Best lineup strategy for Warriors vs. 76ers NBA Showdown [UPDATE]

Will Joel Embiid play tonight? That’s the million dollar question heading into Warriors vs. Sixers on Tuesday night. Embiid has missed the past nine games after dislocating his finger and is questionable to play against Golden State. If Embiid is ready to return, I’d imagine he’ll be on a minutes restriction knowing his injury history. If he’s ruled out again, we’ll get another game of peak Ben Simmons, which is fun. Let’s take a look at the Showdown contest on DraftKings and how to build a winning lineup.

Update: Embiid is available to play vs. the Warriors. I still consider Simmons the best option at Captain.

Who should you play at Captain?

Ben Simmons ($18,900)

There’s really no question Simmons is the best option in this contest. With or without Embiid, I don’t really care. Chance are Embiid won’t see a full workload if he’s back and I think there’s a better shot of him coming back later in the week against a stronger opponent. I’ve highlighted Simmons’ stats without Embiid countless times the past few weeks. If you don’t have a sense of how well Simmons is playing, go read up please. The last time Simmons had fewer than 43 fantasy points was Jan. 9 against the Celtics, the game after Embiid went down.

Who should I stack with Simmons?

Tobias Harris ($10,200)

It’ll be expensive, but I like either Al Horford ($9,600) or Tobias Harris ($10,200). I think Harris has a better ceiling due to his scoring, but the Warriors are just awful at defending bigs and Horford is a guy who can kill you in a lot of different ways — boards, assists, 3-pointers. I will say that Harris’ value is more closely tied to Embiid. So if Embiid plays, I’m off of Harris a bit (though I think he’s a good UTIL option in this contest still). Horford still starts and probably gets a boost with Embiid on the court — less defensive attention, more easy assists.

Where can I find value in the contest?

Furkan Korkmaz ($3,800)

If Embiid is still out, Furkan Korkmaz ($3,800) is almost a lock for me. The Warriors can’t defend the perimeter and Korkmaz has hit at least three 3-pointers in seven of nine games since Embiid went down. He’s been a very nice scoring compliment to Simmons and Harris lately. If you need someone on the Dubs side, Marquese Chriss ($5,000) is back in the rotation now that Willie Cauley-Stein is on the Mavericks.

Should should I fade?

Draymond Green ($7,800)

Eat. Sleep. Fade Draymond. I’ve been perpetually fading Green on most slates in 2020 and tonight is no different. Yeah, he had a solid game the other night against Indiana, whatever, I don’t care. If Embiid plays, there’s no way Green is getting anything easy and even if Embiid is out, there’s still Simmons and Horford. The Dubs shouldn’t score much on the road in Philly, so I can’t see Green returning value on this price.