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.
GSW, LAL, POR and TOR are playing the second leg of a back-to-back.
As for injuries, Keldon Johnson is probable. Cade Cunningham, Jaylen Brown, Pascal Siakam, Aaron Nesmith, Bennedict Mathurin, Nick Smith Jr., Charles Bassey, Devin Carter, and Jordan Walsh are questionable. Tobias Harris, Walker Kessler, Isaiah Stewart, Jaylin Williams, Jeremy Sochan, Cody Williams, and Dean Wade are out.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, there are four double-digit favorites: SAC -11 over CHA, IND -15 over UTA, BOS -14 over PHO and CLE -14 over SAS. There is no game within 3 points. There are five games with a total of at least 230: UTA/IND (235.5), DET/TOR (231.5), POR/CHI (240), OKC/HOU (230) and CLE/SAS (239.5). There is no game below 220.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Starting 5 $8K Zone [$2K to 1st].
Point Guard
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the most unstoppable offensive forces in the league and provides such a high floor/ceiling combo for fantasy that it’s difficult to not choose him in a format with no salary restrictions. Looking at the other options in the pool, there are too many holes or concerns to think any could match or exceed the output of SGA.
Shooting Guard
Stephon Castle may not be the most efficient shooter, but he’s fearless and has the strength to finish strong at the basket. In addition, he’s been doing work on the glass and dishing out dimes. In the last five games, Castle missed notching two triple-doubles by only three assists. Castle faced Cleveland five games ago and put up 50.75 FPTS. He’s going to get the minutes, the usage and the runway is clear for Castle to develop and shine to close out this regular season.
Small Forward
Deni Avdija has been a straight beast, putting up over 40 FPTS in each of the last seven games with four of those over 50, three over 60, and a high of 72.25 FPTS. Chicago has been playing at the fastest pace over the last 10 games and there is no one that can handle his strength. Maybe Patrick Williams, but he’s only playing around 20 minutes a night.
Power Forward
I do like Chet Holmgren a lot, but I’m going to side with Jayson Tatum because of the higher usage rate and fantasy floor. Jaylen Brown is questionable and Phoenix has been 28th in defensive rating over the last 10 games.
Center
Domantas Sabonis leads the league with 56 double-doubles. Charlotte hasn’t been the sieve to centers like they have in the past, but they are still boosting the fantasy points per minute to the position by 4.22%. Sabonis is going to get his. It’s just a matter of how much.
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.
