Friday's Madden showdown on DraftKings is a single game, KC @ BAL, and it locks Fri 10/30 at 2:00 p.m. ET (11:00 a.m. PT). The captain slot scores 1.5x points at 1.5x salary, and the cap is $50,000.
Our model's top-ranked plays start with Patrick Mahomes at $11,000, who carries a ceiling of 42.6 against a DraftKings average of 22.4. Kenneth Walker III is priced lower at $9,800 and has the higher ceiling at 43.7, with a DraftKings average of 20.5. Lamar Jackson of BAL sits at $10,400 with a 37.2 ceiling and a 19.6 average. Derrick Henry, also BAL, costs $9,200 and tops out at 31.2.
The value plays sit a tier below. Xavier Worthy of KC costs $7,800 with a 30.2 ceiling, a strong number for the price. Mark Andrews of BAL is $6,600 with a 24.7 ceiling against a 9.2 DraftKings average, so the upside outruns the typical output. Zay Flowers at $8,600 and Rashee Rice at $8,200 round out the pass-catcher options, with ceilings of 25.2 and 21.4.
The crowd should pile onto the big names. Mahomes leads projected ownership at 68%, followed by Jackson at 54% and Walker at 48%. Rice is also popular at 47%. Henry and Worthy both come in at 30%, making them cheaper ways to stand apart from the field.
Our model's top lineup uses $49,900 of the $50,000 cap. Walker goes in the captain slot at $14,700. The flex spots are Jackson at $10,400, Henry at $9,200, Andrews at $6,600, Tyler Loop at $4,600 and Harrison Butker at $4,400. The build skips Mahomes, the most owned player on the slate, and spends the savings on two kickers' worth of cheap points plus a ceiling-heavy captain.
Lineups lock Fri 10/30 at 2:00 p.m. ET.
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