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 five games.
BOS and MIN are playing the second leg of a back-to-back.
As for injuries, Trae Young, Draymond Green, Andre Drummond and De’Andre Hunter are probable. Jalen Johnson, Paul George, Evan Mobley, Jerami Grant, Isaac Okoro and Guerschon Yabusele are questionable. Bradley Beal and Deni Avdija are doubtful. Donovan Clingan is out. Keep track of all the pertinent injury updates at DK Live.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, there are three double-digit favorites: BOS -11.5 over ATL, GSW -13.5 over WAS and HOU -10 over POR. There are two games with a total of at least 230: ATL/BOS (234) and WAS/GSW (230.5). There are no games with a total below 220. Log into DK Sportsbook for the updates.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Starting 5 $3K Zone [$1K to 1st].
Point Guard
Joel Embiid has missed the last six games and will be out for at least another week. Over that span, Tyrese Maxey has played at least 39 minutes in five of those contests with three games at 46, 41 and 44 minutes! He finished with at least 46 FPTS in all with three over 50 FPTS. With Embiid off the court, Maxey has seen a 1.38% usage rate bump. With both Embiid and Paul George out, Maxey has a 32.65% usage rate. George is questionable for Saturday. Indiana is 21st in defensive efficiency.
Shooting Guard
Jalen Green has been on quite the heater, finishing with at least 40 FPTS in each of the last six games, with two of those over 50. Green has averaged 20.2 field goal attempts and converted 54% from the field and 52% from downtown. This is unsustainable but that doesn’t mean the good times have to end on Saturday. Portland is 28th in defensive efficiency.
Small Forward
Amen Thompson has feasted since being inserted into the starting lineup. He’s put up at least 40 FPTS in four of the last six games wtih two over 50 FPTS. The floor has been 30 FPTS, and it’s highly unlikely he finishes below there outside of injury or foul trouble because he contributes in every statistical category and is playing around 40 minutes a game!
Power Forward
Jayson Tatum is the alpha for the Celtics offense, garnering a usage rate of 30.9% on the season. Tatum has failed to hit 40 FPTS only four times this season while putting up over 60 FPTS nine times with a high of 83.75 FPTS.
Center
I worry about a blowout for Alperen Sengun and the back-to-back for Kristaps Porzingis, so I’m going with Jarrett Allen. His size and length will be needed to match up with Rudy Gobert and Evan Mobley is questionable with a calf issue, so that could mean more rebounds for Allen.
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.
