Wednesday's NBA showdown is a single game, DAL @ SAS, and it locks at 9:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. PT). With a $50,000 cap and a captain slot that scores 1.5x points at 1.5x salary, the pricing decisions start at the top.
Our model's top-ranked plays include two big names. Victor Wembanyama (SAS) costs $12,000 with a ceiling of 66.6 and a DraftKings average of 49.9. Cooper Flagg (DAL) is $10,600 with the highest ceiling of anyone on the board at 69.8 and an average of 43.7. Kyrie Irving (DAL) sits at $8,600 with a ceiling of 61.9 and an average of 32.6, while Stephon Castle (SAS) is $7,400 with a ceiling of 44.5.
The value end of the pool is where this slate gets interesting. Walter Clayton Jr. (DAL) is just $2,400 with a ceiling of 40.0, well above his 15.3 DraftKings average, which is a lot of upside for the price. Caleb Martin (DAL) at $2,800 has a ceiling of 31.4 and an average of 21.6. Julian Champagnie (SAS) is $5,400 with a 38.5 ceiling if you want a mid-priced option.
Several players carry an OUT tag from DraftKings: Tobias Harris and Jayden Quaintance for SAS, and Dereck Lively II, Santi Aldama, Max Christie, Sergio de Larrea and Tarik Biberovic for DAL. Keep them out of your pool.
The fact sheet gives no ownership figures for this slate, so we won't guess where the crowd will land.
Our model's top lineup uses $49,800 of the $50,000 cap. It puts Wembanyama at captain for $18,000, then fills the UTIL spots with PJ Washington at $7,200, Clayton at $2,400, De'Aaron Fox at $8,000, Devin Vassell at $6,800 and Castle at $7,400. Pairing the cheap Clayton with a captain at that price is what makes the rest of the build fit.
Lock is Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. ET.
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