With real-life sports still in the midst of an extended time out, DraftKings continues to provide some great sports simulations to fill the void. Each day there are six Madden Streams with eight free contests to be a part of. You can play a single-game Showdown for each contest along with an all-day, six-game classic contest and a three-game late slate contest. Each simulation will be played out via an online Madden Stream using Madden 2020 with rosters and ratings from the end of the 2019-20 season. 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. Follow along to watch your fantasy team pile up fantasy points.
The late slate on Saturday has three good contests lined up to finish out the day. At 6 p.m., the slate kicks off with the first of two juicy NFC matchups as the Eagles host the Vikings. The primetime matchup spotlights the 49ers taking on the Packers in a rematch of last year’s NFC Championship. The Saints, another NFC power, are visiting virtual Baltimore for the late game, taking on the Ravens.
With those very solid six teams giving good fantasy options, there are lots of ways to assemble your squad. I’ll give you my favorite plays at each position and price point for this slate below. For more information, check out the Madden info page for all the data on player ratings, special abilities and what you can look forward to coming soon.
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Quarterback
Stud
Lamar Jackson, BAL vs. NO, $7,800 — The Madden 2021 cover athlete has an extremely high ceiling due to his rushing abilities and is the only QB on this slate averaging over 20 DKFP. He has thrown 40 touchdowns and is averaging 159.8 passing yards to go with his 62.5 rushing yards per sim. He has added 18 rushing touchdowns as well, including one in his first matchup against the Saints when he also ran for 90 yards and had 28.28 DKFP. He has over 24 DKFP in 12 of his 33 sims including his most recent contest when he threw three touchdowns and ran for 114 yards on his way to 33.08 DKFP against the Packers. Jackson hasn’t always been the most consistent option in our sims, but he has an incredibly high ceiling.
Other Options — Drew Brees ($7,600), Aaron Rodgers ($7,300)
Value
Carson Wentz, PHI vs. MIN, $6,700 — Wentz will have a tough matchup against the Vikings, but he’s usually a pretty good option in these sims. He had a down game in Buffalo earlier this week with just 8.52 DKFP but had over 15 DKFP in nine of his previous 10 sims. He has also shown a high ceiling with 27-plus DKFP against the Raiders and Bucs during that span. He has thrown 61 touchdowns in his 33 sims while averaging 238.2 passing yards per contest.
Running Back
Stud
Dalvin Cook, MIN at PHI, $6,800 — The Vikings rely heavily on Cook, making him one of the best RBs in these sims averaging a very solid 16.8 DKFP per contest. He is typically involved as both a rusher and receiver, reducing the risk factors in owning him since he can produce multiple ways. He has double-digit DKFP in 11 straight sims and 16 of his past 17. He had a down game against the Eagles in the teams’ first meeting but that was prior to quarters expanding, which gave feature backs like Cook more touches and time to work. He has piled up 25 touchdowns in his 33 sims and will look to continue to dominate as the Vikings visit the Eagles.
Other Option — Alvin Kamara ($6,700)
Value
Tevin Coleman, SF at GB, $5,600 — One of the few RB1 options near the same level as Cook is Coleman, who has been a workhorse throughout these sims for San Francisco. He is averaging 83.9 rushing yards per contest and also has been involved with a 1.9 catches per sim as well. He has stacked up 28 touchdowns in his 33 sims, which has helped him average 17.9 DKFP per contest. He isn’t quite as safe as Cook since he doesn’t catch as many passes, but he matches Cook’s immensely high ceiling and has at least 19 DKFP in three of his past four contests.
Other Options — Miles Sanders ($5,200), Jamaal Williams ($3,600)
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Wide Receiver
Stud
Michael Thomas, NO at BAL, $8,100 — Thomas is one of just five players in all of Madden, and the only WR, with a perfect 99 overall rating. He has been a fantasy beast lately with eight touchdowns in his past six matchups bringing him to 24 scores in his 33 sims. He is averaging exactly 5.0 catches per sim for 73.6 yards. That production and his touchdowns have powered him to an average of over 17.5 DKFP per sim. He had seven catches for two touchdowns, 39 yards and 22.9 DKFP in his first meeting with the Ravens and he’s worth paying up for as the No. 1 option on this slate, especially given the matchup some of the other top-tier WR have to face.
Other Options — Alshon Jeffery ($6,600), Adam Thielen ($5,900)
Value
Ted Ginn Jr., NO at BAL, $4,300 — Ginn hasn’t been as good as Thomas but has thrived in the WR2 spot on the other side of the New Orleans attack. Ginn has over 11 DKFP in seven of his past eight sims and is averaging 13.0 DKFP on 3.8 catches for 52.4 yards per sim. He’s an extremely solid value play with a good ceiling and is definitely worth a look if you’re passing on Thomas in your other WR spot.
Geronimo Allison, GB vs. SF, $3,100 — Even though he is the WR4, Allison is involved in the Packers’ offense since he serves as the team’s slot receiver. He has multiple catches in 29 of his 33 sims. The 49ers’ secondary is excellent and shut down Davante Adams in the first meeting between these teams, allowing Allison to step up with six catches for 106 yards, a touchdown and 25.6 DKFP. While that production is a lofty target, he should again be able to take advantage of the mismatch out of the slot making him a great salary saver.
Other Options — Deebo Samuel ($4,200), Seth Roberts ($3,300)
Tight End
Stud
Zach Ertz, PHI vs. MIN, $5,400 — Ertz is well established as the go-to option in Philadelphia’s passing offense and has averaged 64.7 yards per sim on over five catches per contest. He has found the end zone 14 times on the sim season and has been especially effective at home, where he is averaging 15.3 DKFP in his 16 contests. The Vikings’ defense is excellent but has been beaten by top TE lately, most notably Delanie Walker, who had 35.3 DKFP and 18.5 DKFP in two games against the Vikings. If he gets the same mismatch, Ertz could end up getting high volume and turning in a huge number.
Other Options — George Kittle ($5,800), Jared Cook ($5,200)
Value
Mark Andrews, BAL vs NO, $4,800 — Similarly to Ertz, Andrews has been the top pass-catcher for the Ravens since the team’s WR play has been inconsistent. Andrews hasn’t put up quite the level of production that Ertz has but is averaging over 10 DKFP per sim and has found the end zone eight times. He has been quiet recently but still has a very high ceiling if he and Jackson can lock into a nice groove against the Saints.
Other Option — Kyle Rudolph ($4,600)
DST
Stud
Packers DST vs. SF, $3,100 — The Packers’ DST is a little underrated since the unit doesn’t force tons of turnovers like its division rivals discussed below. Green Bay has been productive, though, with 81 sacks in 33 sims (2.5 per contest). The Packers had four sacks in the first game against the 49ers, which Green Bay ended up losing, 22-17. Even though the Packers may give up yards and points to San Francisco, the 49ers don’t typically run up the score making Green Bay one of the lower-risk options on this slate.
Other Option — Saints ($3,200)
Value
Vikings DST at PHI, $2,500 — The Vikings have also been a turnover factory with 33 in 33 sims along with 73 sacks and five defensive touchdowns. Minnesota has averaged a slate-high for DST with 7.2 DKFP per sim and has been one of the best DST units in all of simland. Even though the matchup with the Eagles isn’t ideal, the Vikings should still have a chance to make the big plays you need from a fantasy DST.
Other Option — 49ers ($2,400)
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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.