College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Monday 1/25/21

College basketball season is entering conference play, and we have a four-game slate today.

March Madness is a ways off at this point, 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: Oklahoma State Cowboys guards Cade Cunningham and Rondel Walker are questionable, while Ferron Flavors Jr. appears to be out.

All stats come from KenPom unless otherwise noted.

Guards

Rasir Bolton, Iowa State ($6,700) - Bolton leads the Iowa State Cyclones with a 24.6% usage rate and a 26.9% assist rate. Iowa State's leading scorer is averaging 0.79 FanDuel points per minute. At that production level, Bolton should pay off his salary in 33.9 minutes (assuming value is 4x of a player's salary). The junior is averaging 35.7 minutes per game this season. Josh Christopher ($6,700) is also a good play at the same salary as Bolton.

Isaac Likekele, Oklahoma State ($6,600) - First off, Cade Cunningham and Rondel Walker missed the Cowboys' latest game (last Saturday). They're both questionable on Monday night, but Cunningham will be limited, at best, if he manages to suit up. Between the two guards, they're averaging nearly 60 minutes per game. Needless to say, there will be a ton of value in targeting the potentially shorthanded Cowboys. Likekele is the starting point guard and the Cowboys' second-leading scorer (11.8 points per game). He tallied 24 FanDuel points against the nation's top team, the Baylor Bears, on Saturday despite shooting 12.5% from the field sans Cunningham and Walker. He'll be very popular if Cunningham and/or Walker sit out for the second straight game.

Benedict Mathurin, Arizona ($5,900) - The freshman has emerged as one of the Arizona Wildcats' top weapons. Over the last five games, Mathurin is averaging 17.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 0.6 assists, and 1.4 blocks/steals in 29.4 minutes. Additionally, there's one less mouth to feed with Arizona losing starting shooting guard Jermarl Baker Jr. for the season. Mathurin and the Wildcats will also receive a pace bump as they face off with Arizona State. Arizona State is 17th in tempo nationally, while Arizona is 139th. Oklahoma State guard Bryce Williams ($5,900) is a fine alternative to Mathurin

Terrell Brown Jr., Arizona ($5,300) - Brown Jr. has seen a role increase with Jermarl Baker Jr. lost for the season. The senior is Baker Jr.'s direct placement at the shooting guard position. Brown Jr.'s 16.1% usage rate should only go up, while his 26.0% assist rate ranks second amongst the Wildcats. Additionally, he's posting an impressive 129.6 offensive rating this season. Brown Jr. tallied 14 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals against Arizona State last Thursday (31 FanDuel points).

Avery Anderson III, Oklahoma State ($5,400) - Cade Cunningham's potential absence would open up a ton of usage for the rest of the Cowboys (Cunningham has a team-high 27.0% usage rate). The good news is that Anderson III can pay off his salary without scoring a lot of points due to his ability to contribute in every major statistical category. He's averaging 9.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.6 blocks/steals in 26.0 minutes. Throw in a matchup with Iowa State's susceptible defense (ranked 117th nationally), and this is a good spot to target Anderson III. I will note that I have some interest in Anderson III's teammate, Keylon Boone ($3,800), in tournaments provided that Cunningham and Walker sit out. Boone only played 14 minutes with Cunningham and Walker out on Saturday, but if one of the Cowboys' starters gets into foul trouble, he could be forced into a ton of playing time (averages 0.76 FanDuel points per minute). He'll come with virtually no ownership on this slate.

Other players to consider for salary relief ($5,000 or less): Keylan Boone (better play in tournaments) and Dalen Terry.

Forwards

Derek Culver, West Virginia ($7,400) - Culver is likely to be overlooked by game log watchers, as he recorded 21 minutes in the West Virginia Mountaineers' last game -- not to mention the matchup with the Texas Tech Red Raiders (ranked 5th nationally in defense) is brutal. However, Culver's playing time was limited in his last outing because he fouled out. He shouldn't be disregarded, though, as he's posting a solid 26.6% usage rate. The junior is also an excellent rebounder and an elite shot blocker. He's posting a team-high 11.2% offensive rebounding rate, 28.3% defensive rebounding rate, and a 4.6% block rate.

Javan Johnson, Iowa State ($6,800) - Johnson has been one of the few bright spots for the Cyclones in an otherwise forgettable season. The junior is averaging 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals in 35.3 minutes over the last three games. That includes matchups with Texas Tech, Texas, and Baylor Bears; all three teams are ranked 8th or better nationally in defense. The matchup with Oklahoma State is tough on paper (ranked 27th in defense nationally), but it's also a pace-up spot for Iowa State. Iowa State is 160th in tempo nationally, while Oklahoma State is 75th.

Azuolas Tubelis, Arizona ($6,100) - Tubelis has the ability to rack up fantasy points in a hurry due to his ability to contribute in every major statistical category. The freshman is averaging 0.88 FanDuel points per game. At that production level, he should pay off his salary in 27.7 minutes of action (assuming value is 4x of a player's salary). Tubelis has logged at least 28 minutes in five straight games.

Kalib Boone, Oklahoma State ($4,900) - Boone entered the starting lineup with Cunningham and Walker out. The sophomore exploded for 21 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, and 1 steal against the nation's top defense (Baylor) in 28 minutes of action. It appears that he'll make his second consecutive start on Monday night. He's under-salaried for his expanded role.

Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe, Oklahoma State ($4,700) - Like Boone, Moncrieffe is also set to see an increased role against the Cyclones. The freshman played a season high 32 minutes against Baylor in the Cowboys' last game (averaging 20.2 minutes per game). He posted his first career double-double in that game (13 points and 10 rebounds) against Baylor's intimidating defense. As noted above, the matchup and the opportunity vault Moncrieffe into one of the slate's top value plays. If Cunningham does return to the lineup, Christian Koloko ($4,700) is a fine alternative.

Other players to consider for salary relief ($5,000 or less): Christian Koloko

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.