CBB DFS: DraftKings Daily Fantasy College Basketball Picks - Today's Top Lineups (1/9/25)

It's a lighter Thursday night, but the Big Ten (18) is so massive now that they can fill up an entire week of DraftKings tournaments on their own...and they may try to do that.

We start in Columbus with the Buckeyes hosting Oregon. Purdue is in Piscataway to face Rutgers. Washington heads east to take on Sparty in East Lansing. We end this slate in Santa Clara with Oregon State in town.

This article will provide you with my daily fantasy college basketball lineup picks on DraftKings on 1/9/25, starting at 6 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

Braden Smith, Purdue ($10.6K)

Braden Smith only the second player in @BoilerBall history to record 1,000 points, 500+ assists and 400+ rebounds ? pic.twitter.com/OCcngq8Bm3

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 3, 2025

We are seeing a different version of Braden Smith this year. He's still the same elite passer he has been the last couple of years, but he is now looking for his own shots instead of just for his teammates.

He's still the same elite defender, just scoring 15 points per game on top of everything else. Smith's ceiling is very high, but his floor is in the 40s unless Purdue plays an elite defensive team.

Dylan Harper, Rutgers ($7.8K)

Harper started against Wisconsin on Monday, but the ailment that sidelined him last Thursday was still affecting him. Harper lasted just 15 minutes and only took two shots. That means we get him at a massive discount. It has been a week since the ailment sidelined him. I expect Harper to be at full strength tonight, making him a considerable bargain.

Jamichael Davis, Rutgers ($5K)

Davis entered the starting lineup a month ago and has turned in some pretty good stat lines. He's hit-and-miss as a scorer, but he might be the best defender that Rutgers has and will pile up some assists when the ball is in his hands. He's a low-risk value play.

Ques Glover, Ohio State ($4.3K)

Glover missed five weeks with an ankle injury but has played better than before the injury since he came back on December 21. In those four games, Glover has 46 points, 13 rebounds, nine assists, and a steal in 86 minutes. The minutes are trending upward and I'm riding the wave up.

Also consider: Bruce Thornton, Ohio State ($8.8K); Jaden Akins., Michigan State ($6.9K); Zoom Diallo, Washington ($6.6K); Carlos Stewart, Santa Clara ($5.9K); Jadrian Tracey, Oregon ($4.5K); DJ Davis, Washington ($4.4K); Luis Kortright, Washington ($3.5K)

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Today's DraftKings Forwards - CBB DFS Lineup Picks

Great Osobor, Washington ($8.6K)

Monster game from ????????? Great Osobor last night:

? 20pts
✌️ 7/9 from two
? 14rebs
♟️ 4asts
? 3stls
✋ 1blk

Absolute domination on both sides with great work as a shot creator but also as a play finisher. All-around great play from the 6'8 big pic.twitter.com/TR5dtmleuf

— Eurohoops Scouting (@EHoopsScouting) January 3, 2025

After a pretty good showing in the Acrisure at the end of November, Osobor and Washington had a rough first part of December. Washington fans dogged him and his NIL payday. It was just like the Coleman Hawkins situation in Manhattan.

Something has changed over the last three games since the loss to Seattle. Osobor was instrumental in the win over Maryland and had a great defensive game against a good Illinois team. The Huskies are on the way up and it has a lot to do with Osobor. I want to see some consistency, but the team playing better as a whole is a good start.

Johnny O'Neil, Santa Clara ($6.1K)

O'Neil has shown consistency on offense for the first time this year with 55 points over his last four games. Christoph Tilly has missed the last two games for an undisclosed reason. That's part of O'Neil's surge, but it started before Tilly went down. He's a solid play, but I like it more if Tilly is back. If Tilly is out, O'Neil likely draws Michael Rataj defensively.

Szymon Zapala, Michigan State ($5.5K)

Zapala has at least 21 DraftKings points in three of the last four games. In the game where he missed the mark, he fouled out in just 16 minutes of action. He splits reps evenly with Coen Carr, but Zapala is just as efficient as a scorer and is stronger on the boards...and he's $200 cheaper.

Kwame Evans Jr., Oregon ($4.2K)

Evans only plays about half the game if we're lucky, but he has scored in double figures in four straight games. Add to that his tenacity on the boards and he's a perfect value play. There's not a lot of upside, but he's getting us around 18 DraftKings points. You can write that down in pen, not pencil.

Also consider: Michael Rataj, Oregon State ($9.6K); Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue ($8.4K); Nate Bittle, Oregon ($7.4K); Sean Stewart, Ohio State ($4.9K); Camaron Tongue, Santa Clara (if Tilly is out) ($4.1K); Wilhelm Breidenbach, Washington ($3.7K)

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