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 Saturday’s Starting 5 slate, there are seven games.
CHA, MIA and TOR are playing the second leg of a back-to-back.
As for injuries, Tyrese Haliburton, Jordan Poole, Bennedict Mathurin, Caris LeVert, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Jose Alvarado, Terance Mann, Richaun Holmes, Jaxson Hayes, Sam Hauser and Vit Krejci are questionable. Lonzo Ball, Nikola Vucevic, Gary Trent Jr. and Patrick Williams are doubtful. Cameron Johnson and Bruce Brown are out. Keep track of all the pertinent injury updates at DK Live. CHA, MIA, TOR, DET and GSW have not submitted injury reports yet.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, there is no double-digit favorite. The largest spread is MIL -7.5 over ORL. There is one game with a total over 230: IND/ATL (243.5). There is no game with a total below 220. NOP/HOU and WAS/TOR games are not up yet.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Starting 5 $10K Zone [$2K to 1st] (Early).
Point Guard
Since Luka Doncic started playing over 30 minutes with the Lakers, he’s put up over 60 FPTS four times in eight games. On Thursday against the Knicks, Doncic only shot 9-of-23 from the field, yet still finished with 67.75 FPTS because of seven rebounds, 12 assists, four steals, and 10 free throws. And that is why he is such a beast for fantasy… he contributes everywhere at a high level.
Shooting Guard
I usually eschew low-usage players that are heavily dependent on defensive stats, but I’ll make an exception for Dyson Daniels. The Great Barrier Thief nickname is well deserved because he racks up the steals on a nightly basis, but he also dishes out some dimes and grabs some rebounds while his offensive game hasn’t been bad. Over the last 15 games, he’s put up over 30 FPTS in all but one, with six of those over 40 FPTS.
Small Forward
Zion Williamson is one of the most ferocious offensive players in the league. Defenses know that he wants to drive instead of shoot from the perimeter, and they often shade towards his left hand, but Zion just smirks and scores anyways. He’s put up over 40 FPTS in each of the last four games with 55 and 63.5 fantasy points despite receiving over 30 minutes in only two of those contests.
Power Forward
Giannis Antetokounmpo is Zion Williamson on fantasy steroids because he’s even more unstoppable and contributes in more statistical categories. The matchup against Orlando isn’t great as they play slow, have tons of length and are a good defensive team, but Giannis did go for over 70 FPTS in one of three prior matchups with them.
Center
I do like Zach Collins, especially since the ownership will likely be low, but Alperen Sengun just does too much and his floor/ceiling combo is better. He’s one of the better passing big men in the league while still doing big man things like grabbing rebounds and scoring in the paint.
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.
