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.
No team is playing the second leg of a back-to-back.
As for injuries, Ben Sheppard, Isaiah Stewart, Jose Alvarado, Bruce Brown, Yves Missi, Pat Connaughton are questionable. Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Max Strus, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Mitchell Robinson, D’Angelo Russell, Kelly Olynyk, Jaylen Wells are out.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, There are two double-digit favorites: ATL -13.5 over BKN and MIL -15.5 over NOP. There is one game within 3 points: MIN -1 over MEM. There are two games with a total of at least 230: CLE/IND (230.5) and MIN/MEM (234). There is no game below 220.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Starting 5 $6K Zone [$2K to 1st].
Point Guard
I like that Ja Morant is at the bottom of the pool because he’s my favorite player at the position regardless. He’s gone over 40 FPTS in 10 straight, with half of those over 50 FPTS and a high of 66 FPTS. Memphis is fourth in pace over the last 10 games and they have been utilizing the pick-and-roll more often. Morant is happy, and a happy Morant is a productive Morant.
Shooting Guard
I don’t think anyone can match the floor/ceiling combo of Anthony Edwards. The only player I think can match or exceed Edwards is Dyson Daniels, but so much of his game is reliant on defensive stats. I’d rather rely on the high usage rate of Edwards in what should be a competitive affair and an uptempo matchup with Memphis.
Small Forward
Not a fan of this position, so Ausar Thompson it is. Over the last four games, Thompson has put up at least 35 FPTS in all with a high of 44.75 FPTS. While he’s a low-usage player, he’s scored double-digit points in all off cuts and transition buckets. The beauty of Thompson’s game, though, is that he does work on the boards, dishes out dimes, racks up defensive stats and is in the top 1% of the top 1% of athletes.
Power Forward
Bobby Portis returned from a two-month absence on Tuesday and didn’t miss a beat. He put up 40.5 FPTS in 29 minutes of action. With Damian Lillard out, his offense is a huge addition. He will get fed the ball because he can get up his own shot while doing work on the glass.
Center
There are so many good options at center, so this is likely where the most differentiation will take place. I like Jarrett Allen a lot, especially since he’s been really good with Evan Mobley out, but I’m going to side with Onyeka Okongwu. He’s put up at least 50 FPTS in three of the last four games with a high of 62 FPTS. Now, he did finish with 15.25 FPTS in the other game, so the range of outcomes is wide. Allen has the better floor but Okongwu has the higher ceiling.
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.
