Friday's Madden showdown on DraftKings is a single game, BUF @ IND, with a $50,000 salary cap and a captain slot that scores 1.5x points at 1.5x salary. Lineups lock Fri 10/30 at 12:00 p.m. ET (9:00 a.m. PT).
Josh Allen (BUF) is the top play in our model's ranking, with a 35.9 ceiling, the highest on the board. His DraftKings average is 18.9, and he costs $11,800. James Cook III (BUF) follows at $10,000 with a 29.2 ceiling, and Daniel Jones (IND) has a 27.9 ceiling at $9,000. Khalil Shakir (BUF) comes in at $8,600 with a 26.4 ceiling.
The better price-to-ceiling plays sit a tier lower. DJ Moore (BUF) costs $7,600 and carries a 25.4 ceiling, nearly matching Shakir's ceiling at a lower salary. Tyler Warren (IND) is the cheapest of the main group at $6,800 with a 19.9 ceiling. Jonathan Taylor (IND) is $9,600 with a 24.7 ceiling, and Alec Pierce (IND) is $8,000 with a 15.4 ceiling.
The crowd will gather around the top of the board. Allen is projected at 68% ownership, Jones at 54% and Cook at 48%. Shakir is close behind at 47%. Moore (30%) and Taylor (30%) are projected well below that group, which is where a lineup can separate itself.
Our model's top lineup spends the full $50,000. It puts Tyler Warren in the captain slot at $10,200, then fills the flex spots with Allen ($11,800), Taylor ($9,600), Jones ($9,000), Moore ($7,600) and Mo Alie-Cox ($1,800). The cheap Alie-Cox slot is what makes room for the rest of the build.
Lineups lock Fri 10/30 at 12:00 p.m. ET.
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