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 seven games.
CLE, DET, POR and TOR are playing the second leg of a back-to-back.
As for injuries, Paolo Banchero, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr., Ja Morant, Santi Aldama, Dennis Schroder, Daniel Gafford and Moses Moody are questionable. Tari Eason, Josh Richardson and Kevin Love are doubtful. Jalen Suggs and Jonathan Kuminga are out. Keep track of all the pertinent injury updates at DK Live.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, there is one double-digit favorite: CLE -14.5 over TOR. There is one game within 3 points: DET -3 over GS. There are three games with a spread of 3.5 points. There is one game with a total of at least 230: ATL/PHO (238.5). There is one game with a total below 220: MIN/ORL (207).
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Starting 5 $8K Zone [$2K to 1st].
Point Guard
Trae Young has put up at least 50 FPTS in four of the last five games while finishing with at least 60 FPTS twice. Utah is 24th in defensive efficiency, so Young should continue slicing, dicing, and swishing his way to fantasy goodies.
Shooting Guard
Devin Booker looks to have gotten his groove back after being Meh-vin Booker for five games. He finished with 62.5 FPTS on Tuesday on 39 points, six rebounds, and 10 assists. With Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic coming off the bench, Booker has seen a five-percentage point usage rate increase this season. This game has the highest total on the slate by a wide margin.
Small Forward
With Jabari Smith Jr. injured, Amen Thompson was unleashed on Sunday for 49 FPTS in 41 minutes. He followed that up with 52.25 FPTS on Tuesday in 41 minutes. I asked for a 50-FPTS burger for Tuesday and the gods answered my prayers. Actually, the Wizards cooked it up by being fourth in pace and 29th in defensive efficiency. Memphis will be a tougher matchup, but as long as Thompson sees close to 40 minutes again, he should deliver the fantasy goods.
Power Forward
I love Evan Mobley in this spot, but I just fear that he’s not going to play 30 minutes. So, Kevin Durant it is since this game has the highest total and should be a competitive affair, meaning that Durant should see a full complement of minutes. As with Booker, Durant has seen around a five-percentage point increase in usage rate with Beal and Nurkic off the court.
Center
I’m not crazy about the options at center on this slate. Alperen Sengun looks the most enticing due to his all-around skill set and ability to stuff the stat sheet. The range of outcomes has been wide for Sengun recently, as he’s gone sub-30 FPTS in two of the last five games, but he’s also exceeded 50 FPTS twice during that span.
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.
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is sontzu) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
