RADIO
It's another busy Tuesday night in the college basketball world. The main slate is around the perfect size, with nine games going on. The late slate is even larger than the main slate tonight. We have 19 games. Let's enjoy them! The earlier game is in Cincinnati tonight with Villanova taking on Xavier.
The normal start time gives us Indiana hosting Illinois. Louisville heads up to the Loud House to take on Syracuse. Marquette heads down I-94 to take on DePaul. Mississippi is in Tuscaloosa to face the Tide. Auburn hosts Mississippi State. A&M heads up to Rupp to take on Kentucky. Georgetown is in Queens to face St. John's. We close this out at the Birdcage in Omaha, with Providence facing Creighton.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy college basketball lineup picks on DraftKings on 1/14/25, starting at 6:30 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
Steven Ashworth, Creighton ($9.6K)
Through four games in Big East play, Steven Ashworth's usage numbers have been scary.
1) He's played 95% of our minutes. (1st in BE)
2) Is taking 30% of our shots (Career High)
3) Is responsible for 41% of assists (2nd in BE)
4) Has a 22% turnover rate (not good, Career worst)— UnBlockedJays (@UnBlockedJays) January 10, 2025
The loss of Pop Isaacs has taken a little getting used to for Creighton. So far, it has been Ashworth who has been shouldering almost all of the load. He increased those numbers with a monster against Butler (52.5 DraftKings points; one assist shy of a triple-double). No one in the country matches his usage rate right now. Ashworth remains an elite play.
Zhuric Phelps, Texas A&M ($8.9K)
Phelps is the only player who has come close to Ashworth's usage recently. That's only because Wade Taylor IV is out. Taylor may play tonight. If he does, Phelps likely won't be worth this price. If Taylor is out again, Phelps has taken 54 shots in the last two games alone. The ceiling is so high that we almost can't see it.
If Taylor plays, a suitable alternative is Kylan Boswell...but only if Kasparas Jakucionis is out again. If both Taylor and Jakucionis play, RJ Luis Jr. of St. John's would be my favorite play in the same price range.
JJ Starling, Syracuse ($7.5K)
His shooting woes from the first game back are gone. Starling has made 21-of-37 shots in the last two games, with only seven of those attempts coming from beyond the arc. Starling can score from anywhere on the court. The Orange need that kind of offense against Louisville.
Otega Oweh, Kentucky ($6.5K)
Oweh has been remarkably consistent in his first season in Lexington. He has between 24 and 31 DraftKings points in every game since the start of December. He's the perfect cash game play because you know exactly what you're getting out of him. There's not a lot of upside, but those numbers are good enough for the price, even in GPP formats.
Lucas Taylor, Syracuse ($4.8K)
Taylor played so well with Starling that the Orange left him in the lineup. He has scored in double figures in four straight games, playing at least 30 minutes in each one. You know how much I love opportunities for value plays. 30 minutes creates plenty of opportunities.
Also consider: Kam Jones, Marquette ($10.4K); Mark Sears, Alabama ($9.2K); Wooga Poplar, Villanova ($7.7K); Malik Mack, Georgetown ($6.7K); Stevie Mitchell, Marquette ($6.1K); Reyne Smith, Louisville ($5.6K); Hayden Hefner, Texas A&M ($5K); Chris Youngblood, Alabama ($4.8K); Corey Floyd Jr., Providence ($4.6K); Curtis Williams Jr., Georgetown ($3.8K)
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Today's DraftKings Forwards - CBB DFS Lineup Picks
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton ($10.2K)
.@RyanKalkbrenner with one of his best two-way games of the year! ? #NIL
26 PTS // 11-17 FG // 3-5 3PT
9 REB // 3 STL // 6 BLK pic.twitter.com/sQc2mkLI7m— Priority Sports (@PrioritySports) January 11, 2025
It's a two-man show in Omaha right now. Kalkbrenner has scored 89 points in his last six games against the Friars. That doesn't include the blocks or rebounds. He has two double-doubles in that span and 23 blocks in those six games. The Friars haven't contained Kalkbrenner since his freshman year.
Cameron Matthews, Mississippi State ($8.5K)
I know Auburn is a tough team, but Johni Broome will miss at least this game. The good news for Auburn (and college basketball fans in general) is that Broome avoided a serious ankle injury for the second time in two weeks. This time, though, he is going to miss a couple of games. It's better than surgery, which is what everyone thought on Saturday.
The point is that Matthews won't have to deal with Broome. Matthews is one of the best two-way players in the country. He has 15 steals and eight blocks in the last four games to go with 16 assists, 26 rebounds, and 45 points. He hasn't been under 30 DraftKings points since December 17.
Ryan Mela, Providence ($6.3K)
Mela has been huge without Bryce Hopkins this time around. He has 27 points, 24 rebounds, nine assists, and three steals over the last three games. It seems like the Friars will keep Mela in the starting five. Kalkbrenner is a very talented player and elite rim protector, but he is not an elite defender. Mela will have room to move on the inside tonight.
Dylan Cardwell, Auburn ($5.3K)
Cardwell put up 23.75 DraftKings points in 24 minutes against South Carolina. A lot of that was after Broome went down. Cardwell ended up fouling out of that game, but his high-energy play will be needed with Broome out. Cardwell should be near 30 minutes if he can stay out of foul trouble tonight.
Jarin Stevenson, Alabama ($4.4K)
The Tide took it on the chin up front against the Aggies over the weekend, but Stevenson played well and tied a season-high with 23 minutes. The Alabama front is still a work in progress despite the Tide beating everyone, but Stevenson has been a reliable part of the rotation at every iteration. He's a solid value play, albeit with little upside.
Also consider: Eric Dixon, Villanova ($9.4K); Zach Freemantle, Xavier ($9K); N.J. Benson, DePaul ($6.9K); Chaney Johnson, Auburn ($6.5K); Eddie Lampkin Jr., Syracuse ($6.2K); Pharrel Payne, Texas A&M ($5.8K); Oswin Erhunmwunse, Providence ($5.5K); James Scott, Louisville ($5.2K); Aaron Scott, St. John's ($5K); Luke Goode, Indiana ($4.3K)
