Best lineup strategy for Grizzlies vs. Suns NBA simulation Showdown

The Memphis Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns will face off in a sim Monday at 3:00 p.m. ET. We break down the ideal Showdown lineup strategy for the DFS contest that will be played in the snow. You can set your lineup and play in the DraftKings contest before tip.

Captain’s Pick

Deandre Ayton ($14,100)

There are really only three options at Captain in this contest, maybe 4-5 if you want to stretch it a bit. Devin Booker ($16,200), Ja Morant ($15,300) and then Ayton are the three most likely to lead in ownership. Booker has the highest ceiling and is the best overall play. Usually that’s the way to go in these sims that are RNG based off box scores from this season. Ayton has a smallish sample size of boxes and is averaging basically 20-10 through 30 games. Ayton is the floor play and Booker is the ceiling play. Morant is the pivot that probably underperforms.

Fade of the Game

Dillon Brooks ($10,800)

There’s really no reason to Captain Brooks let alone play him at the UTIL. This price on Brooks is just way too high. Why are we paying this much for Brooks when we can get the triple-double upside of Ricky Rubio ($11,700). Brooks is primarily just a scorer and doesn’t do much else. Unless you roll a box score of his that’s for 30+ points, you’re not gonna get the point total you want.

Value Picks

There’s some good value in the mid-range in this contest. Brandon Clarke ($6,200) was one of my dark horse ROTY candidates back before Ja Morant took off. He’s really efficient and doesn’t need a lot of minutes to put up points. If you want the rush of NBA DFS, try playing Aron Baynes ($3,600) and go searching for the needle in the haystack. That is, Baynes’ 37-point, 16-rebound outburst back in March. Frank Kaminsky ($2,400) is the lite version of the Baynes play. Kaminsky has a few box scores in the 20+ point range that are worth chasing at this price.