On Tuesday, the DraftKings Dream Stream is back to a full six-game slate of Madden sims beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET. The featured three-game classic slate starts at 6:00 p.m. ET with an NFC matchup between the Chicago Bears and the San Francisco 49ers. At 8:00 p.m. ET in primetime, the Indianapolis Colts will go on the road to take on the Minnesota Vikings at virtual U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The slate closes out with what should be a great matchup on “Madden After Dark” between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Green Bay Packers, in a rematch of the very first Super Bowl.
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 Madden 21 along with the upcoming schedule on the Madden Stream info page. The rosters have also been adjusted to get the best players on the field and will not be impacted by any COVID-19 opt-outs or injuries.
Check out the daily DraftKings Madden Stream contests lobby with paid contests for real cash prizes now available alongside free contests. Each simulation will be played out computer vs. computer via an online Madden Stream using Madden 21. In this format, you can enjoy watching the game stream on the DraftKings YouTube channel, the DK Live app (download here) or right here in this post.
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Quarterback
Stud
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs at Green Bay Packers, $8,100 — The Packers’ DST has been solid in these sims, but no one has been able to slow down the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes, who is the only QB in all of Madden with a perfect 99 overall rating. Mahomes has stacked up 48 passing touchdowns and five rushing touchdowns in his 20 sims while averaging 290.3 passing yards per game. He has at least three passing touchdowns and 27 DKFP in four of his past five games and has pulled his average up to 24.9 DKFP per contest so far in Madden 21. He and the Chiefs visited the Packers in an earlier Madden 21 sim, and Mahomes led his team to a 24-21 victory with 302 passing yards, three touchdowns and 27.28 DKFP. He has that kind of potential in every matchup and is worth paying up for if you can find some other places to save up for his elevated salary over $8K.
Other Option — Aaron Rodgers ($7,100)
Value
Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers vs. Chicago Bears, $5,400 — Aside from the two elite QBs going head-to-head in the late game, the QB options are a little thin. If you do decide to fade Rodgers and Mahomes, though, Jimmy G does have some upside to consider at a bargain basement salary. Garoppolo has thrown multiple touchdowns in three of his past four games with over 14 DKFP in each of those three contests. He has shown off a ceiling of over 22 DKFP in three of his 18 sims, and the Bears could force him to throw more if they stack the box against the run. If they do that, Garoppolo has good options on the outside since Deebo Samuel ($4,100) and George Kittle ($5,700) are both healthy in simland, and the 49ers are at full strength unlike in the real world where they have been decimated by injury.
Other Option — Mitchell Trubisky ($6,500)
Running Back
Stud
Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings vs. Indianapolis Colts, $8,300 — Cook has 17 touchdowns in just 16 sims and has rushed for over 90 yards in seven straight contests. He has at least 27 DKFP in five straight sims and went off for 35.3 DKFP against New England in his most recent contest. Cook not only is producing over a touchdown per sim but is also averaging 98.4 rushing yards and 3.8 catches for 29.3 receiving yards per contest. The Colts’ defense has made some big plays and been a solid fantasy option, but they have struggled against the run and don’t have any answers for Cook. When these two teams met four sims ago, the Colts escaped with a 21-17 win, but they still allowed 100 yards and 28.9 DKFP to Cook. While he isn’t in the 99 club with Mahomes, there’s no arguing that Cook is one of the best RB options in all of Madden 21 and worth paying up for in this matchup, if there’s any way to make his salary work under your cap.
Other Option — Raheem Mostert ($7,600), Aaron Jones ($7,200)
Value
Marlon Mack, Indianapolis Colts at Minnesota Vikings, $3,400 — If you’re going to consider paying up for the stars on this slate, you’ll probably need to go extremely cheap at a spot or two. Mack is an interesting play at barely over the minimum since he is still the Colts’ RB1. He loses a lot of work to Nyheim Hines ($5,800) on passing downs and throughout the game flow, but he still has touchdown-dependent upside. In his 16 sims, he has seven scores, including one against the Vikings in the first sim between these teams. He had 8.2 DKFP in that contest and has over 6.5 DKFP in half of his sims so far in Madden 21. Mack did have a total bust game with just 0.7 DKFP in his most recent outing, so there is significant risk in rolling so cheap, but if you need to save salary, he is one of the few players in this range that gets regular work.
Other Option — Nyheim Hines ($5,800), Tarik Cohen ($4,700)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs at Green Bay Packers, $7,800 — Hill has been a great option for Mahomes in the passing game due to his 99 speed rating and ability to make big plays after the catch. He has been getting a ton of volume, averaging over six catches per sim, and has found the end zone 19 times in 20 contests. He had a touchdown and over 19 DKFP in five of his past six contests, dating back to a monster 44.6-DKFP performance against the Ravens, who have a very solid secondary. Hill was slowed down a little bit by the Packers in their earlier sim, but he still totaled six catches, 55 yards, a touchdown and 17.5 DKFP. His ceiling is so high, though, that he’s hard to pass up even though his salary is almost $8K as well.
Other Options — Devin Funchess ($6,700), Adam Thielen ($5,500)
Value
Tajae Sharpe, Minnesota Vikings vs. Indianapolis Colts, $5,100 — Sharpe has stepped up as the Vikings’ WR2 in Madden 21 and been a solid mid-range play. He has at least five catches in four straight contests, dating back to his previous matchup with the Colts. He has averaged 78.5 yards per game during that stretch and scored three touchdowns. He has produced 17-to-20 DKFP in each of those contest and will be a great return on investment if he’s able to produce in that same range in this rematch.
Demarcus Robinson, Kansas City Chiefs at Green Bay Packers, $3,900 — Robinson has been locked in as the Chiefs’ WR3 in Madden 21 and has been a boom-or-bust bargain with plenty of upside. In his most recent sim, he showed off that ceiling with 110 yards, a touchdown and 24.0 DKFP against the Seahawks. He also had six catches, 58 yards and 11.8 DKFP in his first game against the Packers earlier in these sims. Robinson is averaging 3.1 catches for 45.4 yards per game and has found the end zone four times in 20 sims. Like Mack, he comes with bust potential but also the kind of upside that makes him worth a play under $4K.
Other Options — Parris Campbell ($4,700), Deebo Samuel ($4,100), Marquez Valdes-Scantling ($3,600), Justin Jefferson ($3,100)
Tight End
Stud
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs at Green Bay Packers, $7,100 — Even with Hill getting heavy volume and Robinson producing as well, Kelce has continued to be a key piece in the Chiefs’ offense and also gets enough work to be the clear top option at TE. He is averaging 6.4 catches for just under 80 yards per contest. He had exactly 100 yards and a touchdown in his most recent sim and finished with 24.0 DKFP to raise his average in Madden 21 to 19.1 DKFP per contest. He has over 15 DKFP in five straight and is very consistent from game-to-game. Last time he faced the Packers, he had eight catches, 77 yards and 21.7 DKFP.
Other Option — George Kittle ($5,700)
Value
Trey Burton, Indianapolis Colts at Minnesota Vikings, $4,300 — Burton has gotten good volume since taking over as the Colts’ TE1 and has averaged five catches per contest over his past 10 games. He had four catches for 25 yards and 6.5 DKFP against the Vikings in their previous sim and since then has posted over 10 DKFP in three straight contests. He has yet to find the end zone in Madden 21 but is a red zone threat. Philip Rivers ($5,800) loves to rely on his TE, both in real life and in simland, so Burton is usually a solid play to consider as a value.
Other Options — Jimmy Graham ($3,800), Marcedes Lewis ($3,600)
DST
Stud
Colts DST at Minnesota Vikings, $3,000 — The Colts’ DST has a tall task in trying to slow down Cook, but they have been big-play specialists in Madden 21 so far. In their 16 sims, they have 34 sacks and eight takeaways. They have scored four defensive touchdowns and have also added a safety to average a slate-high 6.2 DKFP per contest. While Cook is outstanding, the Vikings can tend to get one dimensional and don’t typically put up huge totals, so there’s little risk in rolling with the Colts on this slate. In their previous game against Minnesota, the Colts had four sacks, a defensive touchdown and 13.0 DKFP.
Other Option — Chiefs ($3,100)
Value
49ers DST vs. Chicago Bears, $2,700 — The 49ers have forced eight turnovers in their 18 sims and have been even better than the Colts at getting to the opposing QB. They have piled up an impressive 42 sacks in 18 sims and have averaged 4.5 DKFP per sim. The big difference between their production and the Colts’ production is that San Francisco is still looking for their first defensive touchdown in Madden 21. Mitchell Trubisky ($6,500) has been productive as the Bears’ QB, but he has also turned the ball over a lot with 14 fumbles lost and two interceptions in his 17 sims. The Niners’ defense when healthy was one of the top options in the NFL, and they’re still healthy in simland, so look for them to be a solid play against Chicago in the early game on this slate.
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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.