With the final game of Week 12 rescheduled (again) to Wednesday, the DraftKings Dream Stream is ready to bring a full schedule of six games throughout this Tuesday, including a great three-game classic slate in the featured classic contest that kicks off at 6:00 p.m. ET. All three of the later matchups are well-stocked with fantasy options, including the first game which features the Los Angeles Rams visiting the Pittsburgh Steelers. At 8:00 p.m. ET in primetime, we get a rematch of the entertaining Week 11 game between the Green Bay Packers and the Indianapolis Colts, and we close out the slate with the Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Detroit Lions on Madden After Dark.
A key factor to consider is that each roster is not impacted by COVID-19 opt-outs, injuries or illness and the highest-rated options have been placed 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 vs. Detroit Lions, $8,200 — Mahomes has been tearing up the sims and posting monster numbers with a few rare exceptions. He did have just 12.3 DKFP in his most recent contest against the Falcons but had over 27 DKFP in three of four prior to that, highlighted by a gigantic 42.5-DKFP performance in his most recent home game against the Patriots. In his 27 sims, Mahomes has thrown an impressive 61 touchdowns and ran for nine more scores while also averaging 285.6 yards per contest. This will be his first matchup in Madden 21 against the Lions, who have been one of the worst defenses in the league. Mahomes should be able to carve them up and have another huge game, making him an option you have to consider even though his salary will make things tight throughout the rest of your roster. There are some good value plays elsewhere on the slate, though, which we’ll discuss later in this post. He has usually been worth his salary and has a ceiling no one else on this slate or anywhere in the Madden 21 universe can match. Especially in such a favorable matchup, he makes a ton of sense in the late game.
Other Option — Aaron Rodgers ($6,900)
Value
Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions at Kansas City Chiefs, $5,600 — If you’re pivoting off of Mahomes, it makes sense to go completely the opposite direction and take the other end of the salary spectrum and the opposing QB as a contrarian play. Stafford has also shown some flashes of upside lately with over 33 DKFP in two of his past five matchups. He threw four touchdowns against the Dolphins and four more against the Ravens while piling up over 360 yards in each of those contests. That hasn’t been the norm for Stafford like it has been for Mahomes, but the ceiling is there if he hits for a big game. He is averaging just 16.6 DKFP per sim with 38 touchdowns in 23 games along with 239.0 yards per contest. His consistency and overall numbers don’t come near matching Mahomes’, but he could end up being a great way to save $2.5K and still get similar production if he hits his ceiling while trying to help the Lions keep up with the Chiefs.
Other Option — Ben Roethlisberger ($6,400)
Running Back
Stud
Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers vs. Indianapolis Colts, $6,900 — Jones has scored six touchdowns over his past four games and is up to 26 scores in 25 sims in Madden 21. He’s one of the few elite RB1s averaging over a touchdown per game and has produced 72.1 rushing yards and 21.0 receiving yards per sim as the featured back on third downs as well. Jones and the Packers haven’t faced the Colts yet in these sims, but he’ll look to get traction against their formidable front-seven. He has been very consistent throughout these sims with at least 14 DKFP in 80% of his games. He also has a high ceiling with three games over 31 DKFP in his past 11 contests.
Other Option — Nyheim Hines ($6,600)
Value
D’Andre Swift, Detroit Lions at Kansas City Chiefs, $4,000 — Swift has been one of the few bright spots in Detroit in real life this season and looks like he will be a key part of whatever the next rebuild looks like for the Lions. Swift is the third-down back in these sims, although he does share work with Kerryon Johnson ($3,200) and even Adrian Peterson ($3,200) at times. Especially if the Lions are forced to go pass-heavy, though, the game script should favor Swift as the busiest option of the bunch. He also brings pretty solid PPR potential since he has hauled in an average of 3.7 catches for 24.6 yards per game. In his 23 sims, he has scored four touchdowns, one of which came in his most recent game against the Jaguars, when he posted a very solid 17.0 DKFP. He can be a little hit-or-miss due to the timeshare, but I like his upside at only $4K, which can help you fit in the other expensive options on this slate.
Other Options — Jaylen Samuels ($5,300), Darrell Henderson Jr. ($4,800)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Detroit Lions, $7,600 — And if you don’t know, now you know. Hill completely destroyed the slate in the real world on Sunday with a monster game against the Bucs, and he has been doing the same thing on a regular basis here in simland. His 99 overall speed and great volume from Mahomes makes him a threat to go off in any contest, especially in a favorable matchup against the Lions’ leaky secondary. Hill is averaging 6.3 catches for 88.0 yards per sim and has found the end zone 22 times in 27 contests. He didn’t score against the Falcons in his most recent sim but still had seven catches for 74 yards. He has at least six catches and over 70 yards in five straight games and over 14 DKFP in 16 of his past 19 contests. Hill has been putting up video game numbers in real life, so it isn’t surprising that he’s also been a dominant force in simland.
Other Option — Davante Adams ($6,800), Robert Woods ($5,700)
Value
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Green Bay Packers vs. Indianapolis Colts, $4,300 — MVS had the costly fumble in the Packers’ loss to the Colts in Week 11, so maybe this will be a small chance at some simulated redemption for the Packers’ WR3. Valdes-Scantling has found the end zone in each of his two most recent sims and posted over 15 DKFP in five of his past six sims, including each of his past three straight. He has multiple catches in 10 straight and is regularly very involved in the Packers’ offense, which seems to live in three-WR sets. He is a great option at just over $4K and can help you fit in the Mahomes-Hill super-stack.
Josh Reynolds, Los Angeles Rams at Pittsburgh Steelers, $4,100 — Another NFC team that spends a ton of time in three-wide formations is the Rams, so Reynolds is very involved just like MVS. He is averaging 3.2 catches for 48.3 yards per sim in his 21 appearances and has multiple catches in 12 of his past 13 sims. He had a touchdown, 81 yards and 19.1 DKFP against Washington in his most recent game, and he has double-digit DKFP in seven of his past 12 sims. He only had three catches for 20 yards and 5.0 DKFP when he faced the Steelers earlier in these sims, but I still think he’s a great cheap option with plenty of ceiling in this rematch.
Other Options — Devin Funchess ($5,300), Marvin Jones Jr. ($4,700), Demarcus Robinson ($3,300)
Tight End
Stud
T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions at Kansas City Chiefs, $5,100 — I’m not saying you should fade Travis Kelce ($6,300), but he would be the one I would leave out if you aren’t going with all of the Chiefs’ three super-expensive but super-productive options. While Kelce has shown a crazy-high ceiling, he has been held under 14 DKFP in five of his past seven games. Hockenson has been locked in lately and could be busy in this matchup from a more affordable price point as the Lions try to keep up with Kelce’s Chiefs. Hockenson has at least four catches in five straight games with over 90 yards in three of those contests. He finished with over 22 DKFP in each of those three big games before slowing down to just 6.5 DKFP in his most recent contest. He should be able to bounce back, though, against the Chiefs’ DST that sometimes allows big games to TEs. For example, Eric Ebron ($5,300), who is also on this slate, scored a touchdown in each of his two recent sims against the Chiefs and posted 15.4 DKFP and 33.9 DKFP in those contests. Hockenson usually gets a good target share and should get the chances to make plays over the middle against Kansas City.
Other Options — Travis Kelce ($6,300), Eric Ebron ($5,300)
Value
Marcedes Lewis, Green Bay Packers vs. Indianapolis Colts, $3,500 — If you need a super-cheap play either at TE or in a flex spot, Lewis makes sense since he has shown a good ceiling for the Packers. He had four catches for 88 yards and 12.8 DKFP in his most recent sim and has multiple catches in 12 of his past 14 contests. He has scored three touchdowns over that span with four games of double-digit DKFP. He isn’t as consistent as MVS or Reynolds but can hit big if Aaron Rodgers prioritizes getting the ball into his hands.
Other Option — Trey Burton ($4,700)
DST
Stud
Steelers DST vs. Los Angeles Rams, $3,100 — The first game of the featured slate has the most potential to be a defensive slugfest, making both the Steelers and Rams DST ($2,900) solid options to consider. When these teams met just a few sims ago, the Rams pulled out a narrow 17-14 win and both teams had 5.0 DKFP for their defense. I like the Steelers’ depth across their whole defense a little more than the Rams, and Pittsburgh has produced at least 5.0 DKFP in six straight sims. In their 24 sims, the Steelers have forced 17 turnovers with 51 sacks and have managed to average 5.3 DKFP per sim even though they don’t have a defensive touchdown yet. Their steady production and depth at multiple positions makes them my favorite defense on the slate just slightly over the Rams, who have Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey but lack some depth at linebacker and cornerback behind Ramsey.
Other Options — Rams ($2,900)
Value
Packers DST vs. Indianapolis Colts, $2,700 — The Packers’ DST has been solid in these sims with a strong pass rush led by the unrelated “Smith Brothers,” a good run-stopping front thanks to Kenny Clark in the middle, and a shutdown corner in X-factor Superstar Jaire Alexander. Green Bay has 51 sacks and seven takeaways in their 25 sims and is coming off a huge game with 14.0 DKFP against the Dolphins. They had their third defensive touchdown of the sims in that game and raised their average to 4.8 DKFP per sim. They have been a little better than that in their 16 home games, producing 5.1 DKFP at virtual Lambeau Field.
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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.