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.
LAL, ORL and SAC are playing the second leg of a back-to-back.
As for injuries, Jayson Tatum, Scottie Barnes, Jaylen Brown, Jaren Jackson Jr., Kristaps Porzingis, Derrick White, P.J. Washington, Nick Richards, Brandon Williams, Keyonte George, Aaron Gordon, Ben Simmons, Cody Martin, Clint Capela, Ochai Agbaji, Dante Exum, Justin Edwards and Andre Drummond are questionable. Grayson Allen is doubtful. Donovan Mitchell, De’Aaron Fox, Amen Thompson, Jakob Poeltl, Lonnie Walker IV, Tidjane Salaun and Damion Baugh are out. Keep track of all the pertinent injury updates at DK Live.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, there are two double-digit favorites: IND -10.5 over PHI and HOU -11.5 over DAL. There are two games within three points: LAC -3 over IND and CLE -2 over MEM. There are three games with a total of at least 230: LAC/ATL (231.5), CHA/SAS (231.5) and CLE/MEM (247.5). There are two games with a total below 220: BOS/MIA (214.5) and ORL/MIN (208.5).
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Starting 5 $10K Zone [$2K to 1st] (Early).
Point Guard
It hasn’t been vintage James Harden, but this recent stretch by the Clippers point guard has been pretty, pretty good. He’s gone for over 50 FPTS in five of the last six games, with two over 60 FPTS. Now he gets a matchup against a Hawks team that is third in pace and 23rd in defensive rating over the last 10 games.
Shooting Guard
Nick Nurse juked me a few days agao when he said that Quentin Grimes, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Guerschon Yabusele would have their minutes monitored. Grimes has since played 39 and 31 minutes, finishing with 46.5 and 59.75 FPTS. Due to all the injuries, Grimes has been thrust into an alpha role on offense, and he’s been thriving.
Small Forward
I hate this position. Jaylen Brown is questionable, Kelly Oubre Jr. is playing in the 20s, Jaden McDaniels has a tough matchup against Orlando and so does Naji Marshall. While Franz Wagner has cooled off since the return of Paolo Banchero, and the matchup isn’t great, he garners a relatively high usage rate and has been very consistent, putting up over 30 FPTS in each of the last 10 games.
Power Forward
Miles Bridges has been en fuego recently, going for over 50 FPTS in each of the last four games, with two of those over 60 FPTS. Now he gets one of the juiciest matchups for fantasy – the Victor Wembanyama-less San Antonio Spurs. San Antonio has been 10th in pace and dead-last in defensive rating over the last 10 games.
Center
I like most of the options at center. Since there are no price considerations, I’m going with Alperen Sengun, who has the highest potential ceiling. Sengun has put up over 50 FPTS 19 times this season, with two of those over 60 FPTS. He’s a threat to triple-double on any given night and faces a Dallas team that is lacking beef down low and has been 27th in defensive rating over the last 10 games.
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.
