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 eight games.
DAL, ORL and SAC are playing the second leg of a back-to-back.
As for injuries, Cade Cunningham, Stephen Curry, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Stephon Castle, Josh Okogie, Tim Hardaway Jr., Mitchell Robinson, Duncan Robinson, Jordan Clarkson and Dalano Banton are questionable. Jerami Grant is doubtful. Donovan Mitchell, Miles McBride and Brandon Clarke are out.
Keep track of all the pertinent injury updates at DK Live.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, there are no double-digit favorities. The largest spread is MEM -9.5 over UTA. There is no game within 3 points. The lowest spread is ORL -5 over CHA. There are four games with a total of at least 230: SAS/DET (232.5), ATL/HOU (232.5), MEM/UTA (244.5) and CLE/POR (233.5). There are two games below 220: ORL/CHA (211) and GSW/MIA (218.5).
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Starting 5 $10K Zone [$2K to 1st].
Point Guard
I hate the matchups for Trae Young, LaMelo Ball and Tyler Herro, while Darius Garland probably won’t play much more than 30 minutes and will likely end up in the 30-FPTS range. So, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander it is. I probably could’ve saved myself some time by just writing SGA is the most unstoppable offensive force in the game and has the highest floor/ceiling combo at the position, but we here at DraftKings cover all the angles.
Shooting Guard
Desmond Bane is my choice, especially with Ja Morant unable to go. He has 50-to-60 FPTS upside in that scenario. In addition, the matchup should provide a good enough environment, as Utah is first in pace and 20th in defensive rating over the last 10 games. They have googly eyes for Cooper Flagg.
Small Forward
Amen Thompson doesn’t garner a high usage rate on offense, but he grabs rebounds, dishes out dimes, racks up a ton of defensive stats and flourishes on cuts and in transition. He has 50-FPT upside if things break right, and the environment should be a fantasy-friendly one, as Atlanta plays fast.
Power Forward
Jimmy Butler has put up over 40 FPTS in each of the last four games, with a high of 59.75 FPTS. Stephen Curry is unlikely to play due to a back injury, so Butler should see an increase in usage rate. Oh, did I forget to mention that he’s playing IN Miami? There are times that Butler can be frustrating for fantasy because he defers to teammates and isn’t aggressive. I have a not-so-sneaky suspicion that won’t be the case on Tuesday.
Center
I do like Alperen Sengun, but I also like Karl-Anthony Towns. Since I wrote up Sengun in the Targets article and there are no salary restrictions in this format, Towns it is. Without Jalen Brunson, Towns is the alpha on offense. He’s put up at least 40 FPTS in each of the last five games with two over 50 FPTS. Dallas is 29th in defensive rating over the last 10 games and don’t have anyone in the middle to matchup with him. Anthony Davis returned to action on Monday, but I doubt he plays the second leg of a back-to-back.
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.
