Friday's Madden showdown is a one-game slate, BUF @ CHI, with a $50,000 cap and a captain slot that scores 1.5x points at 1.5x salary. Lock is Fri 11/6 at 12:00 p.m. ET (9:00 a.m. PT).
Josh Allen (BUF) tops our model's board at $11,000, with a ceiling of 34.9 against a DraftKings average of 18.7. That is the highest ceiling on the slate, and the gap between it and the average is why he anchors so many builds. D'Andre Swift (CHI) is next at $9,200 with a 30.3 ceiling and a 15.6 average, and James Cook III (BUF) follows at $10,200 with a 27.6 ceiling. DJ Moore ($8,000, 24.8 ceiling) and Khalil Shakir ($8,400, 23.9 ceiling) give BUF two more pieces with real upside.
For value, Luther Burden III (CHI) costs $7,000 and carries a 17.0 ceiling, with 24% projected ownership. Tyler Bass (BUF) is the cheapest name on our top list at $4,200, with a 14.3 ceiling against a 6.3 average. Those cheaper slots are what let a lineup pay for the expensive stars.
The crowd will gather around BUF. Allen is projected at 67% ownership, while Cook and Moore both sit at 47%. Shakir is at 38%, Swift and Rome Odunze (CHI) are each at 30%, and Bass is at 28%. Fading Allen entirely is a big swing at that number, but the CHI pieces and Burden III offer a way to separate from the field.
Our model's top lineup spends $49,900 of the $50,000 cap. It puts Allen at captain for $16,500, then adds Cook at $10,200, Shakir at $8,400, Dalton Kincaid at $6,200, Keon Coleman at $4,800 and the Bears at $3,800 in the FLEX spots. The build leans heavily on BUF and uses the Bears defense to fit the salary.
Lock is Fri 11/6 at 12:00 p.m. ET (9:00 a.m. PT).
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