It’s another full Friday of Madden sims to help you start your weekend off with some fantasy football fun on the DraftKings Dream Stream. While there are five matchups throughout the day beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET, the main featured slate kicks off at 6:00 p.m. ET and includes the three late games. The first of those matchups features the New England Patriots headed to virtual U.S. Bank Stadium to take on the Minnesota Vikings. In the primetime matchup kicking off at 8:00 p.m. ET, the Philadelphia Eagles will visit the San Francisco 49ers, and we close out the slate with a rematch of the first Super Bowl ever played as the Kansas City Chiefs roll into virtual Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers on Madden After Dark.
An important note to remember is that each roster is not impacted by COVID-19 opt-outs or injuries, and the highest-rated options are at the top of the depth charts. The roster for each team includes all player movement that occurred prior to Week 1 of this season, and you can find the game settings, depth charts, abilities and X-factors for each team in Madden 21 along with the upcoming schedule on the Madden Stream info page.
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Quarterback
Stud
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs at Green Bay Packers, $8,300 — As the only QB with a perfect 99 overall rating in these sims, Mahomes has been dominant throwing 51 touchdown passes in 23 contests while adding eight more scores on the ground and averaging 281.9 passing yards per sim. He has over 20 DKFP in 15 of his past 21 games and in four of his past five. He is averaging over 24 DKFP per contest and went well over that average with 28.76 DKFP against Dallas in his most recent sim, throwing two touchdowns and rushing for a third while producing 279 passing yards. The only reason to hesitate just a little with Mahomes on this slate is his matchup. The Packers are a very solid defense in Madden 21 and held Mahomes to 14.04 DKFP when they met recently and Green Bay won, 14-11. However, Mahomes lit up the Packers for 27.28 DKFP in an earlier meeting in these sims, so he still has the potential to go off despite the matchup. While I don’t think he’s the only QB to consider, he still comes with the highest ceiling and the least risk.
Other Option — Aaron Rodgers ($7,100)
Value
Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles at San Francisco 49ers, $6,800 — Wentz has struggled in real life, but he has been pretty solid in Madden with good ratings based on his previous seasons and a healthy offensive line and skill players. Wentz is the only other QB on this slate besides Mahomes averaging over 20 DKFP per contest. He has thrown 38 touchdowns in his 19 sims while averaging a solid 241.8 yards per contest. Wentz has thrown multiple touchdowns in three of his past four sims with over 19 DKFP in each of those contests. He does have a tough matchup against the 49ers but did lead his team to a 20-10 victory against San Francisco earlier in these sims with 207 yards, two touchdowns and 16.28 DKFP. He has the kind of ceiling you need to consider if you’re looking to pivot away from Mahomes.
Other Option — Cam Newton ($6,300)
Running Back
Stud
Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings vs. New England Patriots, $8,500 — Cook has been a fantasy beast in these sims just like in real life and has been able to score 22 touchdowns in 19 sims. He had 140 rushing yards and three scores for 38.0 DKFP against the Texans in his most recent sim and had 153 rushing yards with two touchdowns and 35.3 DKFP when he and the Vikings recently beat the Patriots, 21-18. Cook usually tacks on a few catches for some extra yards but has done most of his damage on the ground, reaching the 100-yard bonus in six of his eight most recent contests.
Other Options — Raheem Mostert ($7,700), Aaron Jones ($6,800)
Value
James White, New England Patriots at Minnesota Vikings, $4,800 — With so many big-name elite RBs monopolizing touches in the backfield on this slate, there aren’t a lot of value options that get regular playing time. The one place there is a backfield timeshare that presents some opportunity to save salary is in New England where White shares work with Sony Michel ($4,400). While both have proven to be solid value plays at times, Michel is extremely touchdown-dependent. He has run for a pair of scores in each of his past two games, finishing with 18.7 DKFP and 19.4 DKFP, but I actually think White is a more consistent play to consider against Minnesota. White is a steady option thanks to his PPR work and has at least three catches in seven straight games with double-digit DKFP in four of his past seven, including 12.9 DKFP in his most recent sim, which was against the Colts. While either Patriots RB can give you some salary relief, I’d lean towards White in this matchup, especially since he just had 12.9 DKFP against Minnesota when he faced them recently.
Other Option — Sony Michel ($4,400)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs at Green Bay Packers, $7,800 — Hill has been a locked-in elite WR throughout his 23 sims in Madden 21. He surpassed 2,000 receiving yards in his most recent game with 141 yards and 31.1 DKFP against the Cowboys. He is averaging 6.1 catches for 87.3 receiving yards per sim and has scored 20 touchdowns. Hill is the only player in Madden with a perfect 99 speed rating and can turn any catch into a big play. He had 10.1 DKFP and 17.5 DKFP in his two earlier matchups with the Packers and is almost a lock to get to double-digit DKFP, which he has done in 21-of-23 sims so far. He also has a very high ceiling with 10 games of at least 22 DKFP.
Other Options — Devin Funchess ($6,400), DeSean Jackson ($6,200)
Value
Marquise Goodwin, Philadelphia Eagles at San Francisco 49ers, $5,100 — With all the injuries the Eagles have had at WR this season, Goodwin could have ended up with a big role if he hadn’t opted out at the start of the season. In Madden 21, Goodwin is the Eagles’ WR3 and his 97 speed rating has given him very good upside. Goodwin has at least five catches in four straight games, highlighted by a monster 31.2-DKFP performance against the Jets. Goodwin will be playing his former team in this matchup, and he had three catches for 81 yards and 11.1 DKFP when he faced them earlier in Madden 21.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Green Bay Packers vs. Kansas City Chiefs, $4,200 — MVS has been a solid value play as the Packers’ WR3 and has found the end zone in back-to-back sims coming into this matchup. He has at least three catches in four straight and in seven of his past nine contests coming into this matchup with the Chiefs. He also had at least three catches in each of his previous matchups with Kansas City as well and should be a reliable producer in this rematch. I think both teams will put up points, and the Packers will have to air it out to keep up with Kansas City’s high-flying offense.
Other Options — N’Keal Harry ($4,600), Demarcus Robinson ($3,800), Damiere Byrd ($3,300)
Tight End
Stud
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs at Green Bay Packers, $6,400 — Even with George Kittle ($5,700) and Zach Ertz ($5,000) in play as other elite TEs, Kelce has a clear advantage and is the top play if you can afford his salary over $6K. Kelce is averaging 6.1 catches per sims, showing the volume coming his way is huge and has been a regular red zone target with 13 touchdowns in 23 sims. He was limited in his most recent contest against the Packers when the Chiefs struggled but did have eight catches, 77 yards, a touchdown and 21.7 DKFP against Green Bay earlier in the sims. While he doesn’t have the game-breaking potential that Hill brings on every play, he does put up big PPR points and has a high ceiling as a result.
Other Options — George Kittle ($5,700), Zach Ertz ($5,000)
Value
Devin Asiasi, New England Patriots at Minnesota Vikings, $3,800 — There’s a huge drop off to the value TEs both in salary and upside. However, Asiasi is a solid option to consider in a flex spot even if you go with one of the top TE options. Asiasi has at least three catches in four straight sims dating back to the last time he played the Vikings, when he had three catches for 22 yards along with a two-point conversion for 7.2 DKFP. He has at least 7.0 DKFP five of his past eight sims, including a 20.7-DKFP ceiling game against the Panthers. The rookie has not been involved at all in real life but has been a reliable value play in these sims as the Patriots’ TE1 with a great route tree.
Other Option — Marcedes Lewis ($3,200)
DST
Stud
Patriots DST at Minnesota Vikings, $3,100 — The Patriots have forced 22 turnovers in 22 sims and piled up 34 sacks. They have four defensive touchdowns and a safety as well and have shown a very high ceiling with two games of at least 20 DKFP. They only managed 1.0 DKFP against the Vikings in their recent meeting, but I still think they have the best potential of a strong group of DST options on this slate. While Cook has been awesome for Minnesota, Kirk Cousins ($5,000) has been pretty awful, and as a result, the Vikings’ offense tends to be one-dimensional.
Other Options — Chiefs ($3,000), Vikings ($2,900)
Value
49ers DST vs. Philadelphia Eagles, $2,700 — The 49ers’ defense is stacked with highly-rated players with the potential for big plays, but they have actually been relatively quiet in these Madden sims dating all the way back to Madden 2020. While they usually do a very good job limiting their opponent, they only have eight takeaways in 20 sims. They do produce fantasy points with their pass rush, though, led by a healthy Nick Bosa. In their 20 sims they have 42 sacks and have at least three sacks in seven of their ten most recent contests. They should be able to get to Carson Wentz in this matchup and provide a low-cost alternative at DST.
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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.