NCAAB

College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Monday 3/1/21

Cade Cunningham has dazzled for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Is he worth targeting on Monday night? Who else should we consider rostering?

College basketball's regular season is nearing a conclusion, and we have an three-game slate today.

March Madness is only a few weeks 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 situation to monitor: Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Isaac Likekele is questionable after missing the team's last game with a finger injury.

All stats come from KenPom unless otherwise noted.

Guards

Cade Cunningham, Oklahoma State ($8,500) - The freshman is posting a hefty 28.9% usage rate and 28.3% shot rate (percentage of the team's shot attempts by the player when the player is on the floor). He's also an effective rebounder (16.1% defensive rebounding rate) and solid ball distributor (21.2% assist rate). Additionally, Cunningham is a threat to rack up defensive stats as he owns a 2.9% block rate and 2.4% steal rate. The likely top overall pick in the NBA draft gets another crack at an Oklahoma Sooners team that he roasted on Saturday. Cunningham exploded for 40 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, and 3 steals in 44 minutes of action.

Austin Reaves, Oklahoma ($8,000) - The Sooners' senior leader may be overshadowed on Monday night by Cade Cunningham but Reaves has had a monster season in his own right. Reaves enters Monday night with an eye-popping 27.7% usage rate and 29.1% assist rate. He also has a respectable 15.3% defensive rebounding rate. Considering Reaves rarely leaves the court, he makes for a solid high-end investment (averaging 34.1 minutes per game which leads Oklahoma). He played all 45 possible minutes in the Sooners' first matchup with Oklahoma State (two days ago).

Bennedict Mathurin, Arizona ($5,200) - Mathurin looks like a solid play as he's back to logging heavy minutes. That's not surprising since the youngster leads the Arizona Wildcats with an offensive rating of 122.5. Over the last two games, the freshman is averaging 12.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 0.5 steals in 35.5 minutes (average of 25.2 FanDuel points).

Avery Anderson III, Oklahoma State ($5,000) - While his ceiling can be questioned, Anderson III offers a stable floor since he's logging a ton of minutes. The sophomore has played 33-plus minutes in six out of the last seven games. From a rates perspective, nothing sticks out. However, Anderson III does just enough in each category to provide some appeal at his current salary. The Cowboys guard has an 18.8% usage rate (fourth on the team), 12.7% defensive rebounding rate (fourth on the team), 13.3% assist rate (third on the team), and 2.2% steal rate (fourth on the team). Anderson III's appeal would be further enhanced if Isaac Likekele is unable to suit up.

Elijah Harkless, Oklahoma ($4,700) - While his usage rate isn't great (18.5%), the freshman does have a strong 17.8% defensive rebounding rate and a 4.0% steal rate. He's an effective ball distributor too (13.0% assist rate). Harkless is a viable source of salary relief since this is a pace-up spot for Oklahoma. The Sooners are 213th in tempo nationally while Oklahoma State is 49th. Additionally, Harkless has cleared 20 FanDuel points in 8 out of the last 10 games. North Carolina guard Caleb Love ($4,600) is a good source of salary relief.

Other players to consider for salary relief ($5,000 or less): Rondel Walker (better if Isaac Likekele is out), Joseph Girard, Leaky Black, Caleb Love, Bryce Williams (only if Isaac Likekele is out), and Kerwin Walton.

Forwards

Eugene Omoruyi, Oregon ($7,300) - While the Oregon Ducks are finally healthy, Omoruyi continues to play a ton of minutes and take plenty of shots. The senior has a 29.9% usage rate and 29.6% shot rate to lead the Ducks. Additionally, Omoruyi is averaging 30.1 minutes per game. Historically, Arizona has had strong defenses under Sean Miller but this year is a different story. The Wildcats rank 83rd nationally in team defense which makes this a good spot to target Omoruyi.

Azoulas Tubelis, Arizona ($6,400) - Tubelis has received a substantial salary increase since the last time the Wildcats were on a slate (up from $5,200). However, it is merited considering Tubelis' play over the last five games. The seven-footer is averaging 30.9 FanDuel points in that time span. His strong play should continue as his seasonal rates are impressive. The freshman center has a 24.8% usage rate (leads team), 11.9% offensive rebounding rate (leads team), 19.7% defensive rebounding rate (second on the team), 10.4% assist rate, and 2.7% block rate. Despite the salary increase, he's still an exceptional play.

Armando Bacot, North Carolina ($5,600) - Bacot has been disappointing lately as he's struggled with foul trouble. The Tar Heels center has played less than 18 minutes in three consecutive games. However, I'm expecting Bacot to stay out of foul trouble on Monday night as the Tar Heels travel to Syracuse. Syracuse does not have any players that are drawing more than 3.9 fouls per 40 minutes. As we know, Bacot is capable of monster fantasy performances (averaging 1.01 FanDuel points per minute). Additionally, Syracuse struggled last Monday night with Duke center Mark Williams (operates similar to Bacot). Williams posted 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 25 minutes.

Kalib Boone, Oklahoma State ($4,900) - Boone is an elite rebounder and solid rim protector. He's averaging an impressive .96 FanDuel points per minute. At that production level, he should pay off his salary in 20.4 minutes of action (assuming value is 4X of a player's salary). Boone has played 22-plus minutes in four consecutive games. Frontcourt mate Matthew Alexander-Moncrieffe ($5,300) is a tournament pivot off Boone (albeit slightly more expensive).

Kadary Richmond, Syracuse ($4,700) - Richmond has seen his role increase significantly as the regular season draws to a conclusion. Over the last three games, he's averaging 26.7 minutes per game, which is up nearly 5 minutes per game from his seasonal average of 21.9. He's an intriguing source of salary relief because of his ability to contribute on both ends of the court. The freshman has a 19.4% usage rate, 11.9% defensive rebounding rate, 24.6% assist rate (leads team), 3.1% block rate, and 4.9% steal rate (leads team). Walker Kessler ($4,200) can rack up fantasy points in a hurry. It'll be interesting to see if his role increases after he took advantage of an extended run due to Day'Ron Sharpe and Armando Bacot struggling with foul trouble on Saturday. Kessler exploded for 20 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 1 steal in 24 minutes against a very good Florida State Seminoles team. I have a feeling Kessler will be very popular at his current salary.

Other players to consider for salary relief ($5,000 or less): Jordan Brown and Walker Kessler.


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.