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 eight games.
DEN, LAL, MIN, NOP and PHO are playing the second leg of a back-to-back. None of those teams have submitted injury reports yet.
As for injuries, Nic Claxton is available. Dennis Schroder and Simone Fontecchio are probable. Scottie Barnes, Bam Adebayo, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jaylen Brown, Desmond Bane, Norman Powell, Jrue Holiday, Josh Hart, John Collins, Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, Mitchell Robinson, Deni Avdija, Ayo Dosunmu, Jalen Smith, Jerami Grant, Andrew Wiggins, T.J. McConnell and Luke Kornet are questionable. Nikola Vucevic is doubtful. Alex Caruso and Ariel Hukporti are out. Keep track of all the pertinent injury updates at DK Live.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, there is one double-digit favorite: OKC -12.5 over ATL. There are six games within 3 points: DEN -1 over DET, POR -1.5 over BKN, BOS -2.5 over CLE, CHI -1.5 over TOR, MEM -3 over NYK and LAL -1.5 over LAC. There are five games with a total of at least 230: DEN/DET (236.5), OKC/ATL (241), CLE/BOS (232), TOR/CHI (234.5) and NYK/MEM (245.5). There is one game with a total below 220: POR/BKN (218.5).
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Starting 5 $8K Zone [$2K to 1st] (Early).
Point Guard
Cade Cunningham has leveled up to become one of the best guards in the NBA. Over the last 12 games, he’s put up at least 40 FPTS in all with eight over 50 and a high of 76.25 FPTS. He is the unquestioned alpha of the Pistons’ offense, garnering a usage rate in the 32 to 34% range, contributing fantasy goodies in every statistical category. I do like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, as he is one of the most unstoppable offensive forces in the league, but Dyson Daniels could make things a little more challenging for him.
Shooting Guard
Donovan Mitchell has often been playing possum this season because his teammates have been so good, allowing him to play dead. But in the marquee matchups, Mitchell usually steps up and does Donovan Mitchell things. In a battle against the defending-champion Boston Celtics, there’s a high probability that we will get vintage Mitchell. In two prior meetings with Boston, Mitchell put up over 50 FPTS in both.
Small Forward
RJ Barrett isn’t the most consistent fantasy player because he doesn’t contribute much in the defensive categories and is heavily reliant on scoring. He does grab some rebounds and dish out dimes, though. That said, he has gone over 50 FPTS nine times this season with a high of 68.5 FPTS. Another 50-burger could be on the grill, as the Bulls are fourth in pace and 27th in defensive rating over the last 10 games.
Power Forward
The trend for Jayson Tatum against Cleveland is not our friend, as he put up 65.75 FPTS in the first meeting, then followed that up with 54 and 46.5 FPTS. That said, that’s not a bad range to have. I expect Tatum to be in the upper bound of it, though, on Friday because this game should be a tightly contested affair, while there’s a chance that Jaylen Brown doesn’t play.
Center
Nikola Jokic is on the slate. Don’t be a hero. Don’t get cute. Jokic has the highest floor/ceiling combo on the slate. He’s failed to hit 50 FPTS only six times this season while going over 80 FPTS 11 times, with four of those over 90 FPTS.
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.
