RADIO
DraftKings splitting the midweek slates gives us 16 games instead of maxing out at 14 or 15. Those slates are too big anyway. The only time that I can really tolerate those massive slates is the first two days of the NCAA Tournament. The rest of the time it's just overkill. Now we get two eight-game slates with elite competition on both.
Six games start at once to start the night slate, headlined by Texas Tech in Houston. Auburn heads up to Nashville to take on Vandy. Providence is in Chicago to take on DePaul. Maryland is also in Chicagoland to take on Northwestern. Louisville heads to Chapel Hill to take on the Heels. UCLA is in Tempe to take on the Sun Devils. Next up is USC in Tempe. We end this in San Diego with Nevada taking on the Aztecs.
In this article, I will provide you with my daily fantasy college basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 1/17/24, starting at 9 P.M. Eastern. I’ll provide multiple player suggestions at guard and forward, aiming to highlight one option at the high, middle, and lower levels of the salary scale. Good luck, RotoBallers.
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Today's DraftKings Guards - CBB DFS Lineup Picks
Jahmir Young, Maryland ($8,500)
Young plays a ton of minutes and has scored at least 20 points in five of the last six games. You're starting with at least 20 points before factoring in anything else. Young's assists and rebounds are up over his season average in those games as well with his steals keeping in line with the season averages. In the first four games of 2024, Young has 86 points, 19 rebounds, 15 assists, six steals, and a block. That's a pretty nice floor with plenty of upside.
Mike James, Louisville ($6,700)
James has at least 20 points in three straight games after struggling a bit against Virginia. He didn't really struggle, but James didn't contribute much in peripherals in that game. Along with the scoring, James is still grabbing around a half-dozen rebounds per game and picking up a few assists. If he can score against Miami, Pitt, and North Carolina State, I trust him against the Tar Heels.
Jason Rivera-Torres, Vanderbilt ($5,800)
The freshman has scored in double figures in four of the last five games. He is still coming off the bench for now, but he has played at least 23 minutes in four straight games. Rivera-Torres has 48 points, 18 rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and eight steals in those games. That's an impressive return for a value play.
K.D. Johnson, Auburn ($4,400)
Johnson is instant offense off of the Auburn bench. He has 39 points in 85 minutes over the last four games. That's well above his season average of 7.9 points. The 13 rebounds are also well above his season totals. It's the same story with the nine assists. That's double his season mark. If Johnson is going to keep playing 20 minutes per game, he is priced way too low. I'm taking advantage of this!
Also consider: Devin Carter, Providence ($9,800); Caleb Love, Arizona ($8,200); Ezra Manjon, Vanderbilt ($7,200); Jarod Lucas, Nevada ($7,000); Jayden Pierre, Providence ($6,600); Adam Miller, Arizona State ($5,900); DeShawn Harris-Smith, Maryland ($5,400); Tre Donaldson, Auburn ($5,100); Darrion Trammell, San Diego State ($4,800); Damian Dunn, Houston ($4,100)
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Today's DraftKings Forwards - CBB DFS Lineup Picks
Josh Oduro, Providence ($8,800)
Oduro has been wildly inconsistent, but somewhat predictably, if that makes sense. Oduro has struggled against teams with prominent post presences. St. John's, Marquette, Creighton, and Seton Hall all held him under 30 DraftKings points but he demolished Xavier and Butler in the middle. He is going to be a wrecking ball against the Blue Demons. They only have one player taller than Oduro (6'9").
Oumar Ballo, Arizona ($7,200)
Ballo is a constant double-double threat even though the Wildcats have been surprisingly average of late. They capped off a brutal non-conference stretch with a mortal 3-2 record to open Pac-12 play. Don't blame Ballo. His numbers have been a touch higher than his season average, especially in rebounding. This is a good matchup against a banged-up USC team. A double-double should be on the docket for Ballo tonight.
Jamiya Neal, Arizona State ($6,100)
Neal has taken more shots in the last couple of games and wound up with his first double-figure scoring games since December 9. He's a strong rebounder and excellent defender, so when Neal is involved in the offense, he has a lot of upside. He'll contribute in every category anyway. The points boost makes him a great DFS asset. His price was up over $7,000 at the end of November. The scoring is sustainable.
Matthew Nicholson, Northwestern ($4,100)
Nicholson recently transitioned to a bench role, but he has played more minutes off the bench than he was playing as a starter. In three games off the bench, Nicholson has 10 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and two blocks in 55 minutes. That's a good return if you need to go this deep into the value plays.
Also consider: Johni Broome, Auburn ($8,300); Harrison Ingram, North Carolina ($7,300); Warren Washington, Texas Tech ($6,700); Da'Sean Nelson, DePaul ($6,300); Dylan Cardwell, Auburn ($5,400); Nick Martinelli, Northwestern ($5,100); K.J. Hymes, Nevada ($4,700); Elijah Saunders, San Diego State ($4,300)
