College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Monday 2/8/21

College basketball season is in the midst of conference play, and we have a four-game slate today.

March Madness is a little more than 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 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?

Relevant injury situations to monitor: Miami (FL) Hurricanes guard Chris Lykes is questionable, while Earl Timberlake is likely out. Oklahoma State Cowboys forward Matthew Alexander-Moncrieffe is questionable. Kansas Jayhawks guard Tyon-Grant Foster is questionable, while Bryce Thompson is out.

All stats come from KenPom unless otherwise noted.

Guards

Jalen Suggs, Gonzaga ($7,800) - Suggs is an interesting target because he's heavily involved on both ends of the court. The Gonzaga Bulldogs point guard has a 25.1% usage rate (second on the team), 18.9% defensive rebounding rate (second), 24.1% assist rate (first), and a 4.2% steal rate (first). The Gonzaga starters' playing time is usually capped since they tend to dominate their West Coast Conference opponents. However, they're only 11.5-point favorites against the Brigham Young Cougars. If this game stays relatively close, that could drive up the Bulldogs starters' minutes.

Isaiah Wong, Miami ($7,000) - With Chris Lykes and Earl Timberlake injured, Wong has been forced to carry the Miami Hurricanes. The sophomore has played 38-plus minutes in five straight games. He's averaging an eye-popping 15.1 field goal attempts per game over the last seven games. Wong is also a solid rebounder (13.6% defensive rebounding rate) and willing passer (15.1% assist rate). The bottom line is he's under-salaried and makes for a fantastic investment at the guard spot.

Aaron Wiggins, Maryland ($6,500) - Wiggins leads the Maryland Terrapins with a 23.9% usage. He's also taking 25.8% of the team's shots when he's on the floor, which also leads the Terrapins. Further enhancing Wiggins' appeal is that he rarely leaves the court. The junior has played 35-plus minutes in five straight games. The matchup with the Ohio State Buckeyes isn't imposing, either, as the Buckeyes are ranked 71st in defense nationally.

Joel Ayayi, Gonzaga ($6,300) - Ayayi is producing 0.91 FanDuel points per minute. At that production level, he should pay off his current salary in 27.7 minutes of action (assuming value is 4x of a player's salary). The junior has logged at least 28 minutes in five straight games; he's averaging 30.2 minutes per game this season.

Ochai Agbaji, Kansas ($5,600) - Agbaji is one of the safest plays on tonight's slate because he rarely leaves the floor and takes a fair amount of shots. The junior has logged at least 31 minutes in every Big 12 conference game this season. He's also averaging 11.4 field goal attempts per game. He's also taking part in a pace-up game, as Kansas ranks 186th in tempo nationally while their opponent, Oklahoma State, is 64th. Backcourt mate, Marcus Garrett ($5,900), is also a fine option.

Christian Braun, Kansas ($4,700) - Braun has some competition as a salary relief option tonight. Maryland's Darryl Morsell ($4,700) and Avery Anderson III ($4,300) look like compelling plays at their current salaries (Anderson III is a better play if Matthew Alexander-Moncrieffe sits out tonight). Back to Braun, the sophomore has logged 31 minutes and 35 minutes in the Jayhawks' last two games. With Kansas potentially playing with a short-handed bench (Bryce Thompson is out and Tyon Grant-Foster is questionable), Braun and the Jayhawks starters may have to play as minutes as they can handle. Braun is averaging 14.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.0 steals over the last two games.

Other players to consider for salary relief ($5,000 or less): Caleb Love, Bryce Williams (better if Matthew Alexander-Moncrieffe is out), Leaky Black, Darryl Morsell, Avery Anderson III, and CJ Walker.

Forwards

David McCormack, Kansas ($6,300) - The Kansas center is averaging 1.00 FanDuel points per minute. Consequently, he can rack up a huge box score if he receives a decent amount of playing time. At his current production level, McCormack should pay off his salary in 25.2 minutes of action (assuming value is 4x of a player's salary). McCormack is averaging 27.8 minutes per game over the last four games. Additionally, he is leading Kansas with a 28.3% usage rate. If you're spending up at forward, I prefer Gonzaga's Drew Timme ($8,200). His playing time could spike as BYU has the firepower to keep the game competitive. Donta Scott is also an intriguing play as his salary has dipped down to $6,100.

Garrison Brooks, North Carolina ($5,500) - The North Carolina Tar Heels have a loaded frontcourt with Brooks, Day'Ron Sharpe, and Armando Bacot. Out of the three forwards, Brooks is the one player locked into a secure role. The senior has logged 32-plus minutes in six out of the last seven games (the lone exception is Brooks fouled out in 22 minutes against North Carolina State). While his usage rate is rather pedestrian (19.4%), Brooks has the ability to contribute in every major statistical category. He has an 8.2% offensive rebounding rate, 18.2% defensive rebounding rate, 9.9% assist rate, and 3.6% block rate. To top it all off, the matchup with the Hurricanes is a great spot, as Miami struggles defensively (ranked 92nd). Frontcourt mate, Armando Bacot ($6,600), has an enormous ceiling and makes for a fine tournament play.

Jalen Wilson, Kansas ($5,500) - Wilson appears to be out of Roy William's doghouse after playing all 40 minutes against West Virginia in the Jayhawks' last outing. There's reason to believe that Wilson will have to play as minutes as he can handle once again tonight. First, Kansas utilized a short bench with Bryce Thompson unavailable (he's expected to miss tonight's game). Second, Tyon Grant-Foster could potentially miss his second straight game after sustaining an injury in practice last week (as noted above). Flat out, Wilson is under-salaried if he's going to play 27-plus minutes. The freshman has a 24.2% usage rate, 9.0% offensive rebounding rate, 20.9% defensive rebounding rate, and a 16.6% assist rate.

Kalib Boone, Oklahoma State ($5,200) - The sophomore has flashed a massive ceiling, as he's tallied at least 34.9 FanDuel points in three out of the last five games. He's producing 0.96 FanDuel points per minute, so when he receives playing time, he produces. Boone will be locked into a ton of playing time if Matthew Alexander-Moncrieffe is forced to sit out for the second consecutive game. If Alexander-Moncrieffe is back, I wouldn't be afraid to fade Boone in tournaments (he'll be popular and his playing time would be more fragile). Luckily, three out of the four games on this slate tip off at 9:00pm, so we should have a clear direction on Alexander-Moncrieffe's availability before most of our lineup is locked in.

Other players to consider for salary relief ($5,000 or less): Kyle Young, Nysir Brooks, and Gideon George.

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.