DraftKings, your paradise of DFS nirvana, has done it again, with a new contest called NBA Starting 5. You select one point guard, one shooting guard, one small forward, one power forward and one center. There is no salary cap. The only stipulation is that you must select players from at least two different teams.
For Friday’s slate, there are 11 games.
As for injuries, Jalen Duren, Luke Kornet, Ryan Dunn and Trey Murphy III are doubtful. Zion Williamson, Jamal Murray, Draymond Green, De’Anthony Melton, Brandin Podziemski, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Dean Wade, Cameron Payne, Noah Clowney and TJ McConnell are questionable. Miles Bridges, Ja Morant, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, Kyle Kuzma, Aaron Gordon, Desmond Bane and PJ Washington are out. Keep track of all the pertinent injury updates at DK Live.
MIL, MIN and POR are playing the second leg of a back-to-back. ATL, BKN, CLE and LAC play on Saturday as well.
DraftKings Sportsbook has the WAS/MEM, MIA/DEN and POR/MIN games off the board as of 8 p.m. ET on Thursday. There is one double-digit favorite: BOS -13.5 over BKN. The tightest spread is DET -1 over ATL. There is one game with a total of at least 230: IND/CHA (233.5). There are two games with a total below 220: NO/ORL (215) and HOU/OKC (219.5). Log into DK Sportsbook for the updates.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Starting 5 $10K Zone [$2K to 1st]
Point Guard
There are plenty of options at this position, but I will usually side with Luka Doncic because he possesses the highest ceiling. Could other players score more than him on Friday? Absolutely, but if Doncic hits a ceiling outcome, no one can come close to matching him. Doncic is garnering a massive 35% usage rate on the season and is a threat to triple-double on any given night. Doncic faced the Suns in the second game of the season and finished with 63.5 FPTS.
Shooting Guard
This is a tough position, as many players have difficult matchups while Anthony Edwards may not play 30 minutes due to a blowout. Therefore, I’m going with Donovan Mitchell. Yes, the Warriors are boasting the second-best defensive efficiency but the Cavaliers have the top offensive efficiency. DK Sportsbook has the total for this game at a respectable 229.5 so points will likely be scored. Mitchell has scored over 40 FPTS in four games with a high of 51 FPTS.
Small Forward
With Paolo Banchero out for a while, Franz Wagner will move up the offensive totem pole. On Wednesday, Wagner put up 28 points, eight rebounds and six assists in 39 minutes, good for 46.5 FPTS. The matchup is a good one for Orlando on Friday, as the Pelicans are 29th in defensive efficiency.
Power Forward
Jalen Johnson has been a stud over the last five games, after opening up the season in the 30-FPTS range. He’s gone for over 54 FPTS in three of those contests. Johnson has scored at least 20 points in four of those games and grabbed double-digit rebounds in three. He is the bonafide number two option in Atlanta behind Trae Young, attempting at least 20 shots in three of those games. The most eye-opening stats, though, have been the seven, four, eight, and nine assists.
Center
Nikola Jokic is the best fantasy player, bar none. He has the highest floor/ceiling combo and is a threat to triple-double on any given night and break the slate. Jokic has scored at least 60 FPTS in every contest this season and gone over 80 in two.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Starting 5 $10K Zone [$2K to 1st]
What is the DraftKings NBA Starting 5 Game Style?
- The Fantasy Sports NBA Starting 5 Game Style is a type of contest in which participants draft lineups by selecting one point guard, one shooting guard, one small forward, one power forward, and one center. NBA Starting 5 is scored the same way as classic NBA DFS contests.
Important Information:
- Fantasy Sports NBA Starting 5 contests require no salary cap balancing.
- NBA Starting 5 contests span multiple games, and Fantasy Sports participants must select athletes from at least two different teams.
- Participants will see all five positions on the draft screen, and must pick one athlete per position.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is sontzu) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
