Wednesday's Madden showdown is a single game, PIT @ SF, with a $50,000 salary cap and a captain slot that scores 1.5x points at 1.5x salary. The slate locks Wed 11/11 at 4:00 p.m. ET (1:00 p.m. PT).
Christian McCaffrey of SF sits at the top of our model's ranking at $11,200. He carries a ceiling of 45.3 against a DraftKings average of 23.9, the biggest upside on the board. DK Metcalf of PIT is the other premium name at $8,600, with a ceiling of 29.7 and a DraftKings average of 14.7. Brock Purdy ($10,400, ceiling 27.5) and Aaron Rodgers ($9,800, ceiling 26.3) round out the quarterback options.
The value plays are where this slate gets interesting. Michael Pittman Jr. of PIT costs just $4,000 but has a ceiling of 33.8, well above his DraftKings average of 8.4. Deebo Samuel Sr. of SF is $3,600 with a ceiling of 29.9, set against a DraftKings average of 5.7. Pat Freiermuth of PIT at $7,200 offers a ceiling of 20.3 and a DraftKings average of 9.1 for a mid-range price.
The crowd is leaning on the quarterbacks. Purdy is projected at 67% ownership and Rodgers at 54%, with McCaffrey right behind at 47%. Pittman checks in at 30% and Deebo at 24%, so both come with a lower ownership footprint than the headline names. Mike Evans is also projected at 47%, with a ceiling of 18.2 at $9,200.
Our model's top lineup uses $49,500 of the $50,000 cap. It puts DK Metcalf in the captain slot at $12,900, then fills the flex spots with McCaffrey ($11,200), Rodgers ($9,800), Freiermuth ($7,200), Roman Wilson ($4,400) and Pittman ($4,000). The build pairs one captain-priced PIT receiver with a heavy dose of PIT pieces and a single SF star.
Get lineups set before the lock at 4:00 p.m. ET on Wed 11/11.
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