NCAAB

College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Tuesday 2/4/20

Matt Hiatt Feb 4th, 2020
Tre Jones and Vernon Carey Jr. are in a phenomenal spot as Duke hosts Boston College. Who else should we be targeting on Tuesday night?

College basketball season is in the middle of conference play, and we have a ten-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: Ohio State guard D.J. Carton and Alabama forward Herbert Jones are out. Georgia Tech guard Michael Devoe is a game-time decision. Michigan forward Isaiah Livers and Arkansas guard Isaiah Joe are both questionable while Texas Tech forward Chris Clarke is hopeful to play. Tennessee guard Josiah-Jordan James is day-to-day.

Guards

Tre Jones, Duke ($7,300) - The Duke Blue Devils' floor general is one of the nation's best two-way players. Jones is averaging 15.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 2.4 steals/blocks in 34.1 minutes. Jones has not missed a minute of action in Duke's last two games as he's logged 80 out of 80 possible minutes. Up next is an intriguing matchup with a dreadful Boston College Eagles defense. The Eagles are 95th in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings. Jones should have no problem stuffing the stat sheet in this contest. Ashton Hagans ($7,000) of Kentucky is a viable alternative at a slightly cheaper price tag while Michigan State guard Cassius Winston ($7,600) is in play at an increased price tag.

Jose Alvarado, Georgia Tech ($6,500) - Alvarado is an intriguing target due to his stable floor and sky-high ceiling. The Georgia Tech point guard has topped 23 FanDuel points in eight straight games. In two of those games he went for at least 47 FanDuel points. Throw in a matchup with the struggling Virginia Tech Hokies, and Alvarado is one of my favorite plays on the entire slate. The Hokies have lost three straight games and have slipped to 77th in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings.

Jahmi'us Ramsey, Texas Tech ($6,200) - The freshman guard owns a usage rate of 24.6%, which leads the Red Raiders. Ramsey is also taking 30.0% of the team's shots when he's on the floor, another team-high clip, per KenPom. On tap is a pace-up game against the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners are 79th in KenPom's adjusted tempo ratings while Texas Tech is 191st.

Jordan Bowden, Tennessee ($5,200) - The Tennessee leading scorer (averages 12.3 points per game) is playing heavy minutes and also hoists up a ton of shots. He's one of my favorite cheap guards tonight since we know he'll shoot plenty (11.6 field goal attempts per game) and will be on the court for most of the game (averages 33.2 minutes). Also enhancing his case is a juicy matchup with Alabama. The Crimson Tide play extremely fast (see below), and they aren't particularly effective on defense (Alabama is 74th in KenPom's adjusted defense ratings).

Santiago Vescovi, Tennessee ($4,900) - Vescovi has played 31 or more minutes in three straight games. Coincidently, he recorded 21 or more FanDuel points in those three games. The point guard leads the Volunteers with a 25.6% usage rate, per KenPom. Throw in a major pace-up game against Alabama, and Vescovi looks like one of the best value plays on the board. Alabama is 3rd in KenPom's adjusted tempo ratings while Tennessee is 306th.

Other guards to consider (below $5,000): Jalen Coleman-Lands and Duane Washington Jr.

Forwards

Xavier Tillman, Michigan State ($8,300) - Tillman rarely leaves the floor for the 16th ranked Spartans. He's played at least 30 minutes in nine consecutive games. He's pushing for the top overall play on this slate due to his ability to contribute on both ends of the court. The junior is averaging 13.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 3.1 blocks/steals in 31.5 minutes. Tillman has topped 33 FanDuel points in each of the last four games. Also adding to his case is a clash with the fast-paced Penn State Nittany Lions. Penn State is 39th in KenPom's adjusted tempo ratings. Paul Reed ($8,700) and Jalen Smith ($8,600) are also excellent alternatives, albeit slightly more expensive than Tillman.

Vernon Carey Jr., Duke ($7,900) - Big Vern owns a massive 30.6% usage rate, and he's taking 29.3% of the Blue Devils' shots when he's on the floor, per KenPom. Both of those numbers lead the team. The freshman phenom is averaging 1.33 FanDuel points per minute. At that production clip, he is expected to pay off his price in 23.8 minutes of action. Carey has played 23-plus minutes in five consecutive games.

James Banks III, Georgia Tech ($6,600) - Banks is producing 0.86 FanDuel points per minute. At that rate, he is expected to pay off his price tag in 30.7 minutes of action. The Yellow Jackets' forward has logged at least 31 minutes in five out of the last six games. I also like Kaleb Wesson ($7,200) if you need a forward whose price falls between Carey's and Banks'.

John Fulkerson, Tennessee ($6,000) - Fulkerson struggled against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday (six points, five rebounds, and one assist). However, he is in a prime bounce-back spot against the fast-paced Crimson Tide. The junior forward is extremely efficient around the rim as he has an effective field percentage of 63.3%. That doesn't bode well for the Crimson Tide as they are allowing opponents to make 52.1% of their two-point field goal attempts, per KenPom. Fulkerson eclipsed 25 FanDuel points in four straight games prior to the Mississippi State contest. Yves Pons ($5,700) and Moses Wright ($6.100) are also intriguing forward options priced around Fulkerson.

T.J. Holyfield, Texas Tech ($5,000) - Holyfield has seen his playing time increase dramatically over the last two games. The senior was logged 34 minutes against West Virginia and 36 minutes against Kansas. That is up from his seasonal average of 23.9 minutes. In those two games, Holyfield averaged 15.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 4.0 blocks, and 1.0 steals in 35 minutes. With teammate Chris Clarke nursing an injury, Holyfield should see a significant amount of playing time for the third straight game. His price tag hasn't adjusted to his increased playing time. Alex Reese ($5,200) of Alabama is also a phenomenal play in this price range.

Others forward to consider (below $5,000): Matthew Hurt, Brandon Johns (if Livers is out), and Uros Plavsic (if Josiah-Jordan James 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.