bryce North Carolina State ($6,200) - Bryce leads the Wolfpack in minutes (34.0 per game), points (13.4 per game), and rebounds (6.2 per game). The versatile guard is also averaging 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals/blocks. He owns a respectable 21.3% usage rate, per KenPom. With this game carrying a total of 151.5 (nearly 21 points higher than the Texas Tech/Baylor matchup), Bryce makes for an appealing option.

Devon Daniels, North Carolina State ($5,900) - Despite two straight ugly box scores, I'm expecting Daniels to bounce back against Duke. He pasted Duke for 25 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal in the first matchup between these teams this season. This game will be fast-paced (both teams are inside the top 100 of KenPom's adjusted tempo ratings), and Daniels rarely leaves the floor. The North Carolina State guard has logged 36-plus minutes in eight out of the last nine games.

MaCio Teague, Baylor ($5,800) - Teague is one of the safer options on this slate as he's topped 20 FanDuel points in 9 out of the last 10 games. He ranks second amongst the Bears in points (14.1 per game). The junior is averaging .74 FanDuel points per minute. At that production clip, he is expected to pay off his price tag in 31.3 minutes of action. Teague is averaging 32.3 minutes per game this season.

Cassius Stanley, Duke ($5,000) - Stanley is averaging .76 FanDuel points per minute. At that production clip, he is expected to pay off his price tag in 26.3 minutes of action. He's played 26-plus minutes in 14 out of his last 15 games. He's my favorite "cheap" play on this slate.

Other guards to consider ($5,000 and below): Kevin McCullar and Mark Vital.

Forwards

Vernon Carey Jr., Duke ($7,500) - The crown jewel of Duke's 2019 recruiting class has lived up to his preseason hype. The big man is a monster on both ends of the court. He's averaging 17.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 2.3 blocks/steals in 24.8 minutes. The freshman should have no problem dominating North Carolina State's susceptible defense. The Wolfpack are 81st in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings. Since it's only a two-game slate, Big Vern will likely be the highest owned player on the slate.

Freddie Gillespie, Baylor ($6,800) - Gillespie flashed his enormous ceiling in the Bears last outing. The senior scored 18 points, collected 17 rebounds, assisted on one basket, blocked three shots, and stole three passes in 37 minutes of action. Due to the complexion of the slate, there is no need to save salary at the forward spot (only two forwards priced above $6,000), so Gillespie makes for an appealing option. Like Carey Jr., Gillespie will be very popular.

DJ Funderburk, North Carolina State ($5,600) - Funderburk is averaging .85 FanDuel points per minute. At that production clip, he is expected to pay off his price tag in 26.4 minutes of action. He's played 26-plus minutes in five straight games. Despite the difficult matchup with Duke (9th in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings), Funderburk is a solid option. He's averaging 26.33 FanDuel points over the last four games.

TJ Holyfield, Texas Tech ($4,300) - This is a brutal spot for the struggling Texas Tech Red Raiders as they travel to Baylor. The Bears have one of nation's best defenses as they rank 4th in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings. However, I think this is a spot we can target Holyfield because he can rack up fantasy points in a hurry, his playing time is secure, and he's cheap. The senior is averaging .79 FanDuel points and has logged 24-plus minutes in four consecutive games. I'm expecting Matthew Hurt, Wendell Moore Jr., and Manny Bates to be popular cheap forward options. Consequently, Holyfield makes for a great GPP option.

Other forwards to consider ($5,000 and below): Wendell Moore Jr., Matthew Hurt, and Manny Bates.

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.