Best lineup strategy for Texans vs. Bills Madden simulation Showdown

The Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills will face off in a Madden sim Friday at 10:00 p.m. ET. We break down the ideal Showdown lineup strategy for the DFS contest. You can set your lineup and play in the DraftKings contest before kickoff.

Captain’s Picks

Deshaun Watson ($17,400)

Both of these teams have solid defenses and neither has had too many high-scoring players. Watson and DeAndre Hopkins ($15,600 CP) are far and away the top options for Captain. Watson has absolutely crushed it with his legs in these Madden sims. He’s already up to 269 rushing yards over seven simulations. That type of floor means Watson will be the chalk along with Nuk.

Tyler Kroft ($8,400)

I like Kroft a bit more in the FLEX spot here, but there’s a case for him as captain. Mostly because the options I recommended above are going to be highly owned. We need some leverage and if Watson and Hopkins somehow struggle vs. the Bills tough secondary, then that could open up Kroft as an OK captain. It helps that he’s got 12 receptions for 155 yards over his past two games, both against OK defense in Philly and Minny.

FLEX Men

John Brown ($9,400)

Between you and me, Brown’s way too rich for my blood. I’m willing to make an exception after seeing what he did last game and looking at Houston’s secondary. Brown has the ability to break a huge TD at any time in Madden. He’s coming off six receptions for 100 yards against the Eagles for 19 DKFP. If Downtown can break one, returning value at OK ownership is likely.

Bills D/ST ($3,000)

This seems like a really cheap price for an elite defense playing at home against a turnover prone QB. Remember, in Madden it’s easier for a QB to fumble the ball if he’s running. Watson hasn’t lost a fumble so far in sims, but he’s tossed four INTs and I can see the Bills pass rush getting to him. The issue with playing the Bills D/ST is you can’t really fade one or both of Hopkins and Watson, so this is an ultra contrarian play.