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.
MIA and WAS are playing the second leg of a back-to-back.
As for injuries, Scottie Barnes, Anfernee Simons, Guerschon Yabusele, AJ Green, Jalen Wilson, Jonathan Kuminga are questionable. Jerami Grant is doubtful. Cameron Johnson, Brandon Clarke, Ziaire Williams, Scoot Henderson, Jakob Poeltl, Immanuel Quickley are out.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, there are three double-digit favorites: MIL -11.5 over PHI, ORL -13.5 over WAS and MIN -13.5 over BKN. There are two games within three points: POR -1 over TOR and LAL -2 over GSW. There is one game with a total of at least 230: GSW/LAL (230). There are two games below 220: ORL/WAS (217) and MIN/BKN (216).
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Starting 5 $8K Zone [$2K to 1st].
Point Guard
With no salary considerations, I have to go with Luka Doncic here. Sure, the upside could be capped somewhat with LeBron James and Austin Reaves playing, but the floor/ceiling combo is still too juicy. The probability is high that he puts up at least 50 FPTS because he contributes across the board. He’s a threat to triple-double on any given night and Doncic can put up 100 FPTS if everything breaks right.
Shooting Guard
Shaedon Sharpe has put up over 30 FPTS in each of the last seven games. In the two most recent contests, he finished with 41.75 and 56 FPTS. Toronto is second in pace over the last 10 games and Anfernee Simons is questionable for this one.
Small Forward
What’s going on in Portland? Deni Avdija has also been a beast, putting up over 40 FPTS in each of the last seven games with four of those over 50, three over 60, and a high of 72.25 FPTS.
Power Forward
Giannis Antetokounmpo has a red Q next to his name, but he’s listed as probable. He has the highest floor/ceiling combo at the position, especially with no Damian Lillard in the mix. Philadelphia has no one to thwart Giannis inside the paint and are dead-last in defensive rating over the last 10 games. There’s blowout risk for sure, but Giannis will likely be a big reason why.
Center
Rudy Gobert has put up over 40 FPTS in four of the last five games, with a high of 53.25 FPTS. The game he missed was a 39 fantasy point performance. Gobert has double-doubled in all of those contests and has been a beast on the boards, pulling down 25 rebounds in one of those games. He’s been producing while blocking only two shots over that span. Brooklyn doesn’t have the size to negate Gobert in the paint or on the glass.
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.
