College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Wednesday 12/2/20

College basketball season is finally here, and we have a four-game slate today.

March Madness is a ways off at this point, 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 slate, which locks at 7:00 p.m. EST.

Which players should you be targeting, and why?

Guards

Fatts Russell, Rhode Island ($7,800) - The Rhode Island Rams' offense runs through Fatts Russell. The point guard owns a 33.6% usage rate and a 26.1 assist rate, per KenPom. He also rarely leaves the court as he's playing 80% of the game. Through four games, Russell is averaging 17.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.8 steals. Jared Butler ($8,000) is also worth a look on Wednesday night.

Davion Mitchell, Baylor ($6,500) - Mitchell is an intriguing player due to his ability to make plays on both ends of the court. He is, arguably, the best defender in the Big 12 conference. The junior is also an excellent passer and through two games, the Baylor Bears' guard is averaging 12.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 2.0 steals in 29 minutes. Expect his minutes to rise as the Bears face off with Illinois Fighting Illini. Mitchell will likely be tasked with guarding Illinois star guard Ayo Dosunmu.

Jared Rhoden, Seton Hall ($6,100) - There was some question as to which player would step up alongside senior center Sandro Mamukelashvili this season. It looks like Jared Rhoden has answered that question. The junior guard owns a solid 25.8% usage rate, per KenPom. He's also productive on the defensive end, giving his fantasy value a boost. He posted a career-high in points (26) and recorded his second career double-double (10 rebounds) in the Seton Hall Pirates' last game.

Joel Ayayi, Gonzaga ($5,500) - Ayayi is one of four Gonzaga Bulldogs averaging double-digit points per game this season (10.0). He's tied with Drew Timme for the team lead in rebounding (8.0 per game). The junior's 32.5 minutes per game ranks second amongst the Bulldogs. Most importantly, his salary is affordable and he allows you access to Gonzaga's 81-point implied team total, which leads the slate.

Jeremy Sheppard, Rhode Island ($4,500) - Sheppard is the Rams' third-leading scorer (11.0 points per game), second-leading assist man (2.5 per game), and tied for second in steals (1.5 per game). Of the eight teams playing on Wednesday night, Rhode Island's opponent, Seton Hall, has the second-worst defense. The Pirates are 50th in KenPom's defensive rankings. Most importantly, Sheppard is a great source of salary relief.

Forwards

Drew Timme, Gonzaga ($7,400) - Timme has been dominant early this season. He's averaging an impressive 26.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 0.5 assists, and 1.5 blocks/steals in 31 minutes. It's not like he's faced off with cupcakes either. Gonzaga has played the Kansas Jayhawks and the Auburn Tigers already this season. Timme's incredible 30.8% usage rate (per KenPom) and solid rebounding numbers have staying power. The sophomore is one of the top plays on Wednesday night.

Sandro Mamukelashvili, Seton Hall ($7,200) - Through two games, Mamo owns a massive 32.3% usage rate, per KenPom. The senior center is averaging 20.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.0 blocks/steals in 35 minutes. Up next, is a matchup with a fast-paced and defensive-deficient Rhode Island team. Rhode Island ranks 87th defensively and 40th in tempo, per KenPom.

Oscar Tshiebwe, West Virginia ($5,700) - The former McDonald's All American had a fantastic freshman year en route to earning second-team All-Big 12 honors last season. But, he's struggled early in the season to get things going for the West Virginia Mountaineers. The sophomore forward has monster upside if he manages to stay out of foul trouble (called for 4.7 fouls per 40 minutes according to KenPom). In the one game this season he managed to avoid foul trouble, Tshiebwe scored 11 points, collected 16 rebounds, recorded a single block in 29 minutes. He's wildly inconsistent but his salary is too cheap for a player of his talent level.

N'Faly Dante, Oregon ($4,500) - Dante was a five-star prospect who struggled through an injury-plagued 2019. The Oregon center put up impressive numbers in limited action; he averaged 5.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 0.6 assists, and 1.5 blocks/steals in only 13.6 minutes of action. With Oregon returning only two starters for 2020, Dante should see a major increase in playing time.

Eugene Omoruyi, Oregon ($3,000) - Omoruyi transferred to Oregon from Rutgers and the senior sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules. But, during In the 2018-2019 season, the big man averaged 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.0 blocks/steals in 29.1 minutes. He's a tremendous source of salary relief on Wednesday night.

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.