Sunday's NBA showdown is a single game, MIA @ SAC, scored with a captain slot that pays 1.5x points at 1.5x salary under the $50,000 cap. Lock is Sun 11/8 at 9:00 p.m. ET (6:00 p.m. PT).
Our model's ranking is led by two SAC players. Darius Acuff Jr. costs $9,400 and carries a ceiling of 85.4 with a DraftKings average of 42.6. De'Andre Hunter is $7,000 with a ceiling of 84.2, a strong number for the price, though his DraftKings average sits at 22.0. On the MIA side, Bam Adebayo is $9,200 with a ceiling of 78.7 and an average of 38.8. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the priciest name at $12,200, with a ceiling of 73.1 and an average of 55.7.
The value plays sit at the bottom of the salary scale. Malik Monk is $5,000 with a ceiling of 74.9, which is a large upside for a minimum-tier cost. Leaky Black at $4,000 has a ceiling of 56.3 and a DraftKings average of 15.9, so he is more of a salary-saver than a ceiling play. Davion Mitchell at $7,800 and Zach LaVine at $7,600 round out the model's list, with ceilings of 67.3 and 58.8.
Roster construction also has a wrinkle. DraftKings lists Domantas Sabonis, Maxime Raynaud and Ben Simmons, all of SAC, with an OUT tag, so none of them belong in a lineup. We have no ownership figures for this slate, so we can't say where the crowd will land.
Our model's top lineup uses $49,900 of the $50,000 cap. It puts Darius Acuff Jr. in the captain slot at $14,100, then adds Malik Monk at $5,000, Leaky Black at $4,000, Giannis Antetokounmpo at $12,200, Zach LaVine at $7,600 and De'Andre Hunter at $7,000. The build pays up at captain and for Giannis, then fills the rest with cheaper SAC pieces.
Lock is Sun 11/8 at 9:00 p.m. ET, so finalize your lineups before then.
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