Best lineup strategy for Falcons vs. Bengals Madden simulation Showdown

The Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals will face off in a Sunday Madden sim at 12:00 p.m. ET. We break down the ideal Showdown lineup strategy for the DFS contests centered around the game. You can set your lineup and play at DraftKings.

Captain’s Picks

Atlanta’s duo of Matt Ryan ($16,200) and Julio Jones ($16,800) should be the top two captain’s candidates in this contest. Both players should have an advantage against Cincinnati’s poor secondary. Matty Ice has a ton of mismatches to expose but will likely primary work with Jones, who has Madden ratings few other receivers can match. I’d give Ryan the edge because of his consistency in this case though.

A.J. Green ($15,000) has less receiving yards and touchdowns than Tyler Boyd, which makes me lean in the WR2’s direction. He’s essentially operated as Andy Dalton’s top target and offers more flexibility because of his price. Calvin Ridley ($8,100) might be even more enticing as a value option though. He’s caught one more touchdown (12) than Jones and allows you to fit three highly-priced options in the flex.

Flex Men

It’s hard to defend not starting a running back, and Devonta Freeman ($8,600) has been more productive than both of the Bengals’ running backs combined. He’s versatile and one of the most successful PPR backs we’ve seen. He’s made 79 catches so far this sim season.

Tyler Eifert ($6,400) comes to mind when I think of other flex options, but variance can be important too. Because of that, I’d consider taking a long, hard look at Randy Bullock ($3,800), who’s reached double-digits in DKFP four times this season. We’ve seen him end up as the top scorer on his team, and his sent his fair share of deep kicks through the uprights.