Best lineup strategy for Lakers vs. Hawks NBA Showdown

The Los Angeles Lakers snapped out of a losing streak with a narrow victory in their last game and will attempt to win a second road game in a row against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, LeBron James and Anthony Davis carry their usual questionable designations ahead of the matchup, but both stars should be viable plays in Showdown DFS contests on DraftKings.

Captain’s Picks

Davis ($11,200) posted 53 DKFP despite dealing with a quad bruise against the Boston Celtics. The Hawks have defended well against bigs thanks to Clint Capela's addition, but AD matches up well against John Collins and Capela because of his offensive versatility. James ($17,100) also stands out as a top-notch option, as De’Andre Hunter has been ruled out with a knee injury. Atlanta’s next best option to defend James is Cam Reddish, and he’ll need a lot of help with a team with few other quality wing defenders available.

FLEX Plays

Trae Young is probable to play despite the knee injury he’s dealing with, so the Hawks’ weak defensive backcourt could be at even more of a disadvantage against Dennis Schroder ($6,800). Atlanta drafted Schroder, and he generally puts on a show against his old team. He’s scored at least 20 points in three of his four career games against the Hawks and has yet to drop under 18 points against them.

Reddish ($5,400) will be a busy man on Monday, as he might be Atlanta’s only quality wing defender in this contest. He’ll be spelled by Danilo Gallinari and Solomon Hill at times but will likely only trail you when it comes to minutes because of his defensive versatility and the Hawks’ lack of depth at small forward.

Fades

Kyle Kuzma ($5,800) has plenty of value if Davis doesn’t play but has scored 20 or fewer DKFP in five of his last six games. There are only three options between $5K and $6K, but Reddish and Gallinari ($6,000) seem more appealing for a hawks side that could be a little shorthanded.

The Outcome

The Lakers are favored by 6 points at DraftKings Sportsbook and should get even more of an edge with Hunter out. Los Angeles snapped a two-game losing streak against the Celtics in its last game, so it would be surprising for them to fall to an Atlanta team that’s less than 100 percent.

Final score: Lakers win 115-108