Wednesday's Madden showdown on DraftKings is a single-game slate, MIN @ NO, with a $50,000 salary cap and a captain slot that scores 1.5x points at 1.5x salary. It locks Wed 11/11 at 6:00 p.m. ET (3:00 p.m. PT).
Kyler Murray (MIN) sits at the top of our model's ranking at $10,800, with a ceiling of 31.4 against a DraftKings average of 16.6. Travis Etienne Jr. (NO) comes next at $9,800 with a 28.8 ceiling, and Tyler Shough (NO) follows at $9,200 with a 27.0 ceiling. T.J. Hockenson (MIN) rounds out the premium tier at $7,200 and a 26.2 ceiling.
The value plays are where the slate gets interesting. Devaughn Vele (NO) costs just $4,400 and carries a 31.4 ceiling, matching Murray's despite a DraftKings average of 6.7. Jauan Jennings (MIN) is cheaper still at $4,000, with a 29.7 ceiling against a 5.5 average. Both give you big upside at close to the minimum price, which is what you need to fit stars under the cap.
The crowd will gather around the quarterbacks. Murray is projected at 67% ownership, Shough at 54% and Etienne at 47%. Hockenson sits at 33%, while Vele (18%) and Jennings (13%) should go far less owned. For tournament play, those two are the clearest ways to separate from the field.
Our model's top lineup uses the full $50,000. It puts Murray at captain for $16,200, then fills the FLEX spots with Shough at $9,200, Aaron Jones Sr. at $8,800, Hockenson at $7,200, Will Reichard at $4,600 and Jennings at $4,000. It pairs the most popular quarterback with a low-owned receiver, which keeps the build from being a pure chalk stack.
Lineups lock Wed 11/11 at 6:00 p.m. ET.
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