On Wednesday night, the DraftKings Dream Stream has a pair of games on the slate to close out wild weather Wednesday. At 8:00 p.m. ET in primetime, the action starts with a matchup between the Carolina Panthers and the New York Giants from snowy virtual New York. While Christian McCaffrey ($7,800) and Saquon Barkley ($7,300) are both injured in real life, they’ll both be looking to run wild in the snow in this head-to-head matchup. As if those star RBs didn’t bring enough upside to the RB spot, Derrick Henry ($9,200) headlines the late contest as he and the Tennessee Titans host the Philadelphia Eagles in a matchup that will be impacted by windy weather 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.
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.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: Madden Stream $5K Wednesday Night Special [$1K to 1st] and your FREE lineups here: Madden Stream $500 FREE Contest.
Put your DraftKings daily fantasy football skills to the test against Jim Cramer, his followers and other members of the DraftKings Playbook community! Check out the new Cramer’s Cash Contest and enter your lineup in a rake-free contest for Week 13.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22036648/DK_SB_Jebbit_v2_320x480.png)
TAKE THE SPORTS BETTING QUIZ HERE AND GET A $5 FREE BET ON DK SPORTSBOOK!
Quarterback
Stud
Teddy Bridgewater, Carolina Panthers at New York Giants, $6,100 — The QB options on this slate aren’t the best plays in Madden since the four teams tend to rely heavily on the running game even in perfect weather conditions. While Carson Wentz ($6,500) has a high ceiling and the highest average DKFP, I actually like Bridgewater a little bit more based on his matchup against the Giants. He has thrown for 36 touchdowns in his 23 sims and added a pair of rushing touchdowns as well. He had 216 passing yards, two touchdowns and 16.64 DKFP four sims ago against the Giants in a 31-13 win in Carolina and he’ll look to have similar success in this rematch in New York. While the weather could also slow down the passing game, Bridgewater does have speedy WRs who can make plays after the catch even if his throws aren’t deep down the field. Bridgewater has over 14 DKFP in 11 of his past 16 sims and is a fairly steady performer. He doesn’t have as high a ceiling as the elite plays in Madden, but he’s my top QB of the four in action on this slate.
Other Option — Carson Wentz ($6,500)
Value
Daniel Jones, New York Giants vs. Carolina Panthers, $5,800 — Jones hasn’t been as much of a running threat in Madden sims as he has been in real life, but he has averaged 223.3 passing yards per game while totaling 33 touchdown tosses in 23 sims. Jones has picked up four rushing touchdowns, which have helped him average 16.9 DKFP per contest. He had two passing scores against the Panthers recently, but also threw two interceptions and finished with 14.56 DKFP. He bounced back, though, with a pair of big games against the Browns and Texans, producing over 21 DKFP in each of those matchups. Jones has over 18 DKFP in eight of his past 15 games, so the upside is definitely there even though he costs under $6K.
Other Option — Ryan Tannehill ($5,500)
Running Back
Stud
Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans vs. Philadelphia Eagles, $9,200 — With four full-time feature backs, you’re going to have to pay up for RB production of almost any kind on this slate. Henry has been on another level, though, averaging 24.5 DKFP in his 23 sims. He has scored a total of 29 touchdowns in those sims, averaging 91.5 rushing yards to go with 4.0 catches for 27.2 receiving yards per sim. He is coming off one of the biggest games by any player ever in these Madden sims, when he demolished the Browns for 202 rushing yards and four touchdowns on his way to 54.8 DKFP. Henry had a “quiet” 19.1 DKFP and 21.1 DKFP in his first two matchups with the Eagles, but he hardly ever is a total bust since he is so involved as a pass-catcher and chips in PPR production on top of his prodigious rushing potential. He has an extremely high ceiling and a relatively high floor as well, so pay up for him if you can.
Other Option — Christian McCaffrey ($7,800)
Value
Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles at Tennessee Titans, $6,500 — Normally over $6K would be too expensive to be a value play, but on this slate Sanders is the cheapest RB you can play with any confidence since no one else gets regular work aside from Henry, McCaffrey, Barkley and Sanders. Sanders had 21.0 DKFP in his most recent game against the Titans with 103 yards and a rushing touchdown. He has at least 16 DKFP in three straight and in eight of his past 11. Sanders is averaging 3.5 catches for 25.2 receiving yards per sim in addition to his 59.6 rushing yards per sim. While he has been excellent, he only has 15 touchdowns, so he isn’t quite at Henry’s level.
Other Options — Darrynton Evans ($3,000)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans vs. Philadelphia Eagles, $5,100 — Since all four of these teams rely heavily on their run games, the WR plays are affordable but have inconsistent volume from game to game. Davis has actually been one of the more consistent plays on this slate even though he is the WR2 for the Titans. In his 23 sims, he has averaged 3.5 catches for 51.0 yards per sim and found the end zone a total of six times. He hasn’t scored in either of his two matchups with the Eagles, but he did have four catches for 75 yards and 11.5 DKFP in the teams’ most recent matchup. Davis had at least four catches in three straight games before a down game against the Browns as Henry went off. He had been a very solid play prior to that with double-digit DKFP in seven of his previous 10 contests.
Other Options — DeSean Jackson ($5,800), Curtis Samuel ($5,300)
Value
Sterling Shepard, New York Giants vs. Carolina Panthers, $4,700 — Shepard has shown off an extremely high ceiling in these sims and reached over 34 DKFP twice with massive games against the Titans and the Vikings. He didn’t get quite that crazy against the Panthers in the teams’ previous meeting but did have a touchdown and 12.3 DKFP. He has multiple catches in 10 straight games and is a great play for under $5K and one of the few WRs on this slate with the ability to go off for a slate-breaking performance.
Marquise Goodwin, Philadelphia Eagles at Tennessee Titans, $4,100 — Goodwin opted out of the real-life season but has been very productive in these sims since joining the Eagles as their WR3. He has been quiet for the past three sims but had four straight double-digit DKFP sims before that. He had a monster game with 31.2 DKFP against the Jets, but only had two catches for 33 yards and 5.3 DKFP against the Titans. He is worth a look due to his 97 speed rating and his upside if he can break off a big play.
Other Options — Robby Anderson ($4,600), A.J. Brown ($4,400), Adam Humphries ($3,500)
Tight End
Stud
Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles at Tennessee Titans, $6,000 — Ertz had two touchdowns on five catches for 52 yards and 22.2 DKFP against the Titans two sims ago. That was his third straight sim with over 22 DKFP and a solid follow-up to his 13.8 DKFP in his first matchup against Tennessee early in these Madden 21 contests. Ertz is a high-volume option in the Eagles’ attack, averaging 50.7 yards on exactly 5.0 catches per sim. He has scored 12 touchdowns, which is more than any other WR or TE on this slate and gives him an extremely high ceiling in this favorable matchup against the Titans, who have struggled against TEs all sim-season long.
Other Options — Evan Engram ($5,000), Jonnu Smith ($4,500)
Value
Ian Thomas, Carolina Panthers at New York Giants, $3,600 — Thomas is much more involved in simland than he has been in real life and actually makes a very solid play under $4K in this matchup. If the snow forces Bridgewater to make shorter passes and passes to the middle of the field, Thomas could be in line for more work than normal. He is averaging 3.3 catches for 37.4 yards per sim and has found the end zone five times. He didn’t score against the Giants in their first meeting but did have three catches for 31 yards. He has multiple catches in 21 of Carolina’s 23 sims in Madden 21.
DST
Stud
Titans DST vs. Philadelphia Eagles, $3,000 — The Titans have a solid defensive unit with good depth at multiple positions. They are the only DST on this slate producing more than 5.0 DKFP. They have been even better than that at home, averaging 6.1 DKFP in their 14 games at virtual Nissan Stadium. In their 23 sims, they have 14 takeaways, 49 sacks and four defensive touchdowns. With the wind helping them out, the Titans will try to turn this game into a defensive struggle that focuses on the ground game, which gives them the advantage with Henry at RB.
Value
Panthers DST at New York Giants, $2,800 — The Panthers picked off Jones twice in their meeting with the Giants just a few sims ago and also had four sacks on their way to 12.0 DKFP. Carolina hasn’t had a lot of games with that much production, but the snow should help them create more mayhem in this matchup giving them a nice ceiling if the Titans are out of your price range or you’re looking for a potentially lesser-owned play.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: Madden Stream $5K Wednesday Night Special [$1K to 1st] and your FREE lineups here: Madden Stream $500 FREE Contest.
Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game.
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.