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With real-life sports in the midst of an extended time out, DraftKings has been helping to fill the void with some very entertaining simulated sports action. Each day, there are six Madden Streams and eight free contests, with a single-game Showdown for each game along with a pair of classic contests. Each of the simulations is 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 or right here in this post. Follow along to watch your fantasy team rack up some big fantasy points.
Monday’s primetime contest with a five entry max is a juicy matchup between the Seahawks and the Bucs. Seattle has been one of the most disappointing teams in these sims from a record perspective, going just 9-18 in their 27 sims. However, they still have some very nice fantasy options to build around, as we’ll discuss below. In contrast, the Bucs were one of the biggest surprises of the early sim season in a positive way. They were the final undefeated team and were atop the competitive NFC South for much of the season. However, they have slipped a bit lately and come in with a 15-12 record. Will the Seahawks get a much-needed road win in virtual Tampa Bay or will the Bucs build on a very nice divisional win against the Falcons on Saturday? I’ll give you my pick to win and players to watch for your fantasy lineup below.
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SHOWDOWN STRATEGY
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks have been hit-or-miss at times in these sims but QB Russell Wilson ($11,000) has almost always brought his A-game. He is one of the few players in all of Madden averaging over 20 DKFP per sim and has produced over 18 DKFP in six straight sims. He has the unique X-Factor called “Blitz Radar” which enables him to see all blitzers after the snap after he activates the power with multiple scrambles of over 10 yards. His superstar abilities of “Escape Artist,” “Agile Extender” and “Dashing Deadeye” show off his precision and success on the move. He has added lots of fantasy value with his feet and has rushed for 1,328 yards and eight touchdowns in his 27 sims, averaging just under 50 yards per game. He has a very high ceiling if he gets out in space scrambling and has shown the ability to reach the 100-yard bonus. He should be able to use the speed of his WR to also beat up the Bucs’ secondary, so I expect him to have a good game.
The Seahawks’ WRs have been inconsistent, but have high ceilings since they’re so fast. WR1 Tyler Lockett ($9,400) has a strong 88 overall rating and a 93 speed rating. He has 15 touchdowns in these sims, highlighted by five in his past five contests. He had two touchdown catches and 24.8 DKFP in his most recent sim Saturday against the Cardinals. WR2 DK Metcalf ($6,600) is a great value option to consider since he has such a high ceiling with his 80 overall rating and 95 speed rating. Metcalf can be boom-or-bust but has gone for over 9.0 DKFP in four of his past six games dating back to a 20.4-DKFP performance against the Giants. The upside for DK is definitely there, but so is the risk. The Seahawks add even more speed when WR3 Josh Gordon ($4,400) is in the mix with his 78 overall rating and 91 speed rating. He does have a low 65 awareness rating, though, which can result in some down games. He’s not an awful play under $5K, but he’s also not my favorite option in that price range.
Another key part of the Seahawks’ passing game is TE Will Dissly ($6,400), who has a nice 80 overall rating which puts him even with Metcalf. He doesn’t have the speedy upside of the WR2, but he can be very involved and has exactly seven catches in each of his past three contests, giving him 14 DKFP or more in each of his past five. He’s also a very nice value to consider just over $6K. He’s more likely to see a heavy volume of targets than Metcalf but doesn’t have the same big-play potential.
Although Seattle does like to run the ball, RB1 Chris Carson ($8,600) has been a fade so far in these sims, averaging just 4.8 DKFP. His ratings aren’t bad at all but he loses work to third-down back C.J. Prosise ($1,000), who actually makes a lot of sense at just $1K if you need a punt play. He can definitely bust at times but usually is a good return on such a minimal investment.
The Seahawks’ DST ($3,400) is always a fun one to watch and should be in a good spot to force some turnovers in this contest. They had two fumble recoveries and an interception against the Cardinals bringing their total to 25 takeaways in 27 sims. X-Factor Superstar LB Bobby Wagner is the center of the action with his 98 overall rating, the highest of any player in this matchup, along with the X-Factor of “Shutdown” and superstar abilities of “Tackle Supreme” and “Enforcer,” which make him almost impossible to fake out or break tackles against. The DST doesn’t typically get a ton of sacks but can definitely cause fumbles and big plays.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
While Jameis Winston ($10,600) is no Russell Wilson, he has been pretty solid overall in these sims, averaging 18.0 DKFP per sim. He has thrown 44 touchdowns in 27 contests while averaging just under 250 yards per contest. He had a string of three awful games before bouncing back Saturday with 257 yards, two touchdowns and 17.28 DKFP. He doesn’t run like Wilson which definitely makes him the less successful of the two options, but we have also seen QBs put up some massive performances against the Seahawks, so the potential for a big game is definitely there.
Like the Seahawks, the Bucs use a backfield rotation which has taken most of the value away from RB1 Ronald Jones II ($6,800), who has a 77 overall rating. He has had a few big games with 29.5 DKFP against Miami and 27.7 DKFP against Baltimore, but he is very high-risk due to his limited workload and this matchup against Wagner and the Seahawks. Third-down back Dare Ogunbowale ($1,600) is coming off a huge game against Atlanta, where he racked up 74 yards and a score for 13.4 DKFP. He has a high ceiling and always finds ways to be involved to some level. He’s a slightly better play than Prosise if you have the extra salary needed. The Bucs also involve short-yardage power back Peyton Barber ($2,600) at times, but I prefer Dare since he offers more work as a PPR option.
The Bucs pass-catchers should be set up for a solid game against the Seahawks’ secondary and hopefully can continue to snap out of their funk from their three games before Saturday in which Winston struggled. Going back to WR1 Mike Evans ($10,400) was a big part of Winston’s turnaround against the Falcons, and Evans finished with two scores, 100 yards and 31 DKFP. He had been struggling before that breakout, so I’m not sure paying up for him is worth it in this matchup with so many other solid options. He does have an incredibly high ceiling, though, with his 92 overall rating, highlighted by a 95 catch-in-traffic rating, a 97 release rating, a 95 jump and a 97 spectacular catch rating. WR2 Chris Godwin ($8,200) has been mostly struggling lately as well with only one game in his past four with more than two catches. He has a strong 87 overall rating and the “Route Technician” Superstar ability, enabling him to have a high success rate when creating separation on the last cut of any route. He has averaged 10.2 DKFP in 27 sims and even came up totally empty in two of his games. He has a high ceiling but comes with high risk as well. If you drop down to WR3 Breshad Perriman ($5,200), you can get even better value and plenty of upside with his 95 speed rating. However, he has only has one or two catches in five straight games. He could definitely break out against Seattle, though, and flashed lots of upside earlier in our sim season.
With all that boom-or-bust potential at WR, my favorite Bucs’ pass-catcher is actually TE O.J. Howard ($7,600), who has actually been much more reliable and productive than any other Buc lately. He has had a few massive games with over 30 DKFP and had 15.5 DKFP against the Falcons on Saturday. His 81 overall rating, 87 speed rating, and 83 catching rating have powered him to 12.9 DKFP per contest.
The Buccaneers’ DST ($3,200) hasn’t been much of an option with just 3.8 DKFP per sim. They have 11 takeaways and 47 sacks in their 27 sims but don’t have a big-time playmaker like Wagner for Seattle. I’d actually rather go with K Matt Gay ($3,800), who is averaging 7.3 DKFP in his 27 sims and has at least seven DKFP in five of his past six.
THE OUTCOME
Paying up for Russell Wilson ($16,500 CP) is a big ask in your Captain’s Pick spot, but with the value in the running game its definitely possible in this matchup. He’s the most reliable option on the two teams and should be a strong play once again. O.J. Howard ($11,400 CP) is my favorite Captain’s Pick from the pass-catchers available although I also love the upside of DK Metcalf ($9,900 CP), Will Dissly ($9,600 CP) or even Mike Evans ($15,600 CP) if you can pay up. With Dare, Prosise, the Seahawks’ DST and Matt Gay as value options, there are lots of ways to construct your five entries for this contest, so make sure to take advantage of the multiple entries and have extra fun building your lineups.
The Seahawks have the speed to break big plays and should be in a good matchup against the Bucs’ secondary. With Winston being so inconsistent lately and a clear advantage to Seattle on the defensive side, I actually think the Seahawks can come into Tampa and pull off the upset. Based on their ratings, Seattle should be better than their record, and I think they’ll be able to get this road win.
Final Score: Seahawks 27, Buccaneers 21
DEPTH CHARTS
Seahawks
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Buccaneers
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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.