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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.
Saturday’s late slate kicks off at 6 p.m. with a nice matchup between the Falcons and the Lions, who have both been involved in some high-scoring contests and have vulnerable defenses. In the primetime game at 8 p.m. ET, the Bengals host the Seahawks, who have some great fantasy options in play. The final game of the day is a matchup from the West Coast, where the Chargers will welcome in the division-rival Raiders to close out the slate.
There are lots of intriguing options to consider from the six teams on the late slate Saturday, and I’ll give you my favorite plays at each position and price point for this three-game 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.
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Quarterback
Stud
Russell Wilson, SEA at CIN, $8,000 — Of the six QBs in play on the late slate, Wilson has been by far the most effective, averaging 21.9 DKFP per sim. He gets a great matchup in Cincinnati against the Bengals, who have been beatable both on the ground and through the air. In his most recent sim, he looked sharp against the Lions, throwing for 214 yards and two scores while rushing for 112 yards and another score for a total of 36.76 DKFP. While he may not reach that ceiling in every game, his ability to pile up production in multiple ways has helped him to over 18 DKFP in eight straight games with multiple touchdowns in all but one of those sims. If you can make his $8K salary work with the rest of your lineup, he’ll likely be worth paying up for. Other Options — Matt Ryan ($7,200), Philip Rivers ($6,800)
Value
Derek Carr, OAK at LAC, $6,400 — Carr has often had to rally his team from behind since the Raiders’ DST has given up lots of points in most matchups. He had 340 yards and a pair of scores against the Bucs for 24.5 DKFP in his most recent sim and has over 17 DKFP in three of his past four contests. He doesn’t add the rushing yards to have quite as high a ceiling as Wilson but is the best affordable option on this slate.
Other Option — Matthew Stafford ($6,600)
Running Back
Stud
Devonta Freeman, ATL vs. DET, $6,100 — Similarly to the way Wilson can be a dual threat, Freeman offers different ways to produce fantasy points in the Atlanta offense, since he is very involved as both the Falcons’ primary rusher and a receiver out of the backfield. He has 100 catches in his 29 sim games for an average of about 3.5 per contest. His volume gives him an extremely high ceiling with PPR production along with his ability to get into the end zone. He has 21 touchdowns on the season and six in his past four contests. He has over 14 DKFP in five of his past seven sims and should be set up for more success against a Lions defense that has given up a lot of rushing production this sim season.
Value
Gio Bernard, CIN vs. SEA, $3,900 — Bernard has been very involved as the Bengals’ third-down option and is a great value at this salary. He has averaged 8.8 DKFP per contest and has double-digit DKFP in six straight sims. He has scored a touchdown in three straight contests and now has seven on the sim season, but even if he doesn’t get in the end zone, he can still return value if he piles up work as a receiver out of the backfield.
Other Options — Jalen Richard ($3,600), J.D. McKissic ($3,300)
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Wide Receiver
Stud
Keenan Allen, LAC vs. OAK, $7,400 — Allen should be a solid play out of the slot for the Chargers against the Raiders and typically is very involved in the offense. He has averaged 72 yards per sim and scored 16 touchdowns in 28 sims. He has over 11 DKFP in five of his past seven sims and definitely has the potential for big plays. While his teammate discussed below is a better value, Allen also has big-time potential and will likely have lower ownership. Other Options — Julio Jones ($7,800), Kenny Golladay ($6,600)
Value
Calvin Ridley, ATL vs. DET, $4,600 — The Falcons have a solid passing game and are in a good matchup against the Lions’ secondary. Ridley has a high ceiling with over 25 DKFP in two of his past five sims and over 22 DKFP in four of his past nine. He isn’t the most consistent option since he sometimes is less involved, but he has a good ceiling, especially if the Lions focus on shutting down Julio on the other side.
Mike Williams, LAC vs OAK, $4,400 — Williams has been the most productive WR in all of Madden on a per-dollar basis and has been a very popular play as a result. He has 73.8 yards per sim and a total of 20 touchdowns in 28 contests, helping him average 16.2 DKFP per contest. He has been better than most WR1 options and has a great ceiling against the Raiders’ iffy secondary.
Other Options — DK Metcalf ($4,300), John Ross III ($3,400)
Tight End
Stud
Darren Waller, OAK at LAC, $4,900 — Waller has been the most productive TE on this slate and should be able to keep things going even in a less-than-ideal matchup against the Chargers. He has gotten lots of volume all season for the Raiders and has piled up 13 touchdowns in his 29 sims. He is averaging 14.3 DKFP per sim on 64.6 yards and 4.7 catches per contest. He has four of those scores in his past five sims, so he has been even more reliable lately and also has produced over 60 yards in each of those four sims. Other Option — Austin Hooper ($5,500)
Value
Will Dissly, SEA at CIN, $4,300 — Dissly isn’t quite as involved as Waller but still gets enough volume to be an option in a good matchup against the Bengals. Dissly had eight straight games with double-digit DKFP before a quiet 7.1 DKFP against Detroit in his most recent sim. He is averaging 4.0 catches per contest and his volume makes him a relatively safe option at this salary.
Other Option — T.J. Hockenson ($3,900)
DST
Stud
Chargers DST vs. OAK, $3,100 — The Chargers have been slightly underrated in these sims but can definitely make a big impact. The Bolts had five sacks in the team’s most recent sim, which was against the Falcons and resulted in 6.0 DKFP. The defensive unit has 54 sacks total in 28 sims and has been pretty good at home, where the Chargers’ D is producing 5.5 DKFP per contest. The Raiders’ passing offense has been good, but has also given up sacks and turned the ball over, making the Chargers a decent option on this slate.
Value
Seahawks DST at CIN, $2,700 — The Seahawks’ DST is led by the elite Bobby Wagner, who forces a ton of fumbles in these sims. Seattle has recovered 22 fumbles in 29 games in addition to 38 sacks and three defensive touchdowns. The Seahawks are averaging 4.4 DKFP per sim and have actually been slightly better on the road, where the team will have a favorable matchup in Cincinnati.
Other Option — Lions ($2,300)
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.