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 Starting 5 slate, there are seven games.
No teams are playing the second leg of a back-to-back. ATL, CHA and DET play on Saturday.
As for injuries, Cade Cunningham, Tobias Harris, Nic Claxton, Dorian Finney-Smith, Jalen Wilson, Kevin Love and Caris LeVert are questionable. Dennis Schroder, Cam Thomas and Gradey Dick are out. Keep track of all the pertinent injury updates at DK Live.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, there is one game within 3 points: OKC -1 over LAL. The largest spread is BOS -10 over CHI. There are two games with a total of at least 230: BOS/CHI (141) and OKC/LAL (230). There are two games with a total below 220: ORL/BKN (211.5) and LAC/MIN (216.5). Log into DK Sportsbook for the updates.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Starting 5 $8K Zone [$2K to 1st].
Point Guard
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the best players in the league because he does it all but in an efficient manner. He’s already the alpha on offense for the Thunder but could garner more usage as Jalen Williams suffered an eye injury on Wednesday and could be out. UPDATE: Jalen is off the injury report, but I still like Shai in this one. In 100 minutes with Williams off the court this season, Shai has seen a 7% usage bump to 40%! This game has the tightest spread on the slate at 1 point while the total is a respectable 230.
Shooting Guard
It’s been two games since Malik Monk returned to action after suffering an injury. In the first one, he played 26 minutes and put up 24.25 FPTS. On Wednesday, he played 35 minutes and produced 27 points, eight rebounds, nine assists and a steal, which equated to 53 FPTS. I think he can match or even exceed some of the other options at the top of the pool.
Small Forward
Jaylen Brown is coming off a game in which he only put up 38.5 FPTS. Well, he only played 31 minutes in that one due to a blowout. While this game against the Bulls could also be a blowout, the Celtics are favored by 10 points, Chicago plays at the fastest pace in the league and is 26th in defensive efficiency, so Brown will likely get there regardless.
Power Forward
What I wrote above in the Brown section applies to Jayson Tatum as well. Tatum has failed to score at least 40 FPTS only once this season, while he’s exceeded 60 FPTS five times. LeBron James is the other option, but he has a tough matchup with the Thunder.
Center
Anthony Davis dominates at both ends of the court and literally stuffs the stat sheet. The only thing that stops Davis is Davis and his health. Davis has gone for at least 50 FPTS in all but three contests this season, with five over 60 and a high of 71.5 FPTS.
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.
