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 Starting 5 slate, there are nine games.
CHA and LAL are playing the second leg of a back-to-back.
As for injuries, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, OG Anunoby, Ty Jerome, Andre Jackson Jr. and Isaac Okoro are questionable. Victor Wembanyama is doubtful. Josh Hart, Justin Edwards, Patrick Williams, Vit Krejci, Larry Nance Jr. and Tosan Evbuomwan are out. Keep track of all the pertinent injury updates at DK Live.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, there are three double-digit favorites: NYK -13.5 over CHI, CLE -13 over BKN and DEN -14.5 over CHA. There are four games within three points: MEM -2 over IND, ORL -1.5 over ATL, MIL -1.5 over LAC, and SAS -2.5 over PHO. There are three games with a total of at least 230: MEM/IND (249), CHI/NYK (243.5), and PHO/SAS (231). No game has a total below 220.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Starting 5 $15K Zone [$5K to 1st] (Early).
Point Guard
The matchup is just too juicy for Jalen Brunson for me to ignore. Chicago has been third in pace and 28th in defensive rating over the last 10 games. This game has a whopping 249 total, so there will be plenty of fantasy goodies, and Brunson should provide many of those.
Shooting Guard
The fantasy production has been all over the map for De’Aaron Fox since he arrived in San Antonio. He has three games over 40 FPTS with a high of 57.75 FPTS, but he also put up only 25.75 FPTS in one. He is playing a ton of minutes, though, and with Victor Wembanyama doubtful for this one with an illness, Fox’s usage rate should tick up.
Small Forward
Since returning from injury, I thought the usage rate would decrease for Franz Wagner with Paolo Banchero healthy. Instead, it’s increased by two percentage points. Over the last 11 games, Wagner has put up at least 40 FPTS six times, with two of those over 50 FPTS.
Power Forward
Jayson Tatum went through a little lull at the end of January, finishing in the 30 FPTS range in four straight games. Since then, he’s gone over 50 FPTS in five of seven games, with two over 60 FPTS. One of those was against the 76ers, the team Tatum faces on Thursday, and he put up 66.75 FPTS in that one. In the prior matchup against Philadelphia way back on Christmas, Tatum put up 62.75 FPTS.
Center
Nikola Jokic is on the slate, so you play him, especially since this format has no price considerations. He has the highest floor/ceiling combo in all of fantasy. End of story.
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.
