For the sake of a good contest, I would say that caps are needed. That is what experience dictates. I (and many others) did not like it when SBR contests were allowing the lop-sided moneylines - and that's why they cut them out for the most part. It turns it into more of a math thing and less of a capping thing. If it comes down to your last pick and you need a unit, you might as well just grab the biggest favorite you can find. No sense thinking about an NBA total when Russia is a -500 fave against Switzerland or something.