Top NFL Targets at each position for 6-game slate on May 11th

DraftKings will have yet another six-game slate of Madden simulations on Monday. The Pittsburgh Steelers at Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals at Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings at Houston Texans, New Orleans at Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams at Sam Francisco 49ers, and Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears will all face off in the simulation. We break down the top plays at each position, and you can set your lineup here.

Quarterback

Drew Brees, Saints ($7,800) at Raiders

Brees hasn’t been especially consistent in Madden sims, but he has had good upside and has hit 32.4, 23, and 27.9 DK points in his last three against good defenses. Today he faces a bad Raiders pass defense, which is truly awful in Madden. The Raiders best cornerback in Madden rating is Daryl Worley with a 75. That 75 ranks 30th for the cornerbacks playing just on this slate.

Deshaun Watson, Texans ($7,000) vs. Vikings

Watson has thrown two or more touchdowns in each of his last six games and has topped 36 rushing yards in seven of his last ten. His rushing numbers have helped his floor, as he hasn’t dipped below 17 DK points in his last 8 matchups. The Vikings aren’t the best defense to take on, but they are better against the run than the pass and their best cornerback ranks 17th in Madden rating out of today’s defenders.

Running back

Tevin Coleman, 49ers ($5,800) vs. Rams

The 49ers rushing offense is great in real life and that has followed suit in Madden life as well. Coleman has been the main back, averaging 106.9 total yards per game, with nine touchdowns total and seven in his last seven games. The Rams have Aaron Donald, but the group as a whole has holes. Coleman also has some good reception numbers, with nine in his last two matchups, giving him a stronger floor.

Dalvin Cook, ($6,800) at Texans

Cook has been racking up the DK points of late with seven touchdowns in his last six matchups. In that stretch, he’s also averaged 107.6 total yards per game. As long as we can find some value, Cook and Coleman look like the top backs going today.

Wide Receiver

DeAndre Hopkins, Texans ($8,000) vs. Vikings

Hopkins’ price is up there, but he also has 34 and 48 DK points in his last two matchups. That turns out to be 17 receptions for 290 yards and five touchdowns. He also has 26, 29.6, and 27.7 DK point upside games during these simulations, while only dipping below double-digit scores twice in 11 games. His upside

Michael Thomas, Saints ($8,200) at Raiders
Tre’Quan Smith, Saints ($3,000) at Raiders

The matchup here is why I have Drew Brees as a good start, so that transfers over to the Saints receivers as well. Thomas is the highest priced receiver on the slate, with nine touchdowns in his last eight games. But, to use him, you’ll need to find some value and Smith is a great risk-reward play for his price and matchup. He’s topped 20 DK points in three of his last six games, but there’s no doubt his floor is quite low.

James Washington, Steelers ($3,800) at Dolphins

The Steelers get a great matchup with the Dolphins and make for a nice stack today despite their low numbers in these simulations. JuJu-Smith-Schuster and Washington would be my stacking choices with Ben Roethlisberger, but if we’re looking for a value play to help us pay up elsewhere, Washington is a strong play, as he seven touchdowns in his last eight games and only costs 3.8 k.

Tight End

George Kittle, 49ers ($6,100) vs. Rams

Kittle has dipped below 13 DK points just once in his last eight games and has put up games of 37, 42.3, and 24.9 in that stretch. That kind of upside is hard to pass on when looking for big scores. In their last two games, they’ve given up eight receptions to Jared Cook and seven receptions and two touchdowns to Jimmy Graham.

Jared Cook, Saints ($5,300) at Raiders

Picking on the Raiders defense should prove profitable and Cook is another receiver with good upside today. He’s only fallen below 13 DK points once in his last seven games and has seen big reception numbers in that stretch, proving he’s getting good targets. He’s now had six or more receptions in five of his last six games.

Defense/Special Teams

Green Bay Packers ($3,000) at Bears

The Packers have 21 sacks six interceptions and three defensive touchdowns through 11 games and face Mitch Trubisky, who has actually put up good numbers, but has also lost five fumbles and has five turnovers in his last five games.