DraftKings, your paradise of DFS nirvana, has done it again, with a new contest called NBA Starting 5. It’s so easy to play that my dad would have fun with it, and he barely knows how to text me.
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.
That’s it. EZ PZ.
For Thursday’s slate, there are only four games.
As for injuries, G Malcolm Brogdon (thumb), G Devin Vassell (foot) and C Isaiah Hartenstein (hand) are out. Only F Sam Hauser (back) has a questionable tag. Keep track of all the pertinent injury updates at DK Live.
DraftKings Sportsbook has BOS as massive 13-point favorites on the road over WAS. The total is 234.5, the highest on the slate. DAL is a 7.5-point favorite at home over SAS. The total is 229. DEN hosts OKC in what should be an awesome game. The Nuggets are favored by 2.5 points and the total is 226. MIN travels to Sacramento and are favorites by one point. The total is 227.5. Log into DK Sportsbook for the updates.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Starting 5 $10K Zone [$2K to 1st]
Point Guard
Luka Doncic is the creme de la creme at the position. He had a whopping 35.6% usage rate last season and put up at least 70 FPTS 31 times. Three of those games were over 90 with a high of 101.5. Doncic is a threat to triple-double on any given night and averaged 1.63 FPTS per minute last season.
Shooting Guard
Anthony Edwards chucked up 25 shots on Tuesday, the most on the team by a wide margin. In fact, only two other Timberwolves players reached double-digit shot attempts. Edwards is the Alpha in Minnesota so he is always in play to put up a ceiling game. The worry is that he didn’t contribute any defensive stats, but I think that was a one-game aberration.
Small Forward
This position is a tough one because Kyle Kuzma faces a tough Boston team that was third in defensive efficiency. In two games last season, Boston held Kuzma to 30 FPTS. I like Jaylen Brown a lot because the Wizards played at the fastest pace last season and were 28th in defensive efficiency, so the environment should be a good one. But Boston is favored by 13 points, so there’s a chance that Brown won’t see the full allotment of minutes. That said, I’m going to go with Brown because I think he can do damage in limited minutes and, if Boston does blow out Washington, Brown will likely have had a hand in that.
Power Forward
Jayson Tatum was absolutely amazing on Tuesday, putting up 37 points, four rebounds, 10 assists, one block and a steal, good for 66 FPTS. I don’t see him shooting 77.8% from the field, though, and I have concerns with his playing time. Yes, if Boston blows out Washington, Tatum will likely have a big hand in that, but I’m going for some differentiation at this position because there is an alternative that I really like, and his name is Jalen Williams. Williams made a nice leap from his rookie to sophomore season, but I think he levels up to the next tier in his third season. This game has a 2.5-point spread, so it should be competitive, resulting in a full complement of minutes for Williams.
Center
There are some really good options at center, but I’m going with Nikola Jokic, who I’d argue is the perfect fantasy player. He literally does it all and is a threat to triple-double on any given night. This game should be competitive and Jokic should provide plenty of fantasy goodies.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Starting 5 $10K Zone [$2K to 1st]
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.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is sontzu) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
