CBB DFS: Main DraftKings Daily Fantasy College Basketball Picks - Today's Top Lineups (1/16/24)

I like that DraftKings offers up two big slates for college basketball in the middle of the week instead of trying to cram them all into one. It gets more key games into the DraftKings tournaments, which is always a good thing. The nine-game "main" slate tips early in Rocky Top tonight between Tennessee and Florida, so make sure to get those lineups in! Butler and Xavier in Cincinnati tips a bit earlier as well.

The normal start time gives us Purdue in Bloomington, which is always fun. TCU heads up to Cincinnati for a new-wave Big 12 tilt. Wake heads to Raleigh to take on the Pack. We have Syracuse in Pitt to take on the Panthers. Baylor heads to the Octagon of Doom to take on K-State. We end this main slate with St. John's heading over to Jersey to take on Seton Hall.

In this article, I will provide you with my daily fantasy college basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 1/16/24, starting at 5 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.

Today's DraftKings Guards - CBB DFS Lineup Picks

Kadary Richmond, Seton Hall ($9,000)

We saw flashes of this from Richmond at times last year, but he could never put it together for more than a week at a time. Can he now? I still have my doubts, but we can't discount Richmond's current run. Since Big East play began on December 20, Richmond has 117 points, 43 rebounds, 31 assists, 15 steals, and three blocks in just six games. That's over three more points per game than his season average and all of the peripherals are up at least a half over his season averages. He's showing no signs of slowing down, so we must pay attention. He's doing this against elite competition.

Sean East II, Missouri ($7,400)

The Tigers are good enough to get out there and run with Alabama if they feel like it. East has scored double figures in every game since November 19 and has upped his scoring a little more with the absence of Caleb Grill. East crashes the boards well for a guard and has posted some big assist numbers, but not consistently. The scoring gives him a solid floor and the defense gives him a decent ceiling. In what could be a high-scoring game, the rebounds and assists should be above his season averages tonight.

Trey Galloway, Indiana ($6,000)

Galloway isn't a volume scorer, but he is excellent at running the offense and is the best perimeter defender that the Hoosiers have. In four games of conference play, Galloway has 32 points, 10 rebounds, 21 assists, 10 steals, and a block. Everything except points is well above his season averages. I like that we don't need to rely on scoring from Galloway. This is a good matchup against Purdue. Galloway could be a sneaky-good play at this price point.

Michael O'Connell, North Carolina State ($5,200)

The Pack gave O'Connell his first start of the season against Louisville this weekend and he responded with 11 points, six assists, two rebounds, two steals, and a block in 31 minutes. Given that performance, he should remain in the starting five for tonight's tilt. If that's the case, O'Connell should be a steal at this price. He's a very good passer, a good defender, and an efficient scorer.

Also consider: Mark Sears, Alabama ($8,400); Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee ($8,300); Zyon Pullin, Florida ($7,500); Hunter Sallis, Wake Forest ($7,000); Riley Kugel, Florida ($6,000); Tamar Bates, Missouri ($5,700); Trevian Tennyson, TCU ($5,600); Latrell Wrightsell Jr., Alabama ($4,800); Trey Green, Xavier ($4,300)

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Today's DraftKings Forwards - CBB DFS Lineup Picks

Zach Edey, Purdue ($10,500)

Edey posted a ceiling game against Penn State over the weekend with 30 points and 20 rebounds. He's the only player in the college game that is capable of those kinds of numbers. Good defensive teams have given him problems and for some strange reason, he seems to get to the line less frequently in road games. That makes me a little nervous about this game against Indiana, but Edey's floor is still higher than most players' average. He shouldn't hurt you in any format and no one else can match the upside.

Noah Carter, Missouri ($6,600)

Carter had a couple of sporadic big games in the early going but bottomed out just before Christmas. In the four games since, Carter has 67 points, 19 rebounds, six assists, six steals, and a block. Three of those games are against SEC competition. Carter has been a big help to Sean East on the offensive end and has emerged as the scorer Missouri needs lately.

Will McNair Jr., Kansas State ($5,700)

McNair isn't much of a scorer, but he has been a beast on the boards in conference play. In three Big 12 games, McNair has 32 points, 24 rebounds, four steals, and six blocks. That's well above his season averages, but this seems sustainable. The bad news is that this is against the "easy" teams in the Big 12 in Central Florida (who knocked off Kansas), West Virginia, and Texas Tech. Baylor is going to be a problem for Kansas State, but McNair seems to excel in physical games (LSU, Villanova, and San Diego State before conference play).

Gytis Nemeiksa, Xavier ($4,800)

The Musketeers moved Nemeiksa to the bench for a few games and it seems like it worked. In two games since his return to the starting lineup, Nemeiksa has 21 points, 12 rebounds, and a pair of assists. He is back to his efficient shooting ways lately in tough games against UConn and Providence. This is a good matchup against Butler and the price is right.

Also consider: Kel'el Ware, Indiana ($8,200); Jonas Aidoo, Tennessee ($7,400); Efton Reid III, Wake Forest ($6,900); Guillermo Diaz Graham, Pittsburgh ($6,400); Micah Handlogten, Florida ($5,800); Mackenzie Mgbako, Indiana ($5,600); Federiko Federiko, Pittsburgh ($4,200); Mohamed Diarra, North Carolina State ($3,800)

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