Saturday's DraftKings slate is a single-game NBA showdown, ATL @ NOP, and it locks at 7:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. PT). The captain slot scores 1.5x points at 1.5x salary, and the cap is $50,000, so every captain choice reshapes the rest of the build.
At the top of our model's board is Jalen Johnson (ATL) at $10,800, with a ceiling of 69.3 and a DraftKings average of 43.8. That ceiling is the highest on the sheet, and it explains why our model puts him in the captain spot. Jeremiah Fears (NOP) is close behind at $6,200, with a 65.3 ceiling and a 32.9 average. Fears costs far less than Johnson, which makes him a strong way to fit pricier pieces around him. Derik Queen (NOP) at $7,400 has a 54.3 ceiling, and Dyson Daniels (ATL) at $7,800 sits at 51.8.
The value plays are where a lineup gets room to breathe. Corey Kispert (ATL) costs just $1,000 and carries a 22.4 ceiling. Bryce McGowens (NOP) at $1,600 has a 27.9 ceiling, and Trendon Watford (NOP) at $2,200 reaches 38.4. DeAndre Jordan (NOP) at $2,600 posts a 37.5 ceiling, a big number for the price. All four are cheap enough to pair with a star captain.
Ownership figures are not available for this slate, so we can't say where the crowd will land. Several of the cheap names above are obvious salary savers, so expect them to be popular.
Our model's top lineup uses the full $50,000. Johnson is the captain at $16,200, joined by Zion Williamson at $9,000, Jordan at $2,600, Queen at $7,400, Nickeil Alexander-Walker at $8,000 and Onyeka Okongwu at $6,800. Dejounte Murray, Yves Missi and Jordan Poole of NOP and Mouhamed Gueye and Henri Veesaar of ATL carry OUT tags from DraftKings, so check the player pool before you build.
Lineups lock at 7:00 p.m. ET.
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