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.
ATL, DET, IND, LAC, MIA, MIN, OKC and WAS are playing the second leg of a back-to-back.
As for injuries, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler are questionable. D’Angelo Russell, John Collins, Mark Williams, Ayo Dosunmu, Jordan Clarkson, Jalen Smith, Justin Edwards, Robert Williams III and Tosan Evbuomwan are out. Keep track of all the pertinent injury updates at DK Live. WAS, IND, LAC, DET, MIA, ATL, MIN and OKC have not submitted yet.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, there is no double-digit favorite. The largest favorite is DEN -3.5 over IND. Four games are within three points: PHI -2 over CHI, BKN -3 over WAS, MIA -1 over ATL and POR -1.5 over UTA. There are two games with a total of at least 230: DEN/IND (245.5) and POR/UTA (231.5). There is one game with a total below 220: BKN/WAS (215). MIN/OKC and LAC/DET are not on the board yet.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Starting 5 $15K Zone [$5K to 1st] (Early).
Point Guard
If Tyrese Maxey plays, then he’s my choice, especially if Joel Embiid is unable to go. Maxey will play around 40 minutes and has 50 to 60 FPTS upside against a Bulls team that is fourth in pace and 26th in defensive rating over the last 10 games. Maxey is dealing with a finger issue, though, so monitor the injury reports. If Maxey is unable to go, then Trae Young is my choice. He’s put up 52.25 and 67.25 FPTS in the last two games. The other options at the position are amazing players, but their matchups are tough. Point guard is likely where the best differentiation will take place.
Shooting Guard
As with the point guard position, most of the options at shooting guard have tough matchups. Jamal Murray has a red Q next to his name, but he’s officially probable for Monday. While it’s likely that he ends up in the high-30s to low-40s range for FPTS, Murray did go for 74 FPTS three games ago, so there’s always access to a high ceiling.
Small Forward
I don’t like this position at all, so Jalen Williams it is. The matchup is tough and he’s second fiddle to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, so a ceiling game is unlikely, especially with Chet Holmgren now back into the mix. That said, Williams is so efficient and contributes in every statistical category that the floor is relatively high.
Power Forward
Naz Reid has put up over 40 FPTS in seven of the last eight games. One of those was against the Thunder, and he torched them for 60 FPTS! I’m not expecting that kind of production again, but another 40-burger is well within the range of outcomes. Reid is a matchup nightmare and so much defensive attention has to go to Anthony Edwards, so Reid is going to have plenty of opportunities to rack up fantasy goodies.
Center
Nikola Jokic is on the slate. Don’t get cute. Just click on his name and be happy. Could someone outscore him? Sure, anything can happen on any given night, but the probabilities always favor Jokic to put up the most raw points on the slate. He has the highest floor/ceiling combo in the game.
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.
