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 Monday’s Starting 5 slate, there are 10 games.
No team is playing the second leg of a back-to-back.
As for injuries, Dejounte Murray, Josh Hart, Derrick White, Goga Bitadze, Jalen Suggs, Ben Simmons, Santi Aldama, Jake LaRavia, Tobias Harris, Al Horford, Rui Hachimura, Larry Nance Jr., Zaccharie Risacher, Keaton Wallace, Ochai Agbaji, Kelly Olynyk, Jakob Poeltl, De’Andre Hunter, Cam Whitmore, and Gabe Vincent are questionable. Trae Young, Maxi Kleber and Cody Martin are out. Keep track of all the pertinent injury updates at DK Live.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, there are three double-digit favorities: CLE -10 over DET, SAC -10.5 over BKN and DAL -12 over WAS. There are two games within three points: ORL -1 over MIA and TOR -2 over NOP. There are five games with a total of at least 230: DET/CLE (234), MEM/NYK (242.5), NOP/TOR (232.5), DEN/CHI (244.5) and WAS/DAL (231.5). There is one game with a total below 220: ORL/MIA (207). Log into DK Sportsbook for the updates.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Starting 5 $8K Zone [$2K to 1st] (Early).
Point Guard
Kyrie Irving is one of the most talented players in the NBA but, for fantasy, he can be a little too inconsistent for where he’s priced. Since there are no price considerations in this format, I’ll take the chance on Irving because he does have 50-FPTS upside. Luka Doncic is still out and the matchup is one of the juiciest for fantasy, as the Wizards are fourth in pace and 28th in defensive rating over the last 10 games.
Shooting Guard
Donovan Mitchell has been riding shotgun for much of the season but, over the last five games, he’s been vintage Mitchell, burning rubber on the hoops asphalt with over 50 FPTS in four of those contests. There is some risk of blowout, as the Cavs are favored by 10 points at home, but the total is a healthy 234 and Detroit has Cade Cunningham, who could make this game interesting.
Small Forward
Zach LaVine has put up at least 40 FPTS in 10 of the last 13 games, with four over 50 and a high of 63.5 FPTS. This game has a robust total of 244.5 with the Bulls home dogs of 7.5 points. LaVine has garnered a usage rate in the 27-29 percent range over the last few weeks.
Power Forward
Scottie Barnes stuffs the stat sheet and is a threat to triple-double on any given night. Over the last nine games, Barnes has put up at least 40 FPTS in eight of those contests with three over 50 FPTS. New Orleans has been 11th in pace and 26th in defensive rating over the past 10 games, so the environment should be a fantasy-friendly one.
Center
Nikola Jokic is on the slate so you play him. Don’t get cute. He has the highest floor/ceiling combo in the game. Period. I don’t care that he only put up 39.25 FPTS last game. It happens. Jokic had triple-doubled in five straight before that and just put up 99 FPTS on Thursday.
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.
