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 Monday’s Starting 5 slate, there are seven games.
BOS, BKN, DAL, IND, LAC, SAC and TOR are playing the second leg of a back-to-back. None of the teams play on Tuesday.
As for injuries, Ja Morant, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jonathan Kuminga, Miles McBride, Wendell Carter Jr., CJ McCollum, Jerami Grant, Scoot Henderson, Kris Murray and Yves Missi are questionable. Dejounte Murray, Cade Cunningham and Deandre Ayton are doubtful. Donovan Clingan and Tre Mann are out. Keep track of all the pertinent injury updates at DK Live.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the biggest favorite is BOS -9.5 at home over LAC. There are two games within three points: ORL -2.5 over CHA and ATL -2 over DAL. There are two games with a total of at least 230: NYK/DEN (233.5) and DAL/ATL (237). There is one game with a total below 220: ORL/CHA (213.5). Log into DK Sportsbook for the updates.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Starting 5 $8K Zone [$2K to 1st].
Point Guard
There are so many good options for the position, but I’m going way off the reservation and choosing Jamal Murray. The range of outcomes is wide and the floor is definitely lower than many of the other options, but the Knicks have had difficulty guarding pick-and-roll offense and Murray does have ceiling, as he went for 52 FPTS three games ago.
Shooting Guard
Cade Cunningham is doubtful for this one and Jaden Ivey sees a 6% usage rate bump to 33%. The game environment should be a good one, as Toronto is seventh in pace and 25th in defensive efficiency.
Small Forward
Franz Wagner has been a beast since Paolo Banchero succumbed to injury. The usage rate has been over 30% and he’s scored at least 30 points in five of the last seven games. But he’s also been grabbing rebounds, dishing out dimes and racking up steals. He’s finished with over 50 FPTS in five of the last seven games with a high of 71 FPTS.
Power Forward
With Luka Doncic out, PJ Washington has stepped up, going 20/10 in two games, resulting in 43 and 45.3 FPTS. Doncic is out again and the Hawks have been fantasy-friendly, playing at the fastest pace in the league while being 20th in defensive efficiency.
Center
If Nikola Jokic is on the slate, you click on his name. He has the highest floor/ceiling combo in the league. He’s gone over 60 FPTS in every game this season with three over 80 and a high of 92 FPTS. It truly is a Jokic.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Starting 5 $8K 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.
