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 five games.
CHI, IND, LAL, NYK and SAC are playing the second leg of a back-to-back.
As for injuries, LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges are probable. Moussa Diabate and Gary Payton II are questionable. Cameron Johnson and RJ Barrett are out. Keep track of all the pertinent injury updates at DK Live.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, NYK is -9 over CHA on the road with the total at 225.5. IND is -9 over BKN at home with the total at 231.5. GSW is -13.5 over TOR at home with the total at 227.5. SAC is -6.5 over CHI with the total at 236.5. MIL is -1.5 over LAL on the road with the total at 227.5.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Starting 5 $8K Zone [$2K to 1st].
Point Guard
If you like to live dangerously, then I think D’Angelo Russell is an option. He’s not going to play 30 minutes and could end up in the teens for FPTS, but there’s also a chane he garners a 30% usage rate and puts up 50 FPTS. While Damian Lillard has failed to exceed 30 FPTS in each of the last two games, he’s the safer play. Lillard is going to play in the high-30s and went for 51 FPTS the last time he played the Lakers, which was four games ago.
Shooting Guard
Austin Reaves has been straight balling since LeBron James went down with an injury. The usage rate has been 30% and he’s put up over 40 FPTS in each of the last five games with a high of 76 FPTS. He and Luka Doncic are the offensive forces for the Lakers right now. Reaves put up 43 FPTS against the Bucks four games ago.
Small Forward
I’m not crazy about the options at small forward. Josh Hart does contribute across the board, but the Hornets have been playing slow and his production has a wide range of outcomes. I’m going to side with DeMar DeRozan, who doesn’t stuff the stat sheet like Hart, but he garners a high usage rate and will likely shoulder more offensive responsibility with Domantas Sabonis out.
Power Forward
Giannis Antetokounmpo has the highest floor/ceiling combo on the slate. No need to get cute here, especially since Luka Doncic is not in the player pool.
Center
With Domantas Sabonis out again due to injury, it’s Jonas Valanciunas’ time to shine again. The last time he filled in for Sabonis, JV put up over 30 FPTS in all six games, with three of those over 40 FPTS.
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.
