College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Wednesday 1/26/22

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

March Madness is only two months 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.

Scoring differs from NBA in the blocks and steals categories; each is 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. All stats come from KenPom unless otherwise noted.

Which players should you be targeting and why?

Guards

Dereon Seabron, North Carolina State ($8,100) - Seabron is intriguing because he plays a ton of minutes and takes a ton of shots. The sophomore is averaging 36.7 minutes and 13.3 field goal attempts per game. Additionally, he leads the North Carolina State Wolfpack with 9.4 rebounds per game and 1.6 steals per game. He should have no problem dropping a monster stat line against Notre Dame's vulnerable defense. The Fighting Irish rank 119th in defensive efficiency.

Jhared Rhoden, Seton Hall ($7,300) - The senior has converted a paltry 6 out of 28 field goal attempts over the last two games. However, I'm willing to go back to the well on Wednesday. Rhoden and the Seton Hall Pirates square off with the Marquette Golden Eagles. Both teams love to push the pace, as they are both ranked inside the top 52 in adjusted tempo. Rhoden will log 30-plus minutes, take a lot of shots, and the game will be played at a blazing pace.

Michael Devoe, Georgia Tech ($6,900) - Three straight blowouts have kept Devoe's playing time and salary in check (27, 33, 27 minutes over the last three games). I'd expect Devoe to push for 35-38 minutes in a matchup with the Florida State Seminoles. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets lead guard has been productive on both ends of the court. Devoe leads the Yellow Jackets in points per game (19.5), assists per game (3.2), steals per game (1.6), and blocks per game (0.5).

Eric Gaines, Louisiana State ($5,000) - Gaines has logged at least 34 minutes in four straight games. The sophomore ranks third or better amongst the Louisiana State Fighting Tigers in usage rate (23.7%), assist rate (21.2%), and steal rate (4.1%). Gaines should rarely leave the court on Wednesday night because the Tigers could be missing two of their starters. Ricky Council IV ($5,200) is also a fine alternative in Gaines' salary range.

Au'Diese Toney, Arkansas ($4,900) - Toney's role has increased significantly over the last three games. The senior has logged 43 (overtime), 33, and 39 minutes over the last three games. That is up considerably from his seasonal average of 29.7 minutes per game. Simply put, Toney's salary has not caught up to his increased role. The Razorbacks' guard is averaging 22.5 FanDuel points over the last three games.

Forwards

Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana ($8,400) - There is a chance Jackson-Davis could be less popular than usual due to a hip injury. However, that injury appears to be a thing of the past. The Indiana Hoosiers forward logged 33 minutes in his latest outing. Jackson-Davis' rates are strong across the board. He leads Indiana in usage rate (26.6%), defensive rebounding rate (21.4%), and block rate (9.8%).

Keve Aluma, Virginia Tech ($7,600) - Aluma carries a solid floor, as he's recorded at least 23 FanDuel points in 12 straight games. That's not a surprise considering he has an impressive 27.9% usage rate, 9.9% offensive rebounding rate, 17.0% defensive rebounding rate, 15.1% assist rate, and a 3.0% block rate. If you can't quite afford Jackson-Davis, Aluma makes for a viable alternative and comes with a salary discount. The matchup with the Miami (FL) Hurricanes is fantastic. The Hurricanes rank 150th in defensive efficiency.

Tari Eason, Louisiana State ($6,600) - Eason is one of the best two-way players in college basketball. The Louisiana State forward has an eye-opening 29.6% usage rate. He also owns a 10.9% offensive rebounding rate, 20.3% defensive rebounding rate, and a 6.5% block rate. He may be forced into huge minutes with frontcourt mate Darius Days listed as questionable for Wednesday's tilt.

Malik Osborne, Florida State ($4,900) - Osborne's salary has cratered due to his recent stretch of poor shooting. Over the last five games, the Seminoles forward has posted a field goal percentage of 28.6% or worse. Consequently, I'm expecting Osborne to go overlooked. However, I'm expecting the senior to bounce back soon. Osborne has recorded a field goal percentage of 41.4% or better in each of his first three seasons at Florida State. He should get plenty of open looks as Florida State travels to Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets rank 101st in defensive efficiency.

Efton Reid, Louisiana State ($3,800) - The Tigers could be exceptionally thin if both Xavier Pinson and Darius Days can't suit up. Reid was ESPN's 20th rated prospect in the class of 2021. He has struggled in limited action this season. However, Louisiana State will be forced to play Reid as much as possible if Darius Days is out. At his current salary, Reid doesn't need to do much in the box score to pay off his dirt-cheap salary.

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.