NCAAB

College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Monday 2/10/20

Vernon Carey Jr. headlines the Monday night slate. Who else should we be targeting?

College basketball season is in the middle of conference play, and we have a three-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 7:00 p.m. EST.

Which players should you be targeting, and why?

Relevant Injury Situations: Texas Longhorns guard Jase Febres ($4,600) and forward Kai Jones ($3,600) are both questionable.

Guards

Tre Jones, Duke ($7,300) - Jones owns a solid 24.6% usage rate, and he's taking 23.3% of the Duke Blue Devils' shots when he's on the floor, per KenPom. He's playing nearly the entire game (38-plus minutes in four straight games). Combine that with Duke's massive implied team total of 79, and Jones looks like one of the best plays on the slate. Desmond Bane ($7,200) is a decent alternative if you can't afford to get up to Jones.

Devin Vassell, Florida State ($7,000) - Vassell is an intriguing play due to his solid floor and sky-high ceiling. The Florida State guard has eclipsed 20 FanDuel points in 14 straight games while topping out at 49.7. Despite the difficult matchup with Duke, Vassell is firmly in play due to his propensity to rack up defensive statistics. The sophomore is averaging 13.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 2.5 blocks/steals in 28.5 minutes. Backcourt mate, Trent Forrest ($6,800), is also a viable alternative at a slightly cheaper price tag.

Jahmi'us Ramsey, Texas Tech ($6,200) - The Texas Tech freshman is averaging .82 FanDuel points per minute. At that production clip, he is expected to pay off his price tag in 30.3 minutes of action. Ramsey has played 31-plus minutes in 12 out of the last 13 games. He also leads the Red Raiders with a 24.1% usage rate, per KenPom.

Jared Butler, Baylor ($5,600) - Butler is taking 29.3% of the Baylor Bears' shots when he's on the floor. He owns a sturdy 26.7% usage rate, per KenPom. Both of those numbers lead Baylor. Despite struggling in the latter half of January, Butler appears to be finding his stride once again as the calendar has turned to February. Over the last two games, Butler is averaging 17.5 points, 0.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.5 steals. Cassius Stanly ($5,700) is also an intriguing option in Butler's price range.

Courtney Ramey ($4,400) - Ramey ranks third or better amongst the Longhorns in minutes (30.4 per game), points (10.0 per game), rebounds (3.9 per game), assists (3.0 per game), and steals (0.7 per game). With backcourt mate Jase Febres questionable to play against Baylor, there's a chance Ramey plays nearly the entire game. Even though the matchup is atrocious (Baylor is fourth in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings), he still looks like one of the better cheap plays on this slate in that scenario. Andrew Jones ($4,300) is also worth a look in Ramey's price range.

Forwards

Vernon Carey Jr., Duke ($7,800) - The Duke big man is a dominant force on both ends of the court. Big Vern sports a team-best 30.6% usage rate -- he's taking 29.0% of the team's shots when he's on the floor, per KenPom. All told, Carey Jr. is averaging 1.29 FanDuel points per minute. At that production clip, he is expected to pay off his price tag in 24.2 minutes of action. Carey Jr. has logged 24 minutes or more in five consecutive games. He'll be chalky, but he's the top play on the slate.

Freddie Gillespie, Baylor ($7,100) - While he isn't a prolific scorer, Gillespie is a compelling DFS target due to his ability to affect the game in all areas. The senior forward is averaging 10.1, 9.1 rebounds, 0.5 assists, and 3.3 blocks/steals in 27.5 minutes. Throw in a plus matchup against the Texas Longhorns, and Gillespie makes for a solid play. The Longhorns are losers of two straight and have fallen to 49th in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings. Kevin Samuel can also be considered in Gillespie's price range.

TJ Holyfield, Texas Tech ($5,300) - Holyfield has been on a tear as of late. The Red Raiders forward is averaging 30.6 FanDuel points over the last four games. Yet, his price tag remains low as he can be rostered for only $5,300.

Wendell Moore Jr., Duke ($4,700) - Moore Jr. has had an inconsistent freshman season up to this point. However, he showed his tantalizing upside in Duke's 98-96 overtime win over North Carolina on Saturday night. The freshman scored 17 points, collected 10 rebounds, assisted on 2 baskets, blocked a shot, and recorded a steal in 30 minutes of action. On a slate lacking forward depth, Moore Jr. looks like to be one of the better cheap forward plays.

Patrick Williams, Florida State ($4,400) - Florida State's prized recruit is emerging at the right time as March Madness is only a month away. Over the Seminoles' last two games, Williams is averaging 14.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 blocks, and 0.5 steals in 22 minutes. He's my favorite cheap forward play on this slate.


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.