College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Friday 12/20/19

College basketball season is upon us, and we have a four-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?

Guards

Markus Howard, Marquette ($8,100) - Howard ranks second in the nation in points per game (25.2). The Marquette Golden Eagles' star guard is averaging 16.6 field goal attempts per game. His upside is massive as he's already recorded at least 40 real-life points in two games this season. North Dakota State's 172nd-ranked defense, according to Ken Pom's adjusted defense metric, has virtually no chance of slowing him down.

Anthony Edwards, Georgia ($7,700) - Edwards is the potential number one pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Edwards' ability to create his own shot combined with his outstanding defensive ability is allowing the freshman to average 1.12 fantasy points per minute. At his current production, he'll need to play around 27 minutes to pay off his price tag (assuming value is 4x of player's price tag). In Georgia games decided by 10 points or less (four games), Edwards has averaged 33 minutes. The Bulldogs are installed as 5.0-point favorites.

Xavier Johnson, Pittsburgh ($5,900) - Johnson is the Pittsburgh Panthers' best all around player. He's provides a solid floor, having scored at least 11 real-life points in six straight games. A date with the Binghamton Bearcats is one of the best matchups Johnson will have all season long as the Bearcats have one of the worst defenses in the country (334th in Ken Pom's adjusted defense ranking).

Trey McGowens, Pittsburgh ($5,700) - McGowens is an excellent defender blessed with explosive leaping ability. The sophomore came of the bench in the Panthers' 59-50 win over Northern Illinois Huskies. However, he played 38 minutes in that game, which was a season high. McGowens is a good bet to log a ton of minutes against a horrendous Binghamton defense. It's a good slate to target the Panthers as they are carrying an implied total of 76.5, 13.1 points higher than their seasonal average (63.4 points per game).

Koby McEwen, Marquette ($4,900) - McEwen has established himself as a key cog in Marquette's rotation. The junior guard is averaging 10.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 0.9 steals in 28.8 minutes. McEwen's price tag remains low due to a combination of foul trouble and poor shooting in each of the last four games. The matchup with North Dakota State's vulnerable defense should provide McEwen with plenty of open jump shots.

Jordan Harris, Georgia ($4,300) - Harris is expected to make his season debut after sitting out the first nine games due to an undisclosed suspension. Harris averaged 12.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.6 steals per game in the Georgia Bulldogs' final 10 games last season. Harris practiced while he was suspended, so there shouldn't be much of a minutes restriction. He's a great source of salary relief on this slate.

Forwards

Rayshaun Hamilton, Georgia ($6,900) - The junior big man has one of the highest ceilings on the slate. Hamilton is averaging 1.21 fantasy points per minute, which is amongst the best in college basketball. However, his minutes have been limited lately due to foul trouble and blowouts. With a close game projected against SMU, Hamilton figures to log 25 to 30 minutes. He's one of the best forward options on the slate.

Isiaha Mike, SMU ($6,700) - Mike is a model of consistency as he's scored at least 11 real-life points in all nine games this season while also recording at least five rebounds in eight of nine. He's posted at least 21 FanDuel points in eight games. On a slate filled with a lot of unappealing forward options, Mike stands out as an excellent choice.

Aamir Simms, Clemson ($6,600) - Simms is the Clemson Tigers' leading rebounder (8.0 rebounds per game) and second-leading scorer (12.3 points per game). A contest with the Jacksonville Dolphins will be one of the easiest matchups of the season for Simms. The Dolphins are 143rd in Ken Pom's adjusted defense ranking. Target Simms on this slate as he's one of the few players with 40-FanDuel-point upside.

Feron Hunt, SMU ($6,100) - Hunt is a force on both ends of the court. The sophomore is averaging 13.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, 0.8 assists, and 1.9 blocks/steals in 31.4 minutes of action. He's recorded two double-doubles in the last four games. A huge pace-up game with Georgia should provide the junior with extra playmaking opportunities. The Bulldogs are 23rd in Ken Pom's adjusted tempo ranking while SMU is 334th.

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.