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 10 games.
No teams are playing the second leg of a back-to-back. LAL, NO, SAC, SA and TOR play on Saturday.
As for injuries, Nikola Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns, Nic Claxton, Andre Drummond, Miles McBride, Rui Hachimura, Steven Adams, Grayson Allen and Jusuf Nurkic are questionable. Simone Fontecchio and Tim Hardaway Jr. are doubtful. Jimmy Butler, Bradley Beal, Chet Holmgren, Immanuel Quickley, Jaxson Hayes, Jose Alvarado, Alex Caruso and De’Anthony Melton are out. Keep track of all the pertinent injury updates at DK Live.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, there are two double-digit favorites: CLE -10.5 over CHI and NY -10 over BKN. There are two games within 2 points: ORL -1 over PHI and DET -1 over TOR. There are two games with a total of at least 230: CLE/CHI (237) and WAS/ATL (238). There are three games with a total below 220: PHI/ORL (213.5), BKN/NY (215) and LAC/HOU (214.5). There are three home dogs: TOR, SA and NO. Log into DK Sportsbook for the updates.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Starting 5 $10K Zone [$2K to 1st]
Point Guard
Trae Young is back after missing the last game. This should be a juicy environment for fantasy goodies, as the Hawks are 1st in pace while the Wizards are 10th. In addition, the teams are 26th and 27th in defensive efficiency. Young has gone over 50 FPTS six times this season with three over 60 and a high of 71.5.
Shooting Guard
Donovan Mitchell started off the season relatively slowly, but he’s gone over 60 FPTS in each of the last two games. Chicago is playing at the 7th-fastest pace while being 20th in defensive efficiency. These teams met two games ago and Mitchell put up 60.5 FPTS.
Small Forward
Franz Wagner has been The Guy for the Magic with Paolo Banchero shelved due to injury. With Banchero on the court, Wagner never had a usage rate over 30%. He’s had a usage rate of over 30% in seven of the last eight games. Wagner has put up at least 45 FPTS in each of the last five games with a high of 55.5.
Power Forward
LeBron James continues to amaze. He’s triple-doubled in three straight, finishing with 76.5, 60.5 and 66 FPTS. He’s put up over 50 FPTS in each of the last six games after failing to exceed 40 FPTS in four of the first five games.
Center
The center position is interesting on this slate because Nikola Jokic, Anthony Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns are all questionable. If Jokic plays, you click on his name because he has the highest floor/ceiling combo on the slate. He’s put up at least 60 FPTS in every game this season with five over 70 FPTS, three over 80 and a high of 92. If Jokic is out, I’m going with Alperen Sengun, as he has been stuffing the stat sheet and has gone for 45.75, 59.75 and 45.5 FPTS in the last three games.
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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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.
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.
