We’re all in need of some entertainment during these times of the unknown. DraftKings is doing its part by offering Madden simulations with a variety of teams going at it. For this piece, we’ll focus on the Chiefs vs. Saints game, which starts at 8:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 16.
Set your FREE to play DraftKings lineups here: Madden Stream $10K FREE Game of the Week Contest [5 Entry Max] (KC vs NO)
Note: All salaries will be Flex prices unless noted as Captain’s Pick prices.
SHOWDOWN STRATEGY
Kansas City Chiefs
This game features some heavy hitters and highly rated players but none of them match Patrick Mahomes ($11,000). As expected, he’s the most expensive player in the game and is $600 more than Drew Brees ($10,400). Mahomes is always in consideration and his 20.9 DKFP is the highest average in this game. He enters this game averaging 270 passing yards with 80 touchdowns thrown and 13 interceptions. Over his last 10 games, he’s scored at least 17 DKFP with at least three touchdowns thrown in six of them.
In yet another odd salary move with these players, Tyreek Hill ($9,800) went down by $1,000 despite coming off a 46.4 DKFP performances against the Ravens. In that game, Hill made nine receptions for 167 yards and three touchdowns scored, bringing his season total to 27! Hill has now gone over 100 receiving yards in 12 of the Chiefs’ 35 games, making him one of the biggest threats to do so. Travis Kelce ($8,400) is always one of my favorite Chiefs receivers to take simply because of the volume he receives. He didn’t exactly get that in his last game where he made only two catches, but overall, he’s averaging 5.1 receptions. He’s also seen a favorable drop in his salary, as he was $9,200 against the Ravens. Sammy Watkins ($6,200) has been extremely boom-or-bust lately but his salary is in a favorable range. He’s scored less than double-digit fantasy points in three of his last five games but also has three touchdowns in that span. His mid-tier price usually keeps his ownership low as people venture either higher or lower, so keep him in mind. Demarcus Robinson ($5,200) was one of my favorite value plays on this team but he’s now up past $5K. He’s still worth using with his 16 touchdowns scored but I fear his salary creeping up as much as it is will diminish his worth.
Damien Williams ($7,600) is quite cheap for a pass-catching RB1, as his salary dropped $600 since his last time out. He’s averaging 72.2 scrimmage yards per game and has scored a total of 18 times, 15 on the ground and three through the air. He’s so cheap that I feel like he needs to be locked into your lineup at this point, especially with five lineups at your disposal this evening.
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New Orleans Saints
These two offenses are so dynamic that roster construction is going to be extremely interesting. We can hype up the Chiefs until our faces are blue but the Saints have quite the offense as well. Drew Brees ($10,400) is averaging 250 passing yards with 70 touchdowns and seven interceptions thrown. His 18.7 DKFP ranks as one of the highest averages in the game and he has some very good receivers to throw to. With five lineups at your disposal, you can stack the Saints just as much as you can the Chiefs.
If it wasn’t for Hill, Michael Thomas ($9,600) would easily be the top receiver to target. He’s averaging 18 DKFP to go with 4.9 receptions, 72.2 yards and 25 touchdowns. With the drop in salary to Hill, the ownership will be tight between these two. Quite frankly, if you can manage it, I’d be looking to get both in one lineup. Like Kelce, Jared Cook ($7,000) is seeing a ton of volume at the TE1 position. His 5.5 receptions is the highest average in this game along with 59.6 yards and 13 touchdowns scored. If you can’t afford Kelce, Cook is a very good pivot and is $1,400 cheaper. Tedd Ginn Jr. ($6,400) is right with Watkins in the mid-tier salary range. Ginn Jr. is more involved in this offense that Watkins is over on the Chiefs, averaging 3.8 receptions, 52.3 yards and 19 touchdowns scored. Tre’Quan Smith ($4,400) is one of the cheaper plays you can use but isn’t guaranteed to make a catch, as he’s been shut out on four different occasions. When he is involved, he’s averaging 3.2 receptions and 40.8 yards per game.
I don’t think we have have a $1,200 difference in salary between Williams and Alvin Kamara ($8,800). Yes, Kamara is the higher rated player so I understand that but otherwise, the production has mostly been the same. Kamara is averaging 82.8 scrimmage yards and 24 touchdowns scored. Kamara has the better chance to grab a touchdown than Williams does, but if you’re going by game script, this feels like a better overall spot for Williams. I would have my exposure to Kamara but I feel the cheaper Williams could be the better play here.
The Outcome
We have so many good captain options to choose from that I think the ownership is going to be fairly spread out. Of course, you can take the quarterbacks here, but I want to afford as many of these expensive players as I can. With that in mind, Jared Cook ($10,500 CP) feels like one of the best options to use as captain with his 5.5 receptions per game. At $10,500, you still have an average of $7,900 for the rest of your lineup. You can always use Demarcus Robinson ($7,800 CP) in this spot as well to really give you the flexibility for the rest of your lineup.
Set your FREE to play DraftKings lineups here: Madden Stream $10K FREE Game of the Week Contest [5 Entry Max] (KC vs NO)
Final Score Chiefs 30 Saints 27
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is steveazors) 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.