Best lineup strategy for Saints vs. Panthers Madden simulation Showdown

The New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers will face off in a Madden sim Wednesday at 4:00 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 kickoff.

Captain’s Pick

Jared Cook ($10,800)

Normally I’d go with Michael Thomas, no exceptions at Captain. I still think MT is a great, if not the greatest, play for this contest. Still, I think we need some leverage if the Panthers defense shows up. Cook has a safe floor at the TE position with at least six catches in three straight games. He’s going to be lower owned than Thomas, and probably Alvin Kamara, Drew Brees and Christian McCaffrey. Thomas has also cooled off a bit lately, for what it’s worth.

Fade of the Game

Curtis Samuel ($5,400)

I’m probably going to regret this like I always do. Fading Samuel isn’t my favorite play in the world, but he’s kind of the odd man out on the Panthers offense. Newton, CMC, Greg Olsen and D.J. Moore have been carrying things for Carolina. Samuel has had OK games mixed in, but that doesn’t mean he’s worth rostering. Captaining him might be nutty too.

Value Picks

While the Saints have MT and Kamara, it’s actually their cheap WRs that make for the best plays. Both Ted Ginn Jr. ($5,000) and Tre’Quan Smith ($4,600). I like to call these types of WR plays “Lottery Tickets” because of their volatility. Both can easily post 20+ points in a sim and then turn around and give you a kick in the mid-section. So in a tough matchup, we still want to get one of these wideouts into our lineups.