DraftKings CFB DFS Lineup Picks: Daily College Fantasy Football (1/9-10/25)

Mike Marteny's DraftKings daily fantasy college football lineup picks for the College Football Playoff Semifinals (Thursday, January 9 and Friday, January 10).

We have one more classic DraftKings college football tournament for the 2024 season. It's the Final Four in college football. Are these the best four teams in college football? I don't know. They are the best four teams in December though.

Tonight we get the Orange Bowl between Notre Dame and Penn State. Tomorrow we get the Cotton Bowl between Texas and Ohio State. The two winners meet on the 20th since we are dragging this out like the NBA playoffs.

In this article, I will provide you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for DraftKings on 1/9/25, starting at 7:30 p.m. Eastern. I’ll give multiple player suggestions for players at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver, aiming to highlight one option at the salary scale's high, middle, and lower end. Good luck, RotoBallers.

DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Quarterbacks

Will Howard, Ohio State ($8.7K)

Kansas State Will Howard took TX to overtime last year after being down 17-0. Led a 16-3 4th quarter comeback.

Threw for 327 and 4 TDs with KSU’s talent. If he does THAT on Friday, we blow the doors off of TX. pic.twitter.com/3JKlqMa6Eu

— Twelfth Warrior (@OHWildBill) January 9, 2025

Texas knows this guy well. His first start against the Longhorns came before Steve Sarkisian got to Austin. Howard as a freshman struggled against Texas and lost to Sam Ehlinger 69-31. He threw for just 61 yards against the Longhorns in 2021 with Kansas State attacking with Deuce Vaughn on the ground in a narrow loss.

Howard dodged Texas in 2022 but played well enough to beat them last year. Which Howard will we get this time? He threw two critical interceptions in 2020 and didn't make a mistake in 2021. He's gotten better against Texas every year. It feels like this is the year.

Drew Allar, Penn State ($7K)

Allar won't win us the slate, but he won't lose it either. He hasn't committed a turnover in the playoffs despite sub-par performances percentage-wise. I'll always side with the QB who doesn't make mistakes in DFS.

Also consider: Riley Leonard, Notre Dame ($8K); Quinn Ewers, Texas ($7.5K)

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DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Running Backs

Nicholas Singleton, Penn State ($6.2K)

Notre Dame ranks 85th in early contact rate generated against RBs.

That could be problematic against Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton. pic.twitter.com/xpMGvMpSGY

— CFB Film Room (@CFBFilmRoom) January 8, 2025

If you're looking for the next-level stat that can give you an edge in a tight slate, this could be it. Notre Dame isn't quite as strong against the run as the raw data suggests. Kaytron Allen is still going to get carries, but a guy who runs 22 mph against the Notre Dame secondary sounds like a winner. Penn State can win this game on the ground if they choose to try.

Kaytron Allen, Penn State ($5.3K)

Penn State's recipe for success has been to run both backs a lot and tell Allar not to take any unnecessary risks. That will be the game plan again. Running both Penn State backs will set you apart in GPPs and it might be the key to a takedown.

Also consider: Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame ($6.5K); Quintrevion Wisner, Texas ($5.9K)

DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Wide Receivers

Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State ($7.4K)

Ohio State has had so many elite wide receivers over the last 20 years.

Jeremiah Smith is a true freshman, and already stands out as one of the best.

There are special players, and then there’s Jeremiah Smith. pic.twitter.com/xJ5loe9cev

— Mr. Ohio (@MrOH1O) January 8, 2025

Smith is what ESPN told us Marvin Harrison Jr. was. He has had two monster games in the playoffs. Will Texas try to cover him one-on-one? It hasn't worked yet, and won't work here. He got deep on both Oregon and Tennessee. He'll be able to do the same against Texas.

Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State ($5.6K)

If Texas does double Smith, Egbuka could nuke them. It's a no-win situation for the Texas defense. If they try to run three corners on the field, the Ohio State run game could grind them up like chuck. I'm interested to see how Texas handles this. One or both of the OSU receivers is in for a big game.

Jordan Faison, Notre Dame ($4.1K)

11 of Faison's 27 receptions on the season have come in the playoffs. That's all the rationale that I need. Riley Leonard has keyed in on Faison in big situations over the last two games. He's a gift at this price.

Also consider: Tyler Warren, Penn State ($7K); Matthew Golden, Texas ($6K); Harrison Wallace III, Penn State ($4K)

DraftKings CFB Stacks

I'm not running a full stack of any team. One build that I am fond of is both Penn State backs with the Ohio State receivers.

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