Sunday's NBA showdown is a single game, UTA @ MIN, with a $50,000 cap and a captain slot that scores 1.5x points at 1.5x salary. The slate locks at 7:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. PT).
At the top of our model's ranking, two players share the highest ceiling at 62.1. Ayo Dosunmu of MIN costs $9,200 and carries a DraftKings average of 33.6. Lauri Markkanen of UTA costs $9,800 with a 33.2 average, though he carries a Q tag from DraftKings, so check his status before lock. Close behind are Jaden McDaniels at $8,800 (ceiling 58.0) and LaMelo Ball at $10,600 (ceiling 57.6), whose 34.3 average is the highest of the group. Jonathan Kuminga rounds out the premium tier at $7,400 with a 48.7 ceiling.
The value plays sit at the bottom of the salary scale. Bones Hyland is just $1,800 with a 33.8 ceiling, a strong return for the price. Mo Bamba of UTA costs $2,800 and tops out at 39.2, with a 21.1 average. Trey Lyles is $2,400 with a 32.0 ceiling. Saving cap space with these three makes it easier to afford the top-end names.
The fact sheet gives no ownership figures for this slate, so we can't say where the crowd will land. The status tags matter for roster building, though. Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo of MIN are listed OUT, as are Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jusuf Nurkic of UTA. Joan Beringer of MIN is tagged Q.
Our model's top lineup uses $49,400 of the $50,000 cap. Dosunmu is the captain at $13,800. He is joined by Terrence Shannon Jr. at $5,000, McDaniels at $8,800, Darryn Peterson at $7,800, Kuminga at $7,400 and Rudy Gobert at $6,600.
Lock is 7:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, so finalize your lineups before then.
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