Best lineup strategy for Rams vs. Jets Madden simulation Showdown

The Los Angeles Rams and New York Jets will face off in a Madden sim Monday 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

Brandin Cooks ($11,400)

Cooks is like a whirling dervish of anger out on the simulated gridiron. He’s one of my favorite WR plays in Madden and continues to be a high-ceiling wideout to look at in these Showdown contests. Because we need a guy who can throw up 30-40 DKFP in the Captain, Cooks is the perfect combo of affordability and upside.

Fading ....

Demaryius Thomas ($7,200)

I might end up regretting this pick because DT has been pretty consistent in these sims, but screw it. Thomas, while consistent, lacks major upside. He’s only found the end zone once and his QB is Sam Darnold, who is among the worst in sim land. The low ceiling for Thomas just makes it feel like a better idea to play some Rams wideouts.

Bargain Shopping

Normally, we’d be highlighting a player like Thomas in this section. Fooled you! Instead we’ll look at a .... kicker play? Sam Ficken is $3,800 and is averaging over 7.0 DKFP per contest. I witnessed a career sim performance from Adam Vinatieri for the Colts over the weekend. Ficken has the kicker ceiling we’re looking for with a game of four FGs and 18 DKFP.

There really isn’t any value on the Rams side of this thing. Tyler Higbee ($6,800) is the closest thing we’ll find to a value for L.A. That really just means most of their stud players are worth rolling out there. Higbee is just as consistent as the other guys, scoring a TD in three of the past four sims.