Monday's DraftKings showdown is a single game, NOP @ GSW, with a $50,000 salary cap and a captain slot that scores 1.5x points at 1.5x salary. The slate locks Mon 11/9 at 10:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. PT).
Stephen Curry (GSW) sits atop our model's ranking at $9,600 with a ceiling of 64.9 and a DraftKings average of 44.5, the highest average among the top plays. Close behind are Jeremiah Fears (NOP) at $7,400 with a ceiling of 64.0 and Yaxel Lendeborg (GSW) at $9,000 with a ceiling of 63.6. Fears offers nearly the same ceiling as Curry for a noticeably lower salary, which matters on a cap this tight. Dejounte Murray (NOP) at $8,400 and Derik Queen (NOP) at $6,400, with a ceiling of 48.6, fill out the mid-to-upper tier.
The value end of the board is where our model finds its edge. DeAndre Jordan (NOP) costs $1,000 and carries a ceiling of 41.6, even though his DraftKings average is just 0.9. Jordan Poole (NOP) at $2,400 has a ceiling of 32.2, and Trendon Watford (NOP) at $2,800 has a ceiling of 33.3 against a DraftKings average of 11.8. Those cheap NOP pieces are what let a lineup afford several expensive stars.
On the injury front, DraftKings lists Jimmy Butler, Will Richard, Moses Moody and Kristaps Porzingis of GSW as OUT, along with Yves Missi of NOP. Gui Santos (GSW) carries a Q tag.
The fact sheet doesn't include ownership figures, so we can't say where the crowd is headed.
Our model's top lineup uses $48,800 of the $50,000 cap. It puts Curry in the captain slot at $14,400 and adds Murray at $8,400, Jordan at $1,000, Zion Williamson at $8,600, Fears at $7,400 and Lendeborg at $9,000. The $1,000 Jordan slot is what makes that group of big names fit.
Lock is Mon 11/9 at 10:00 p.m. ET.
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