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 Saturday’s Starting 5 slate, there are six games.
CHI, DEN, GSW, HOU, MIL and POR are playing the second leg of a back-to-back. None of the teams are playing on Sunday.
As for injuries, Victor Wembanyama, Ausar Thompson, Marcus Smart, Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, and Wendell Carter Jr. are questionable. Ja Morant is doubtful. Cade Cunningham and Tre Mann are out. Keep track of all the pertinent injury updates at DK Live.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, ORL is -10.5 at home over DET with the total at a paltry 206.5. HOU is -14.5 at home over POR with the total at 221.5. MIL is -7.5 at home over CHA with the total at 221.5. MEM is -5 on the road over CHI with the total a robust 243.5. The GSW/SAS and DEN/LAL lines are not up yet as the teams are still playing on Friday night.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Starting 5 $8K Zone [$2K to 1st].
Point Guard
LaMelo Ball has been Big Baller Balling! LaVar is no doubt smiling from ear to ear. Ball is averaging a robust 1.43 FPTS per minute. While that’s not elite, it’s pretty darn good. For perspective, Nikola Jokic is at 1.68. Ball has put up at least 40 FPTS in all but three games this season, with eight over 50 and a high of 67 FPTS.
Shooting Guard
Cade Cunningham has already been ruled out for Saturday. The matchup against Orlando isn’t great, as they are 23rd in pace and fourth in defensive efficiency, but Jaden Ivey sees a six-percentage point bump in usage rate to 33% with Cunningham off the court.
Small Forward
Franz Wagner is coming off a 71-FPTS game on Thursday. Since Paolo Banchero has been out due to injury, Wagner has garnered a usage rate over 30% in all but one contest. He’s gone for over 40 FPTS in seven of the last eight games, with four over 50 and two over 60. He’s stuffing the stat sheet, playing a ton of minutes and is the alpha for the Magic right now.
Power Forward
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been Godzilla-esque recently, wreaking havoc over the fantasy landscape. He’s gone for over 60 FPTS in four of the last six games with a high of 97.5! The floor/ceiling combo is unmatched at the position. It also helps that the Hornets have no rim protectors as both Mark Williams and Nick Richards are still out due to injury.
Center
The center position is stacked and there are plenty of good options. This is likely where the main differentiation in lineups will be. If Nikola Jokic plays, then you play him. He has the highest floor/ceiling combo on the slate, but he’s been dealing with a personal matter, so is questionable. If Jokic is out, it’s close between Anthony Davis and Alperen Sengun, but I’ll side with Davis because he has the higher floor/ceiling combo due to his ability to dominate at both ends of the court and stuff the stat sheet.
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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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.
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.
