NCAAB
College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Friday 3/6/20
Markell Johnson and North Carolina State are in a fantastic spot as they host the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Who else should we be targeting on Friday night?

College basketball season is wrapping up conference play, and we have a two-game slate tonight.

March Madness is right around the corner, 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?

Known Relevant Injury Situations: None.

Guards

Markell Johnson, North Carolina State ($8,100) - Johnson is the most expensive player on the slate, for good reason. He'll play nearly the entire game (35-plus minutes in five straight games), and he's heavily involved in the North Carolina State offense. The senior owns a 25.6% usage rate, and he also takes 23.4% of the team's shots when he's on the floor, per KenPom. Both of those numbers lead the Wolfpack. He's averaging 31.44 FanDuel points over the last five games.

Jose Alvarado, Georgia Tech ($7,900) - You'll likely have to choose between Johnson and Alvarado if you plan on spending up for a guard. Alvarado carries a sky-high ceiling due to his ability to contribute in every statistical category. Over the last five games, he's averaging 31.96 FanDuel points. In his first crack against the Clemson Tigers (nearly two weeks ago), Alvarado scored 19 points, collected 3 rebounds, dished out 3 assists, and stole 3 passes in 29 minutes. Alvarado will carry significantly lower ownership than Johnson, which makes Alvarado an intriguing GPP play.

Devon Daniels, North Carolina State ($7,000) - With an implied team total of 79 (slate-high by eight), you're going to want jam in several North Carolina State players. Daniels is a fine option due to his ability to contribute on both ends of the court. The junior is averaging 12.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 2.1 blocks/steals in 31.0 minutes. Brandon Childress ($6,900) and Michael Devoe ($6,700) come with slight discounts to Daniels and are worth a look.

CJ Bryce, North Carolina State ($5,800) - Bryce is the one player that didn't receive a major price hike for this two-game slate. The Wolfpack guard is averaging .72 FanDuel points per minute. At that production clip, he is expected to pay off his price tag in 32.2 minutes of action. Bryce has played 32-plus minutes in nine consecutive games. Chaundee Brown ($6,200) and Tevin Mack ($6,000) are fine options, albeit slightly more expensive than Bryce.

Clyde Trapp, Clemson ($4,700) - I debated between writing about Trapp and Jahcobi Neath ($4,800). Both players have starting roles and are good sources of salary relief on this slate. However, I'll side with Trapp due to his upside. In a late January meeting with the Syracuse Orange, Trapp scored 17 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, dished out 6 assists, blocked a shot, and recorded 2 steals for 40.8 FanDuel points. Additionally, the matchup with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets is a major pace-up game for Clemson. Georgia Tech is 88th in KenPom's adjusted tempo ratings, while Clemson 286th.

Other guards to consider ($5,000 and below): Andrien White and Jahcobi Neath.

Forwards

Olivier Sarr, Wake Forrest ($7,600) - The Wake Forest Demon Deacons big man is an elite rebounder and shot-blocker. Not too mention, he's also heavily involved on the offensive end, as evidenced by his 24.4% usage rate, per KenPom (second-best on the team behind Childress). Over the last three games, Sarr is averaging 22.33 points, 11.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.0 blocks in 28.7 minutes. He's easily the top forward on the slate.

DJ Funderburk, North Carolina State ($6,800) - I'm expecting Funderburk to be one of the most popular players on this two-game slate. The junior has recorded 20-plus FanDuel points in five out of his last six games. Up next is a matchup with the fast-paced (74th in KenPom's adjusted tempo ratings) and defensive-deficient Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Wake Forest is 139th in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings.

Moses Wright, Georgia Tech ($6,600) - Moses Wright is an intriguing target because he plays a ton of minutes (30.5 per game) and owns the second-highest usage rate (23.1% per KenPom) amongst the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. His box scores over the last three games are not pretty. However, that's been due to uncharacteristically poor shooting (under 45% in three consecutive games). That should turn around soon as the junior owns an effective field goal percentage of 53.9%, per KenPom. Aamir Simms ($6,500) and James Banks III ($6,400) are also solid options in Wright's price range.

Isaiah Mucius, Wake Forest ($5,300) - Mucius has seen his role increase as of late. He's logged 29-plus minutes in three straight games, which is up significantly from his seasonal average of 22.5 minutes. Over the last three games, the sophomore is averaging 24.93 FanDuel points. Jericho Hellems ($5,500) is also worth a look in Mucius's price range.

Manny Bates, North Carolina State ($5,200) - Bates has a starting role, but his propensity to pick up fouls leaves him (called for 5.6 fouls per 40 minutes per KenPom) with an annoyingly low floor. However, with the tight pricing tonight, we'll have to roll the dice somewhere. Taking a chance on Bates' upside is worth the roll of the dice. He's topped 30 FanDuel points in two out of his last eight games.

Other forwards to consider ($5,000 and below): Evan Cole.


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.

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