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 Thursday’s slate, there are three games.
As for injuries, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Lauri Markkanen, Shaedon Sharpe and Jordan Clarkson are questionable. Keep track of all the pertinent injury updates at DK Live.
Chicago and San Antonio played last night. Milwaukee, Minnesota, and Portland play on Friday as well.
DraftKings Sportsbook has Milwaukee at -9 at home over Utah with a 229 total. San Antonio is -4 at home over Portland with a 216.5 total. Minnesota is -6.5 on the road over Chicago with a 225 total. Log into DK Sportsbook for the updates.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Starting 5 $8K Zone [$2K to 1st]
Point Guard
Damian Lillard has attempted 22 and 24 shots over the last two games, producing 47.5 and 66 FPTS. One of those games was with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the other was without. Giannis is questionable for Thursday. Lillard can produce in either scenario but sees a usage bump with Giannis off the court. The matchup is a friendly one, as the Jazz are playing at the seventh-fastest pace, 22nd in defensive efficiency and have already planted the Flagg.
Shooting Guard
Anthony Edwards has only gone for 32.25 and 34.25 FPTS over the last two games, but he’s always in play for a 50-burger. That is something that could be cooked up on Thursday, as the Bulls are playing at the fastest pace in the league, so there should be plenty of opportunities for fantasy goodies.
Small Forward
This position is kind of gross on this slate, but choose we must. I’m clicking on Harrison Barnes. I just puked on my keyboard. Barnes doesn’t do much outside of score, but he’s played 38 minutes in each of the last two contests and there could be some added responsibilities with Jeremy Sochan out of the lineup due to injury.
Power Forward
Giannis Antetokounmpo is questionable. If he plays, you click him. If he’s out, then Julius Randle is my guy. After running off four 40-FPTS games in a row, Randle has come back down to earth with 30.75 and 28 FPTS. That 28-FPTS performance was due to playing only 25 minutes because of a blowout. As mentioned in the Edwards section, Chicago plays at the fastest pace, so the environment should be a good one.
Center
Victor Wembanyama is shooting only 42% from the field and 22% from downtown, but he has the highest ceiling due to his ability to stuff the stat sheet and put up ridiculous numbers. Earlier in the season, he produced five steals and five blocks in a game. On Monday, he had nine blocks to go along with 13 rebounds, three steals, three assists and 24 points. That was good for 70.25 FPTS.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Starting 5 $8K 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.
