Thursday's main tennis slate on DraftKings Classic runs 12 matches under a $50,000 cap, with Alcaraz at Basilashvili, Medvedev at Norrie, Griekspoor at Zverev and Struff at Djokovic among the games. Lock is Thu 10/29 at 7:00 a.m. ET (4:00 a.m. PT), so this is an early-morning build.
Our model's top projection belongs to Carlos Alcaraz at $10,400, with 80.1 points and a ceiling of 139.3, the highest on the board. Daniil Medvedev ($9,800, 79.8), Alexander Zverev ($9,500, 79.6) and Ben Shelton ($9,100, 79.5) sit within a point of him. Shelton is the cheapest of that group, which gives him the best price-to-points case at the top.
The value end is where the slate gets interesting. Nikoloz Basilashvili costs $5,000 and projects for 71.5 points, or 14.3 points per $1,000. Daniel Altmaier ($5,500, 72.7) and Cameron Norrie ($5,600, 72.7) follow at 13.2 and 13.0. Their ceilings are modest, 30.2, 38.5 and 41.0, so these are salary-savers more than upside plays. All three project at just 6% ownership.
The crowd is likely to cluster in the middle of the pricing. Shelton, Tommy Paul and Novak Djokovic each project at 25% ownership, the highest on the slate. Alcaraz, Medvedev and Zverev are all at 22%, so the top-end stars are not being ignored either. Anyone looking to differentiate has room at the low-owned value spots.
Our model's top lineup uses the full $50,000: Tommy Paul ($9,400), Ben Shelton ($9,100), Rafael Jodar ($8,900), Taylor Fritz ($8,600), Arthur Fils ($8,200) and Tallon Griekspoor ($5,800). It is a balanced build that skips the most expensive names and spends its savings on a mid-priced sixth slot.
Set your lineups before lock at 7:00 a.m. ET on Thursday.
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