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The Philadelphia 76ers (36-22) will visit the Cleveland Cavaliers (16-41) Wednesday to kick off a nine-game NBA slate on DraftKings. Both teams are dealing with injuries to key players in this one, and that will effect who the top performers are. The 76ers are trying to move toward the top of the Eastern Conference while the Cavs are trapped at the bottom, but both teams are looking for a second straight win. We break down the best Showdown lineup strategies for the contest here.
Captain’s Picks
Going with Joel Embiid ($17,100 CP) here is a no-brainer. Ben Simmons is expected to miss an extended period of time with a back injury, making the big man that much more important for Philadelphia’s offense. Andre Drummond won’t play for Cleveland because of a strained calf, opening the door for Embiid to dominate in a favorable matchup against Tristan Thompson ($10,500 CP/$7,000). Embiid is fresh off a career-high 49 points and 14 rebounds in his last appearance and will look to keep up
Drummond’s absence leaves more rebounding responsibility to Kevin Love ($12,000 CP), totaled 17 points and 14 rebounds against the Miami Heat in his last appearance. He posted those numbers on an off shooting night and doesn’t appear to be too bothered by the lingering Achilles pain he’s been dealing with. He’ll likely be opposite an average defender in Tobias Harris ($12,600 CP/$8,400) and should put up solid numbers if he’s aggressive on the offensive end.
FLEX Options
Rookie wing Kevin Porter Jr. ($6,000) is a bit of a wild card, but his career-high 30 points against the Miami Heat earlier this week is encouraging. If he gets the green light Wednesday, he could be a valuable scoring option off the bench against reserve wings like Alec Burks ($4,400) and Glenn Robinson III ($2,400).
Shake Milton ($5,200) is filling in for Simmons as a starting point guard and doesn’t face much competition. Raul Neto ($4,000) didn’t even get to play against the Atlanta Hawks in Philadelphia’s last game, and Burks should spend most of his time at shooting guard. Milton can put together a well-rounded stat line against the Cavaliers’ subpar defensive backcourt and might even have a breakout scoring performance.