The Monday 11/02 showdown is a single-game slate, HOU @ SEA, and it locks at 12:00 p.m. ET (9:00 a.m. PT). The salary cap is $50,000, and the captain slot scores 1.5x points at 1.5x salary, so every captain choice costs real cap room.
Our model's top ceilings belong to two cheap receivers. Kayshon Boutte of HOU sits at $5,000 with a ceiling of 35.3, against a DraftKings average of 9.4. Rashid Shaheed of SEA is $4,600 with a ceiling of 33.8 and an average of 8.3. Next come C.J. Stroud at $9,200 (ceiling 27.1), Sam Darnold at $10,200 (25.5) and David Montgomery at $7,800 (25.0). Montgomery carries the highest DraftKings average among the top plays at 14.5, which points to a steadier floor than the receivers offer.
The value is clear. Boutte at $5,000 and Shaheed at $4,600 post two of the three highest ceilings on the board for the lowest salaries among our top plays. Tank Dell at $6,600 adds a 21.6 ceiling for HOU, and his average matches Boutte's at 9.4. Spending down at those spots is what makes the expensive pieces fit.
The crowd will pile onto the quarterbacks and the SEA backfield. C.J. Stroud is projected at 67% ownership and Sam Darnold at 54%, with Zach Charbonnet at 48%. Charbonnet costs $10,600 for a 17.2 ceiling, the lowest among our top eight, so he looks like a strong fade. Boutte at 18% and Shaheed at 13% offer ceiling at far lower popularity.
Our model's top lineup uses $49,300 of the $50,000 cap. It puts David Montgomery at captain for $11,700, then adds Sam Darnold ($10,200), C.J. Stroud ($9,200), Cooper Kupp ($7,000), Tank Dell ($6,600) and Rashid Shaheed ($4,600) in the flex spots. It pairs both quarterbacks with the cheap Shaheed and Dell to cover the captain's price.
Lock is at 12:00 p.m. ET, so finalize lineups before then.
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