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 six games.
IND, LAL and WAS are playing the second leg of a back-to-back.
As for injuries, Anthony Davis, Jalen Williams, Josh Giddey, Nikola Vucevic, Cason Wallace, Brandon Williams, Ty Jerome, Lonzo Ball, Alec Burks, Duncan Robinson and Caleb Martin are questionable. Cole Anthony is doubtful. Evan Mobley and P.J. Washington are out.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, there are four double-digit favorites: HOU -11.5 over UTA, CLE -13.5 over SAS, IND -11 over WAS and OKC -10 over MEM. There is one game within three points: MIA -1 over ATL. There are three games with a total of at least 230: SAS/CLE (237.5), IND/WAS (238) and MEM/OKC (242). There is one game below 220: DAL/ORL (219).
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Starting 5 $6K Zone [$2K to 1st].
Point Guard
Tyrese Haliburton has been so good recently. Over the last 11 games, he’s double-doubled in all while putting up over 50 FPTS in six of those contests, with two of those over 60 FPTS. The environment should be fantasy-friendly, as Washington is second in pace and 20th in defensive rating over the last 10 games. I think Haliburton could match or exceed the fantasy output of both Doncic and SGA.
Shooting Guard
This is a tough position. Klay Thompson isn’t an option. Stephon Castle has a tough matchup against Cleveland. Austin Reaves has a good matchup but loses a ton of usage with LeBron James back. Desmond Bane usually thrives without Ja Morant, but OKC is one of the best defensive teams in the league. That leaves Dyson Daniels. I usually don’t like clicking on low-usage players, but Daniels has been so consistent in the steals department, which is tough to do, while chipping in boards and dimes on a nightly basis. He’s coming off a 54-FPTS game on Tuesday against Houston and has three other games over 40 FPTS in his five most recent five contests.
Small Forward
Coby White has put up over 40 FPTS in each of the last three games, culminating in 54.75 FPTS against Denver on Monday. Both Josh Giddey and Nikola Vucevic are questionable, so that could provide an increase in usage rate. The Lakers have been a sieve on defense recently and White just put up 48.25 FPTS against them two games ago.
Power Forward
Paolo Banchero has been so, so good. Over the last seven games, he’s put up over 40 FPTS in all with five of those over 50 and two over 60 FPTS. The matchup doesn’t get much better against a Dallas team that is sixth in pace and 26th in defensive rating over the last 10 games.
Center
Evan Mobley has been ruled out for Cleveland, so I’m going to Jarrett Allen. In the last two games Mobley missed, Allen put up 41.5 and 55.75 FPTS. There’s danger of a blowout in this one, but Allen should do enough while on the court to still produce.
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.
