Tuesday's Madden showdown is a single game, KC @ PHI, with a captain slot that scores 1.5x points at 1.5x salary under the usual $50,000 cap. The slate locks Tue 11/10 at 12:00 p.m. ET (9:00 a.m. PT).
Our model's top play is Patrick Mahomes at $10,600. He carries a ceiling of 41.2 against a DraftKings average of 22.0, the biggest gap on the board. Kenneth Walker III ($10,400, ceiling 38.0) and Saquon Barkley ($10,000, ceiling 37.4) round out the highest-ceiling plays. Jalen Hurts costs $9,200 with a ceiling of 28.1.
The value is in the middle of the salary range. Travis Kelce at $7,400 has a ceiling of 26.3 and a DraftKings average of 11.7, well above what his price suggests. Dallas Goedert is cheaper still at $6,600, with a ceiling of 22.6 against an 8.6 average. Rashee Rice ($8,000, ceiling 19.4) and DeVonta Smith ($8,200, ceiling 16.5) cost more and offer lower ceilings, so our model ranks them below the pricier stars.
The crowd is heading toward the quarterbacks. Mahomes is projected at 67% ownership, Hurts at 54%, and Walker at 47%, matching Rice at 47%. Barkley sits at just 30%, and Goedert is lower still at 20%, which makes both the more contrarian routes to a high-ceiling build.
Our model's top lineup spends $49,900 of the $50,000 cap. It puts Mahomes in the captain slot at $15,900, then adds Walker ($10,400), Xavier Worthy ($8,400), Kelce ($7,400), Harrison Butker ($4,000) and the Eagles ($3,800) in the flex spots. It leans on the chalk quarterback at captain while saving cap room with a kicker and a defense.
Lock is Tue 11/10 at 12:00 p.m. ET, so finalize your lineups before then.
Follow @numeric_dfs on X.