Thursday's Madden showdown on DraftKings is a single game, LV @ CLE, with a $50,000 cap and a captain slot that scores 1.5x points at 1.5x salary. Lineups lock Thu 10/29 at 2:00 p.m. ET (11:00 a.m. PT).
Our model's top plays are led by Ashton Jeanty (LV) at $11,400, with a ceiling of 40.0 and a DraftKings average of 18.2. Shedeur Sanders (CLE) is right there at $9,400 with a ceiling of 40.1, the highest on the slate, and a 16.9 average. Jerry Jeudy (CLE) rounds out the top tier at $8,200 with a 40.0 ceiling and a 14.8 average. Fernando Mendoza (LV) carries the best average of the group at 18.9, with a ceiling of 35.6 at $9,800.
The value plays come from the CLE side. Denzel Boston is only $4,800 but has a ceiling of 36.1, close to what Mendoza offers for half the salary, though his DraftKings average is 9.7. KC Concepcion Jr. costs $6,200 with a 34.0 ceiling and a 13.5 average. On the LV side, Brock Bowers at $7,200 has a 27.6 ceiling, while Tre Tucker at $8,600 tops out at 24.0, a thinner return for the price.
The crowd will gather around the quarterbacks and the lead back. Mendoza is the most popular play at a projected 68%, followed by Sanders at 54% and Jeanty at 48%. Jeudy is projected at 47%, so the top of the board is crowded. Boston at 24% and Concepcion at 31% offer a way to separate from the field.
Our model's top lineup spends $49,900 of the $50,000 cap. It puts Mendoza in the captain slot at $14,700 and adds Jeanty at $11,400, Sanders at $9,400, and Concepcion at $6,200. Matt Gay at $4,200 and Andre Szmyt at $4,000 fill out the roster. The build leans on the popular names while using Concepcion for cap relief.
Set your lineups before the 2:00 p.m. ET lock on Thursday.
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