Wednesday's DraftKings showdown is a one-game slate, CAR @ MIA, with a $50,000 cap and a captain slot that scores 1.5x points at 1.5x salary. It locks Wed 10/28 at 8:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. PT).
De'Von Achane of MIA tops our model's ranking at $10,800. His ceiling is 34.5, the highest on the board, against a DraftKings average of 17.8. Bryce Young of CAR comes next at $9,800 with a 28.2 ceiling, followed by CAR's Chuba Hubbard at $8,800 and a 27.8 ceiling. Hubbard's DraftKings average is 13.6, so his price already asks for a big game.
The value plays sit at the bottom of the salary scale. MIA's Caleb Douglas costs $4,200 and carries a 31.7 ceiling, on a DraftKings average of 6.6. CAR's Xavier Legette is $4,000 with a 31.3 ceiling and a 6.3 average. Both have upside far beyond their prices, and either one frees up cap room for the expensive names. Darren Waller of CAR, at $7,800 with a 22.9 ceiling, sits in the middle tier.
The crowd is likely to gather around the big names. Young is projected at 68% ownership, Malik Willis of MIA at 54%, and Achane at 48%. Tetairoa McMillan of CAR also projects at 48%, at $10,200 with a 23.1 ceiling. Douglas at 18% and Legette at 13% are the low-owned ways to chase ceiling, and Hubbard at 29% is less popular than his teammate Young.
Our model's top lineup uses $49,800 of the $50,000 cap. It puts Achane in the captain slot at $16,200, then fills the flex spots with Young at $9,800, Hubbard at $8,800, Jalen Tolbert at $6,200, the Dolphins at $4,800 and Legette at $4,000.
Lock is Wed 10/28 at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Follow @numeric_dfs on X.