Celebrate another great weekend of football with a full six-game set of Madden streams from the DraftKings Dream Stream this Saturday. The featured three-game classic slate kicks off at 6:00 p.m. ET with an NFC East matchup featuring the Washington Football Team visiting the Philadelphia Eagles. Since this will be the third meeting between these teams in Madden 21, we have some interesting matchup history to consider for that game. At 8:00 p.m. ET in primetime, the Minnesota Vikings visit the Houston Texans, and we close out the slate with a matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Dallas Cowboys on Madden After Dark. The Cowboys upset the Chiefs, 23-17, on Thursday of this week, so let’s see if the Chiefs can get some virtual revenge in this rematch.
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.
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 Dallas Cowboys, $8,200 — Mahomes has typically been lights out in these sims, using his perfect 99 overall rating to average 24.3 DKFP on 282 passing yards per game and 56 total touchdowns in 22 contests. However, he is coming off two of his worst sims in Madden 21, including one against these same Cowboys. Dallas held him to just 237 passing yards and no passing touchdowns in their last meeting, but Mahomes did save his fantasy day by running for two scores and finished with 21.58 DKFP. Before his two down games, Mahomes had ripped off over 27 DKFP in four of his previous five contests with at least three scores in each of those big performances. He has actually been better on the road, where he is producing 25.5 DKFP, so look for him to bounce back with a big game against Dallas in this rematch. His recent performances make him not a total lock, but they will also likely keep his ownership a little lower as well due to recency bias.
Other Option — Deshaun Watson ($7,800)
Value
Dwayne Haskins Jr., Washington Football Team at Philadelphia Eagles, $5,400 — If you’re looking to pay up in other spots and go super cheap at QB, Haskins has enough upside in this matchup to be worth a look. He has been very inconsistent in these sims and struggled badly at times, but he has also flashed upside. His most recent big game came in the same matchup he’ll be in for this contest. He led Washington to a nice home win, 24-21, and threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns on his way to 23.48 DKFP against the Eagles. He has over 15 DKFP in nine of his 19 sims, and he could end up being a solid pivot to save salary at QB if you feel like the other positions are a better use of the majority of your cap space.
Other Option — Dak Prescott ($6,800)
Running Back
Stud
Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings at Houston Texans, $8,200 — Cook has been outstanding in these Madden sims dating back to when we started them with Madden 2020. The only major knock on him in the real world is his durability, so it’s not surprising that he thrives in the injury-free world of Madden. He has piled up 19 touchdowns in his 18 sims in Madden 21 and has averaged 93.7 rushing yards and 27.6 receiving yards per sim. He is usually very involved as a pass-catcher, averaging 3.6 catches per contest, which gives him a very nice PPR safety net and a higher ceiling. He should thrive against the Texans’ inconsistent defense and will be looking to extend his streak of games with a touchdown to eight in a row.
Other Options — Ezekiel Elliott ($7,700), Miles Sanders ($7,200)
Value
J.D. McKissic, Washington Football Team at Philadelphia Eagles, $6,200 — While recency bias shouldn’t come into play with Mahomes, it is important to look more closely at McKissic’s latest performances and disregard some of the earlier sims in which he struggled. The reason for that is that McKissic was in a totally different role early in the Madden 21 sims before the most recent roster update locked him in as RB1 and the third-down back. McKissic has thrived in that role, producing at least 14 DKFP in eight of his past 11 games. Like Cook, he catches plenty of passes out of the backfield and is coming off a seven-catch performance against the Chargers that resulted in 18.5 DKFP even without the benefit of a touchdown. He has run for over 70 yards in each of his past four contests as well, and he had 89 rushing yards and 15.2 DKFP against the Eagles in their most recent matchup. McKissic is a little more expensive than many of the value play RBs I usually highlight, but he gets all the work and is in a good, affordable spot for a full-time back, while the ultra-cheap timeshare options on this slate are very volatile.
Other Option — Duke Johnson ($3,500)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs at Dallas Cowboys, $7,300 — Hill has been held under 75 yards in five straight games after dominating for over 100 yards on a regular basis earlier in the Madden 21 sims. Since his role hasn’t changed and there is no correlation sim-to-sim, I think he’s set up for a major bounce-back game. He is still averaging 84.8 yards per sim over his 22 contests and has scored 19 touchdowns. His 99 speed rating makes him a mismatch for every team in the NFL and he should be ready to torch the Dallas secondary, which held him to five catches, 74 yards and 12.4 DKFP on Thursday. Even though he hasn’t been going off lately, he still has double-digit DKFP in 20-of-22 sims in Madden 21.
Other Options — Amari Cooper ($6,000), Adam Thielen ($5,600)
Value
Marquise Goodwin, Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Football Team, $5,300 — Goodwin isn’t quite as fast as Hill, but he has a very impressive 97 speed rating which puts him only behind Hill and Henry Ruggs in all of Madden. Goodwin is a COVID-19 opt out in real life but has been the Eagles’ slot receiver since the latest roster update in Madden. In his 14 games in that spot, he has averaged 4.1 catches for 56.4 yards per sim and has scored five touchdowns. He had a monster game with two scores, 112 yards and 31.2 DKFP in his most recent contest and posted six catches for 59 yards, a touchdown and 17.9 DKFP in the one game he played against Washington. He’s a great play at this price and a solid way to save a little salary off the elite plays if you’re stretched tight from other investments.
Tajae Sharpe, Minnesota Vikings at Houston Texans, $4,100 — Sharpe has been very quiet in real life for the Vikings due to the emergence of Justin Jefferson ($3,200), but in simland Sharpe still has a firm hold on the WR2 spot in Minnesota while Jefferson is much less consistently involved. Sharpe has at least three catches in 12-of-18 sims and is averaging just under 50 yards per game to go with a solid six touchdowns. He has over 8.0 DKFP in seven of his past nine games and offers solid value in most matchups. He should be able to find space and pile up plenty of catches against the Texans’ secondary which has struggled in Madden just like it has in reality.
Other Options — Michael Gallup ($4,700), Alshon Jeffery ($3,900), Demarcus Robinson ($3,400)
Tight End
Stud
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs at Dallas Cowboys, $6,700 — Kelce has not been immune to the Chiefs’ recent struggles and only managed five catches for 41 yards against Dallas on Thursday. Before that, though, he was a dominant force and has piled up 13 touchdowns and 136 catches in his 22 sims, for an average of 6.2 catches for 76.1 yards per contest. The volume should return for Kelce against the Cowboys, who have struggled against TEs in many of their Madden matchups. If you can’t afford Mahomes, Hill and Kelce, I would prioritize Kelce over Hill due to matchup and consistency of production over the long haul. Kelce has the potential to be a PPR beast as well, and he has at least seven catches in eight of his 22 sims.
Other Options — Zach Ertz ($4,800), Jeremy Sprinkle ($4,600)
Value
Darren Fells, Houston Texans vs. Minnesota Vikings, $4,000 — Fells hasn’t matched Kelce’s overall volume, but he has been a regular contributor for the Texans and is matched up with the Vikings, who have given up some big games to opposing TEs. Fells has at least three catches in three straight sims and 15-of-19 overall. He has only found the end zone one time in his 19 Madden 21 sims but is typically a safe pick to get 3-to-5 catches for 40-plus yards. With a little boost from the matchup, he should be able to return solid value at only $4K.
Other Option — Kyle Rudolph ($3,500)
DST
Stud
Washington Football Team DST at Philadelphia Eagles, $3,100 — The Washington Football Team has actually been pretty good in these sims overall, making the second round of the Madden 21 kickoff tournament and also going 10-5 in their 15 sims since then. The defense has been the main reason for their success and has averaged 6.5 DKFP per contest by forcing 15 turnovers and stacking up 42 sacks. They haven’t even scored a defensive touchdown in those sims, showing their production isn’t based on just one single play which could be a little flukey. Washington’s defense has been outstanding at limiting their opponents as well, allowing an average of just 8.2 points per game over their past five sims. While that level doesn’t seem sustainable, they are the best play on the board and are loaded with upside against the Eagles, who have had their offensive struggles at times in Madden.
Other Option — Chiefs ($3,000)
Value
Vikings DST at Houston Texans, $2,900 — The Texans have been turnover prone in these sims and the Vikings can be very opportunistic. They have 37 sacks and 15 takeaways in their 18 sims to this point and have scored three defensive touchdowns. They have held opponents to 21 points or fewer in nine straight games and should be able to limit what the Texans can do while forcing Watson into some bad decisions. Watson alone has 19 turnovers in his 19 games, so the Vikings should be able to get turnovers in this matchup.
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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.