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 two games.
SAC is playing the second leg of a back-to-back.
As for injuries, Jalen Duren, Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins, Tobias Harris, Justin Edwards, Haywood Highsmith, Kyle Lowry, Alec Burks are questionable. Guerschon Yabusele is out.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, DET is -6 over SAC at home with the total at 231. MIA is -12.5 over PHI at home with the total at 213.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Starting 5 $6K Zone [$2K to 1st].
Point Guard
Cade Cunningham has the highest floor/ceiling combo at the postion, even with the possibility that he only plays 28 minutes, as he did on Saturday. Cunningham still finished with 44.25 FPTS in that one. The usage rate and ability to stuff the stat sheet is too much to ignore, despite the risk of not getting a full complement of playing time.
Shooting Guard
I hate this position. I had some thoughts a week or so ago that Quentin Grimes would be shut down since he’s a free agent after the season. Grimes has proven to the 76ers that he can ball out, and he’s continued to get the usage and playing time. While he’s no longer putting up 50 and 70 FPTS games, he’s finished with over 40 FPTS in two of the last three games.
Small Forward
I usually eschew low-usage players, but Ausar Thompson is not a normal low-usage player. His athleticism is in the 1% of the 1%, and he stuffs the stat sheet on a nightly basis. Despite not having the most efficient jumper, he scores in transition and on cuts, but also euro steps around defenders in the paint. He’s put up 37.5, 39.75 and 44.75 FPTS in the last three games. Both Malik Beasley and Lonnie Walker IV are reliant on scoring, Pelle Larsson can’t match Ausar’s floor/ceiling combo while DeMar DeRozan has other high-usage players to deal with.
Power Forward
I always worry about Bam Adebayo from a fantasy perspective because he’s too unselfish at times. I’ve seen him in King of the Court clips during USA Basketball practices, and he can get busy on offense. Over the last four games, he’s put up games with 61.5, 48.25, 37.25 and 56.5 FPTS. He’s attempted 25 and 26 shots in the two most recent contests. The upside is there, and the matchup is pristine, as Philadelphia is 28th in defensive rating over the last 10 games.
Center
Domantas Sabonis leads the NBA with 57 double-doubles, so the floor is very high as a result. He also averages 6.0 assists per game and much of the Kings offense flows through him. His floor is the ceiling for everyone else at the position, while his ceiling is likely unmatched. Sabonis has gone over 60 FPTS 10 times this season with a high of 70.5 FPTS.
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.
