CBB DFS: DraftKings Daily Fantasy College Basketball Picks - Today's Top Lineups (1/17/25)

We have an exciting Friday night on tap tonight with the Big East joining the Big Ten (18) before a finale out west in some place called The Pit. It's something out of an Edgar Allan Poe work, right?

We begin in Philly with Villanova hosting Providence. Next up is Indiana in Columbus to take on the Buckeyes. DePaul heads to Washington, D.C. to take on the Hoyas. Iowa is at Pauley Pavillion to take on UCLA. We end this in Albuquerque with Boise entering The Pit.

This article will provide you with my daily fantasy college basketball lineup picks on DraftKings on 1/17/25, starting at 7 p.m. EST. I’ll give multiple player suggestions at guard and forward, aiming to highlight one option at the salary scale's high, middle, and lower levels. Good luck, RotoBallers.

Today's DraftKings Guards - CBB DFS Lineup Picks

Donovan Dent, New Mexico ($9.2K)

Player Visual: Donovan Dent

Very underrated. Elite offensive numbers. One of few guys that are near the top of the nation in both points and assists. pic.twitter.com/rQRthzadY4

— Charlie (@ckhoopanalytics) January 10, 2025

In addition to these numbers, Dent has scored more points against Boise State in his career (81) than against any other opponent. That's just a shade over 16 points per game against the Broncos, and we know we're getting good peripherals as well.

Wooga Poplar, Villanova ($8.2K)

I liked Poplar's choice of Villanova as a transfer destination, but I didn't think he would keep scoring like he did at Miami. Villanova has a few other scorers and it usually plays at a slower pace. I was wrong.

Poplar is averaging 14.4 points per game this year and hasn't scored under 14 since the Winter Solstice. He's running hot right now for the Wildcats.

Drew Thelwell, Iowa ($6.6K)

Thelwell has at least 20 DraftKings points in every game since December 7. He has pushed his way into the Iowa lineup and the Hawkeyes offense has taken off. Iowa has scored at least 85 points in six straight and at least 80 in 10 straight. There's a lot of DFS goodness to go around in this lineup.

Curtis Williams Jr., Georgetown ($4.3K)

Williams has started the last three games and put up 36 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals. He's playing a lot more than he did off the bench, but Williams still struggles to hit 25 minutes per game. Still, this kind of production for the price makes him a strong value pick even with limited upside.

Also consider: Bruce Thornton, Ohio State ($9.4K); Alvaro Cardenas, Boise State ($8K); Malik Mack, Georgetown ($7.4K); CJ Gunn, DePaul ($6.3K); Jordan Longino, Villanova ($5.9K); Tru Washington, New Mexico ($5.4K); Chris Lockett Jr., Boise State ($4.3K)

Want some NBA DFS tools and content? If you like what you see here, don't forget to sign up for your RotoBaller NBA Premium Pass. Use code MARTENY and receive 10% off your purchase! You'll love the articles from myself and others, our daily DFS Cheat Sheets, Research Station, Optimizer, and Discord Chatrooms to help you out in real-time.

Today's DraftKings Forwards - CBB DFS Lineup Picks

Oumar Ballo, Indiana ($10K)

Oumar Ballo yesterday NBADraft2025
34 mins
16 pts
15 rebs
1 asst
1 blk
7/11 FG
2/4 FT pic.twitter.com/r8tajTlVA6

— Deee Black (@Deee_Black_) January 16, 2025

Another game, another big double-double for Ballo. Ballo has four double-doubles in the last five games against the likes of Illinois, Iowa, and Penn State. Ohio State's front doesn't scare me off. Ballo should be over 40 DraftKings points again tonight.

Payton Sandfort, Iowa ($8.6K)

The slate will be won up front tonight. There are a lot of high-priced (and high-scoring) forwards on the slate. Choosing which ones to use will be the key to the slate. With my first selection, I went with the walking double-double. For the second, I'm going with the elite scorer.

Sandfort averages 17.1 points per game but has cleared 30 twice in the last three games. He has shot better than 50% in each of the last three games with 15 rebounds, 11 assists, three steals, and three blocks. He does a little bit of everything along with the elite scoring.

Ryan Mela, Providence ($6.3K)

Despite battling foul trouble against Ryan Kalkbrenner on Tuesday, Mela still racked up 24.25 DraftKings points in 24 minutes. He has passed his first run through the Big East as a starter with flying colors, only struggling against Marquette's David Joplin. He should have serviceable numbers against Eric Dixon tonight.

Sean Stewart, Ohio State ($4.9K)

Stewart piles up the fouls because he's tenacious on the boards and at the rim. Ohio State will take that because he puts up good numbers when he's on the court. It limits his DFS upside, but Stewart has carved out a good role during conference play. He's good for 16-20 DraftKings points per night with an upside in the low 30s.

Also consider: Owen Freeman, Iowa ($9.8K); Nelly Junior Joseph, New Mexico ($9K); Tyson Degenhart, Boise State ($7.5K); Andrew Meadow, Boise State ($6.1K); Oswin Erhunmwunse, Providence ($5.5K); Luke Goode, Indiana ($4.5K)

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts