Saturday's NBA showdown on DraftKings is a single game, SAS @ POR, with a $50,000 salary cap and a captain slot that scores 1.5x points at 1.5x salary. The slate locks at 10:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. PT).
Victor Wembanyama (SAS) sits at the top of our model's ranking at $12,600, with a ceiling of 64.3 and a DraftKings average of 54.7. No one else on the board comes close to that average. Deni Avdija (POR) is next at $11,200, with a ceiling of 57.0 and an average of 43.4. Damian Lillard (POR) at $9,600 and Stephon Castle (SAS) at $9,000 round out the premium tier, with ceilings of 49.5 and 47.6.
The value plays are where this slate gets interesting. Sidy Cissoko (POR) costs only $3,000 but carries a ceiling of 31.2 against a DraftKings average of 13.6. Branden Carlson (POR) is the true minimum play at $1,000, with a ceiling of 15.7 and an average of 10.9. Jrue Holiday (POR) at $6,800 offers a 45.0 ceiling and a 26.1 average, and Donovan Clingan (POR) at $7,600 has a 45.3 ceiling and a 30.6 average. Those mid-priced Portland names help pay for the stars.
Several players carry an OUT tag from DraftKings: Ja Morant, Robert Williams, Vit Krejci and Shaedon Sharpe for POR, and Tobias Harris and Jayden Quaintance for SAS. Check the tags again before lock.
Our model's top lineup uses $49,700 of the $50,000 cap. It puts Wembanyama in the captain slot at $18,900, then adds Dylan Harper at $8,200, Cissoko at $3,000, Julian Champagnie at $5,200, Clingan at $7,600 and Holiday at $6,800. The build pairs the slate's best scorer with cheap Portland upside and stays just under the cap.
Lineups lock Saturday at 10:00 p.m. ET.
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