Friday's Madden showdown is a single-game slate, MIN @ PHI, and it locks at 4:00 p.m. ET (1:00 p.m. PT). DraftKings uses a captain slot that scores 1.5x points at 1.5x salary, with a $50,000 cap.
Kyler Murray (MIN) leads our model's rankings at $10,800, with a ceiling of 33.4 against a DraftKings average of 17.3. Jalen Hurts (PHI) is next at $10,200, with a 28.7 ceiling and a 15.2 average. T.J. Hockenson (MIN) stands out for his price at $7,800, since his 26.1 ceiling is well above his 10.3 average. Justin Jefferson (MIN) costs $9,600 with a 19.3 ceiling, and DeVonta Smith (PHI) is $8,200 with an 18.6 ceiling.
The cheapest names on the board are the kickers. Jake Elliott (PHI) is $4,400 with a 16.1 ceiling and a 7.2 average. Will Reichard (MIN) is $4,200 with a 15.0 ceiling and a 7.3 average. Those ceilings sit close to what Aaron Jones Sr. (MIN) offers at $8,800, whose ceiling is 17.0, so the savings are real.
The crowd is likely to gather around the top of the board. Murray is projected at 68% ownership and Hurts at 54%, while Jones Sr. is at 48% and Jefferson at 47%. Smith is at 38% and Hockenson at 32%. Elliott checks in at 28%, and Reichard is the least owned of the group at 16%, which makes him the clearest way to differ from the field.
Our model's top lineup spends $47,400 of the $50,000 cap. It puts Murray at captain for $16,200, then fills the FLEX spots with Hurts at $10,200, Jones Sr. at $8,800, Elliott at $4,400, Reichard at $4,200 and the Vikings at $3,600. Two kickers and a defense hold the budget together around three expensive skill players.
Lineups lock Friday at 4:00 p.m. ET.
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