:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67002141/3_game_slate_horizontal_v1.0.jpg)
With real-life sports still in the midst of an extended time out, DraftKings continues to provide some great sports simulations to fill the void. Each day there are six Madden Streams with eight free contests to be a part of. You can play a single-game Showdown for each contest along with an all-day, six-game classic contest and a three-game late slate. Each simulation will be played out via an online Madden Stream using Madden 2020 with rosters and ratings from the end of the 2019-20 season. In this format, you can enjoy watching the game stream on the DK Live app (download here) or right here in this post. Follow along to watch your fantasy team pile up fantasy points.
This post will focus on the three-game late slate for Saturday which includes the three games starting at 6 p.m. ET or later. We start with a pair of coaches taking on teams which they used to work for as Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers host the Redskins and Matt Patricia’s Lions host the Patriots. After those two games, we’ll wrap up another full sim-day with a 10 p.m. ET contest from virtual Minnesota where the Vikings host the Broncos.
There are lots of ways you can build your roster with the options from those six teams in action, and I’ll give you my favorite plays at each position and price point for this three-game classic slate below. As you build your team, make sure to check out the Madden info page for all the data on player ratings, special abilities and what you can look forward to coming soon.
Set your FREE to play lineups here: Madden Stream $2K FREE Contest
Madden Stream: Broncos at Vikings
LIVE at 10 p.m. ET
Quarterback
Stud
Tom Brady, NE at DET, $7,300 — Brady is coming off a rare down game after managing only 219 yards and no touchdowns against the Jets in a game the Patriots still found a way to win in overtime. He only earned 7.76 DKFP, but prior to that, he had over 16 DKFP and multiple touchdowns in eight of his previous nine. He has been one of the most prolific passers in all of Madden with 53 touchdowns in 26 sims and an average of 247.8 yards per contest. He should be in a good spot to get things turned back around against the Lions in this contest. Other Option — Jimmy Garoppolo ($6,800)
Value
Dwayne Haskins Jr., WAS at SF, $5,700 — It’s a tough matchup for Haskins on the road against the 49ers, but he still has upside since he has shown a higher ceiling than the other value QBs available in these three sims. Haskins has averaged 17.1 DKFP per sim but has been very boom-or-bust. On the bust side, he only had reached 10 DKFP once in his previous five sims before going off for 21.64 DKFP against the Seahawks in his most recent contest. He threw three scores in that game, giving him nine games with at least three touchdowns and 21 DKFP. Most of those have come against much lesser defenses than San Francisco, but he has the upside to be the best super-cheap QB on this slate.
Running Back
Stud
Dalvin Cook, MIN vs. DEN, $6,800 — There haven’t been many RB1 options that have consistently delivered, but we have a few of them in action on this slate. Cook has been one of the best for most of the season and continued to dominate by going off on Wednesday in the snow against the Bengals, producing over 200 yards on the ground and three rushing touchdowns on his way to 44.4 DKFP. He has over 18 DKFP in four straight and seven of his past nine games. The great thing about Cook is that he contributes so much in the passing game that he’s fairly low-risk and comes with a sky-high ceiling. He now has 21 touchdowns in his 26 sims and 11 of them have come in his 10 most recent contests. The Broncos’ run defense isn’t awful, but it isn’t good enough to make me pivot away from Cook. Other Options — Phillip Lindsay ($6,000), James White ($5,900)
Value
Tevin Coleman, SF vs. WAS, $5,800 — Another one of the few elite RBs that have gotten enough work on a regular basis is Coleman, although he can still be had at such an affordable salary. He had 92 yards against the Dolphins but didn’t get into the end zone so only had 12.2 DKFP. He has at least that many DKFP in eight straight contests, dating back to when he exploded for 135 yards and 22.5 DKFP against the Raiders. He has had some monster games showcasing a high ceiling, but is also very reliable since he’s the focus of the 49ers’ gameplan is just about every matchup.
Other Options — J.D. McKissic ($3,100), Chris Thompson ($3,000)
Curious about when major leagues and events will return? Check out our DraftKings Sports Calendar for the latest updates.
Wide Receiver
Stud
Adam Thielen, MIN vs. DEN, $6,000 — He isn’t even the WR1 on his own team, but I think he’s a great play in this matchup against Denver. The Broncos have some elite playmakers in their secondary but don’t have much depth. As a result, they have given up big games to opposing slot receivers, including in their most recent contest when Russell Gage Jr. tore them up and earned the 100-yard bonus. Thielen should be able to exploit that same matchup in this contest and could be set up for a monster game. There have been times where the Vikings don’t throw much, but whenever they have called on Thielen, he has proven to be a very reliable contributor. Other Options — Julian Edelman ($6,700), Courtland Sutton ($6,300)
Value
Marvin Jones Jr., DET vs. NE, $4,900 — The Lions have also gotten good work from their WR2, as Jones has found the end zone in four straight games and is up to 15 scores in his 26 sims. He is averaging 13.5 DKFP per sim and has had 15 DKFP or more in each of his four most recent contests. If the Patriots scheme to take away Kenny Golladay ($6,600) with Stephon Gilmore, the Lions may have to look to Jones early and often since I don’t think their defense will be able to slow down Brady and the Pats’ offense.
Deebo Samuel, SF vs. WAS, $4,000 — A broken foot this week in real life won’t slow down the virtual Samuel as his 49ers host Washington. Samuel is another WR2 who has been extremely productive with 3.5 catches per game for an average of 58.6 yards per contest in his 26 sims along with 10 receiving touchdowns. He has at least 85 yards in each of his past three games and has posted double-digit DKFP in five of his past six contests.
Other Options — Mohamed Sanu ($4,100), Paul Richardson Jr. ($3,600)
Tight End
Stud
Jordan Reed, WAS at SF, $4,800 — If you can’t quite scrape together the salary for George Kittle ($6,100), the TE on the other side of the 6 p.m. ET matchup also brings some solid upside. Reed is usually very involved for Washington and has hauled in an average of over four catches per contest. He had seven catches in his most recent sim against Seattle and finished with 10.0 DKFP. He has double-digit DKFP in four of his past seven games, and he could be heavily involved in Washington’s aerial attack if the team’s WRs are shut down by the CBs of San Francisco. The 49ers have a great defensive unit but have been beatable by TEs at times in these sims. Other Option — George Kittle ($6,100)
Value
Ben Watson, NE at DET, $4,000 — If you are looking for a value TE, Watson has been a go-to option throughout these sims and should continue to be in this matchup. He has averaged an insane 67.9 yards on 5.3 catches per sim as he continues to thrive on Gronk’s old routes in the Patriots’ playbook. The Lions shouldn’t be a problem for Brady and Ben, but it’s really just a matter of which mismatch Brady locks into.
Other Options — T.J. Hockenson ($3,800), Noah Fant ($3,500)
DST
Stud
Patriots DST at DET, $3,100 — New England has 13 interceptions in 26 sims, which is among the highest totals by any team in our sims. The unit has 17 takeaways and 61 sacks for an impressive 5.5 DKFP per sim. The Patriots have actually been even better on the road, where they are averaging 6.2 DKFP per contest. In a good matchup against the hit-or-miss Lions, they should be able to get pressure on Matthew Stafford ($6,700) and force him into mistakes. Other Option — 49ers ($2,900)
Value
Vikings DST vs. DEN, $2,700 — The Vikings’ DST has 29 takeaways in 26 sims and the unit has recovered an impressive 22 fumbles. They also have stacked up 52 sacks and four defensive TDs, netting them a very solid 7.2 DKFP per sim, good enough to make them one of the best fantasy defenses in the Madden universe. They get a good matchup against a rookie QB in the late game and should be primed to deliver another good performance.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Z.Thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.