Best lineup strategy for Hawks vs. Wizards NBA Showdown [UPDATE]

UPDATE: Beal has been ruled out again and Bertans will come off the bench and play limited minutes for the Wizards.

We’ve got four featured Showdown contests on DraftKings for Friday night’s main 10-game DFS slate. Of the four matchups, none of them has the type of scoring appeal like Hawks-Wizards, which is what we’ll be going over in this article.

Before we get started, the only real injury we need to highlight is Bradley Beal, who is questionable AGAIN heading into tonight. He’s been dealing with a leg injury, though he did go through shootaround Wednesday prior to that game. Still, the Wiz held him out, but it looks like he could get back into the fold against Atlanta. If that’s the case, we’ll need to adjust things slightly. Davis Bertans (quad) is expected to be available to play. He’s been out since Dec. 21 and could be back in the starting lineup. We’ll see if he’s on a minutes restriction, so keep an eye on the news.

Captain’s Picks

It’s going to be hard to fade Trae Young ($17,400) in the Captain’s slot in this contest. He’s coming off a 42-point triple-double on Wednesday against the Houston Rockets, his second 40+ point outing in the past three games. So we know Young is going to sport the highest ceiling in this contest by a wide margin. The issue is the price is very high and there aren’t many spots to pay up for, so you might as well take Young as the Captain and figure things out after. The other player for the Hawks you’d could argue here is John Collins ($14,700), who should feast on a weak Wizards frontcourt.

As for the Wizards, if Beal is going to be out again, I like Jordan McRae’s ($12,000) upside starting at shooting guard. We know this game will likely be high scoring and if it’s going to be close — the books think is will be — then McRae should see plenty of minutes and usage. Same goes for Troy Brown Jr. ($12,900). He’s a bit more expensive, but has a high ceiling, coming off 18 points, 11 boards and five assists vs. the Magic on Wednesday.

FLEX Options

If I had to choose, I’d say paying down a bit for one of the Wizards guards and using Young in the UTIl isn’t a bad idea. Essentially, all it would take to fit in Young ($11,600), Collins ($9,800) and, say, Brown ($8,600) into one lineup is one very low value play. Brandon Goodwin ($2,000) fits that bill, getting some ride off the bench in the backcourt for Atlanta. He’s scored at least eight points in three of four, and even dropped 21 back at the end of 2019 against the Magic. If the Wizards pull away or even the Hawks, then Goodwin would get garbage minutes as well. So since this game is a bit top heavy and there’s a clear drop off, if Beal remains out, then I’d say the best strategy is to pay up for Young, Collins and the Wizards guards. If Beal plays, at $10,200 he isn’t a bad UTIL option but I’d be worried about Captaining him at $15,300 if he’s going to be held back at all.