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 Tuesday’s Starting 5 slate, there are seven games.
HOU, IND, NYK and POR are playing the second leg of a back-to-back.
As for injuries, Max Christie is in. Joel Embiid, Andre Drummond, Jalen Smith, Eric Gordon, Caleb Martin, KJ Martin, Chris Boucher, Bruce Brown, Dalen Terry, Dorian Finney-Smith and Gabe Vincent are questionable. Talen Horton-Tucker is doubtful. Anthony Davis, Noah Clowney and Ben Simmons are out. Keep track of all the pertinent injury updates at DK Live.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, there are no double-digit favorites. The biggest spread is HOU -9 over BKN. There are three games with a total of at least 230: BOS/CLE (236), NYK/TOR (230) and IND/POR (232). There are two games with a total below 220: HOU/BKN (209) and LAL/LAC (218.5).
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Starting 5 $10K Zone [$2K to 1st] (Early).
Point Guard
I like most of the options at the position, but I don’t love any of them. I’m going with James Harden because I feel like he’s the safest of the bunch. A ceiling game isn’t likely due to the presence of Kawhi Leonard, but I think he contributes across the board and finishes in the 40 to 50-FPTS range.
Shooting Guard
I’m all about Donovan Mitchell in this one. He hasn’t been asked to do the heavy lifting often this season because the team has been so good, but a game against the defending champion Boston Celtics should bring out his best. In two earlier meetings with Boston, Mitchell put up over 50 FPTS.
Small Forward
Fred VanVleet has been designated as week-to-week, so that could provide Amen Thompson with a usage rate bump. Thompson has been playing around 40 minutes a night and contributes across the board, especially in the defensive categories. The range of outcomes is wide, but he does have 60-FPT upside.
Power Forward
I like many of the options at power forward as well, but I’m going to stick with the Cleveland/Boston game, as I expect it to be a competitive affair with plenty of fantasy goodies. Jayson Tatum is the alpha for Boston and he put up 54 and 65 FPTS in two prior meeting with Cleveland.
Center
Ivica Zubac finished with 57.75 FPTS against the Lakers seven games ago. And that was with Anthony Davis in the lineup. As you well know, unless you’ve been hiding out in a cave in Tibet, Davis is now in Dallas, so the Lakers will be throwing out a center rotation of Jaxson Hayes, Trey Jemison III and Christian Koloko. Yeah, Zubac should feast on whomever J.J. Redick throws out there.
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.
