College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Wednesday 2/10/21

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

March Madness is a little more than a month 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 NBA contests.

Now that you're in the know, we can attack today's slate, which locks at 7:00 p.m. EST.

Which players should you be targeting, and why?

Relevant injury situations to monitor: Iowa Hawkeyes guard CJ Fredrick is likely to play. Louisiana State Fighting Tigers forwards Darius Days and Shareef O'Neal are both questionable. Mississippi State Bulldogs forward Jalen Johnson is questionable. Missouri Tigers guard Javon Pickett is questionable.

All stats come from KenPom unless otherwise noted.

Guards

Ron Harper Jr., Rutgers ($7,300) - It's been a while since Harper Jr. posted a slate-breaking box score. However, Wednesday night could be the night, as the Rutgers Scarlet Knights face off with the fast-paced and defensive-deficient Iowa Hawkeyes. The Hawkeyes rank 93rd in tempo nationally and 122nd in defense. Harper Jr. has logged at least 30 minutes in every Big Ten Conference game this season. Additionally, he's taking 27.6% of the Scarlet Knights' shots when he's on the floor (a team high). He also has a 16.6% defensive rebounding rate and an 11.2% assist rate.

Sam Hauser, Virginia ($6,800) - Hauser has been incredible since Virginia entered ACC play. The senior is averaging 16.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.1 blocks/steals in nine conference games (35.7 minutes per game). His stellar play should continue, as the Cavaliers' opponent, Georgia Tech, is struggling on the defensive end of the court. The Yellow Jackets are allowing opponents to tally a 52.0% effective field goal percentage (246th in the nation). Devontae Shuler ($6,500) has also played well as of late and makes for a solid mid-tier guard target.

DJ Stewart Jr., Mississippi State ($5,300) - Stewart Jr. plays heavy minutes and takes a ton of shots. The sophomore is averaging 35.1 minutes per game and takes 30.3% of the Mississippi State Buldogs shots when he's on the floor. Additionally, he's a willing ball distributor (15.6% assist rate) and an effective defender (2.5% steal rate). The matchup with LSU is a great spot for the Bulldogs. LSU loves to push the tempo, and they aren't particularly concerned with the defensive end of the court. They are 77th in tempo and 138th in defense.

Jaden Springer, Tennessee ($4,800) - The youth movement is underway, as the Tennessee Volunteers are vaulting Springer and Keon Johnson into significant playing time. The freshman is averaging 31.0 minutes per game over the last three games (up from his seasonal average of 22.5). Springer will likely be popular after exploding for 23 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 1 steal in the Vols' latest game. When considering salary, Springer is my favorite play on the slate. Fellow freshman Keon Johnson ($4,900) is also a solid play.

Iverson Molinar, Mississippi State ($4,600) - Molinar is significantly under-salaried considering his seasonal rates. The Bulldogs guard has a 25.8% usage rate (second on the team), 13.3% defensive rebounding rate, and 20.7% assist rate. The sophomore also logs a ton of minutes, averaging 32.8 minutes per game. As noted above, this is a great spot for the Bulldogs. Trey Murphy III ($4,800) and Caleb McConnell ($4,500) are also solid sources of salary relief that will carry a lower draft percentage than Molinar.

Other players to consider for salary relief ($5,000 or less): Keon Johnson, Kihei Clark, Trey Murphy III, Santiago Vescovi, Mark Smith (if he starts), and Caleb McConnell.

Forwards

Luka Garza, Iowa ($9,000) - This slate is loaded with numerous salary relief options. Consequently, we can easily afford Garza and his ultra-reliable floor (20.4-plus FanDuel points in every game this season). The senior's rates are simply off the charts. Garza has an insane 30.8% usage rate, 10.4% offensive rebounding rate, 17.4% defensive rebounding rate, 12.5% assist rate, and a 5.3% block rate.

Trendon Watford, Louisiana State ($7,700) - The versatile forward is averaging 16.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.9 blocks/steals in 33.9 minutes this season. Watford may fly under the radar on Wednesday after struggling in each of the Tigers' last two games. He's connected on 5 out of 24 field goal attempts over the last two games. I'm expecting him to bounce back soon because he's averaging 46.9% from the field this season. With frontcourt mate Darius Days' availability in question, Watford will have to play nearly the entire game. He'll also have one fewer player to compete with for rebounds (Days leads LSU with 7.9 rebounds per game).

Jay Huff, Virginia ($6,700) - The Virginia Cavaliers is an excellent rebounder and an elite rim protector. As a result, Huff can chalk up fantasy points in a hurry. He's averaging 1.10 FanDuel points per minute. At that production level, he should pay off his salary in 24.4 minutes (assuming value is 4x of a player's salary). Huff is averaging 28.6 minutes per game over the last five games.

Luis Rodriguez, Mississippi ($5,400) - Rodriguez's appeal comes from his ability to contribute in every major statistical category. He's averaging 7.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 2.4 blocks/steals. Additionally, his playing time has spiked as of late. The sophomore is averaging 31.0 minutes per game over the last three games (up from his season average of 25.3). Further enhancing his appeal is that the matchup with Missouri is a major pace-up game for the Mississippi Rebels. Ole Miss is 305th in tempo, while Missouri is 108th.

Robert Allen, Mississippi ($4,100) - Allen has made three straight starts for the Rebels. As a starter, Allen is averaging 8.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 2.0 blocks/steals in 31.7 minutes (17.8 FanDuel points). He's simply under-salaried for his new role. As noted above, this will be a pace-up game for Allen and the Rebels.

Other players to consider for salary relief ($5,000 or less): Yves Pons, Abdul Ado, Kobe Brown, Josh LeBlanc Sr. (if Darius Days is out), and Derek Fountain (if Jalen Johnson is out).

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.