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.
No team is playing the second leg of a back-to-back.
As for injuries, Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Josh Giddey, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Nikola Vucevic, Pascal Siakam, Jose Alvarado, Kelly Olynyk, Dorian Finney-Smith, Gabe Vincent, Jaylin Williams, Pat Connaughton, Anthony Gill, Tristan Vukcevic, Ben Sheppard are questionable. Richaun Holmes is doubtful. Donovan Mitchell, Coby White, Al Horford, Rui Hachimura, Keon Johnson, Kevin Huerter, Josh Green are out.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, there are three double-digit favorites: OKC -11.5 over LAL, MEM -13.5 over CHA and IND -18.5 over WAS. There are three games within 3 points: BKN -2 over NOP, BOS -2.5 over NYK and MIN -1.5 over MIL. There are three games with a total of at least 230: CHI/CLE (238.5), WAS/IND (238.5) and MEM/CHA (230). There is one game below 220: NOP/BKN (214).
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Starting 5 $8K Zone [$2K to 1st].
Point Guard
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the metronome for fantasy basketball. Bounce. Bounce. Swish. Bounce. Bounce. Swish. He’s torture for opposing defenses. Bounce. Bounce. Swish. Bounce. Bounce. Swish. SGA is one of the most unstoppable bucket getters in the game, and he’s more than likely going to score in the 40-to-50 FPTS range. But that doesn’t mean there is no access to ceiling, as he’s gone over 70 FPTS eight times this season with a high of 81.25 FPTS. OKC got embarrassed by the Lakers at home on Sunday. I think the Thunder return the favor on Tuesday, with SGA being a big reason why.
Shooting Guard
It’s between Anthony Edwards and Dyson Daniels for me, and I side with Ant here, as the usage rate and floor are higher. The environment for Daniels isn’t a good one, as Orlando plays slow and he’s very reliant on defensive contributions.
Small Forward
Paolo Banchero is the alpha on offense for Orlando, but Franz Wagner is alpha-b, not too far behind. The matchup should be a fantasy-friendly one, as Atlanta is fifth in pace and 23rd in defensive rating over the last 10 games.
Power Forward
Normally, I’d go with Banchero here, but I don’t want to double up with Orlando players, while I think Evan Mobley could match or exceed his production. Donovan Mitchell has been ruled out for Cleveland, so Darius Garland and Mobley should elevate up the offensive totem pole. The Bulls will be without key players and they are first in pace over the last 10 games.
Center
Karl-Anthony Towns isn’t dominating like he was earlier in the season, but he’s still been pretty, pretty good. Now he has his boo, Jalen Brunson, back and that should provide cleaner looks on offense. Boston will likely be sitting many key players in this one, while we know Thibs is going to give KAT all the minutes he can handle.
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.
