Saturday's DraftKings soccer slate is a single-game showdown, HUL @ ARS, with a $50,000 cap and a captain slot that scores 1.5x points at 1.5x salary. The slate locks Sat 11/7 at 10:00 a.m. ET (7:00 a.m. PT).
Our model's top projected plays are almost all on the ARS side. Declan Rice leads at $9,400 with a ceiling of 25.3 and a DraftKings average of 11.4. Martin Ødegaard follows at $9,000 with a 22.9 ceiling and a 10.3 average. Kai Havertz is the priciest of the group at $10,400, with a 19.9 ceiling and a 7.8 average, while Christos Tzolis ($7,200, ceiling 18.4) and Noni Madueke ($9,600, ceiling 18.1) round out the attacking options.
The value plays are what make the build work. Konstantinos Tzolakis of HUL costs just $3,800 and carries a ceiling of 20.0 with a DraftKings average of 9.0, a ceiling that sits above several players priced at more than double his salary. Riccardo Calafiori of ARS is $5,400 with a 16.4 ceiling and a 7.4 average, and he gives the lineup another way to save salary without giving up much upside.
The crowd is heading toward the expected names. Havertz is the most popular play at a projected 42%, followed by Viktor Gyokeres at 40% and Madueke at 38%. Rice and Ødegaard sit at 37% and 36%, so Tzolakis at 12% and Calafiori at 19% offer clear separation from the field.
Our model's top lineup uses $49,900 of the $50,000 cap. It puts Rice in the captain slot at $14,100, then fills the FLEX spots with Tzolakis at $3,800, Calafiori at $5,400, Ødegaard at $9,000, Tzolis at $7,200 and Havertz at $10,400. Rice's captain price eats a big share of the cap, but the cheap Tzolakis and Calafiori slots leave room to fit both Ødegaard and Havertz.
Lineups lock Sat 11/7 at 10:00 a.m. ET.
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