College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Friday 12/6/19

College basketball season is upon us, and we have a six-game slate tonight.

March Madness is 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.

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 6:30 p.m. EST.

Which players should you be targeting, and why?

Guards

Fatts Russell, Rhode Island ($8,000) - The diminutive point guard is menace on both ends of the court. Russell is averaging 21.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 3.8 blocks/steals in 35.9 minutes. He's scored at least 20 real-life points in six straight games. The junior has one of the highest ceilings in college basketball.

Tre Jones, Duke ($7,600) - Jones will play nearly the entire game for the Duke Blue Devils. With third-leading scorer Cassius Winston out, Jones has no choice but to be more assertive on the offensive end. In Duke's last game, he torched the Michigan State Spartans for 20 points, 12 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 block, and 3 steals. Jones is a great play.

Kira Lewis Jr., Alabama ($6,900) - Lewis Jr. is exactly the type of player to target. He plays nearly the entire game (averages 37.3 minutes per game) and chucks up a ton of shots (15.3 field goal attempts per game). The matchup with the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks is projected to play at a blazing fast pace (Alabama and SFA both rank in the top 11 of Ken Pom's adjusted tempo metric),, which makes Lewis Jr. an awesome play on this slate.

Zavier Simpson, Michigan ($6,800) - The Michigan Wolverines floor general is a triple-double threat any time he takes the floor. Simpson is averaging nearly .95 fantasy points per minute. He'll have to play nearly 29 minutes to pay off his current price tag (assuming value is 4x of a player's price tag). The senior has logged 29 or more minutes in six out of the last seven games.

Herbert Jones, Alabama ($4,800) - Jones is foul prone, which has kept his minutes in check as of late. The versatile guard is one of the Crimson Tide's best defenders. Jones is averaging 8.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1.5 blocks/steals in 22.7 minutes of action. He's not a huge offensive threat, though his ability to contribute in every statistical area is his strength. Jones is cheap and could log 30 plus minutes if he stays out of foul trouble. He'll be part of the game with the highest total (160) on the slate.

Forwards

Vernon Carey Jr., Duke ($8,200) - The Blue Devils' big man has eclipsed 30 FanDuel points in six straight games; he's gone over 41.3 FanDuel points in four of those games. The young and inexperienced Virginia Tech Hokies do not have anyone that can guard the future NBA lottery pick.

Luka Garza, Iowa ($7,400) - The Iowa Hawkeyes' big man is the only player amongst the Power five schools to average 20 points and 10 rebounds this season. He's taken 23% of the Hawkeyes' field goal attempts. Garza has recorded at least 35.3 FanDuel in six out of eight games, yet his price tag is only $7,400. The senior is one of the best plays on the slate.

Jon Teske, Michigan ($7,300) - The versatile big man has recorded two straight double-doubles. Teske is Michigan's second-leading scorer (13.9 points per game), top rebounder (8.9 rebounds per game), and top shot blocker (2.3 blocks per game). The senior has been on a tear as of late; he recorded 28.1 FanDuel points against North Carolina, 44 FanDuel points against Gonzaga, and 32 FanDuel points against Louisville. All three rank within the top 38 of Ken Pom's adjusted defense metric.

Matthew Hurt, Duke ($5,100) - The freshman, known for his sharpshooting, is finally playing big minutes for the Blue Devils. Over the last three games, Hurt is averaging 15 points, 4 rebounds, 1.33 assists, and nearly 2 blocks/steals per game. That production is more than enough to pay off his current price tag.

Jack White, Duke ($4,400) - White logged 31 minutes in the Blue Devils first game without Cassius Stanley. Combine that with highly touted freshman Wendell Moore Jr. struggling as of late, White's minutes should be secure (at least in the interim). White won't score a ton of points, but his ability to contribute in every statistical category makes him a solid play at his cheap price tag. The sophomore is averaging 3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.6 blocks/steals in 20.8 minutes of action.

Javin DeLaurier, Duke ($4,200) - There isn't a ton of value on this slate, which leads me to a player that can rack up fantasy points in a hurry. DeLaurier is producing .91 fantasy points per minute. He's averaging 17.5 minutes in the Blue Devils' last two games. If any of the Duke big men get in foul trouble, DeLaurier could push for 20-plus minutes. I wouldn't play him in cash games, but he's worth the gamble in tournaments.

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.