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 Titans vs. Rams game, which starts at 6 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 16.
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Note: All salaries will be Flex prices unless noted as Captain’s Pick prices.
SHOWDOWN STRATEGY
Tennessee Titans
The Titans don’t have much offensive upside in the sims and really rely on Ryan Tannehill ($10,400) for big offensive performances to put a lot of points on the board. Tannehill really needs to score 30-plus DKFP to be a slate-changing play, and that’s only happened twice in 35 sims thus far. Tannehill scored just 13.44 DKFP in a sim against the Rams in Week 25.
What makes the Titans tough to play in the sims is that Derrick Henry ($7,600) is such a huge piece of their actual offense, but has been a dud in the majority of outcomes. Henry did score a touchdown to manage 12.6 DKFP in the last sim against the Rams, but has reached double-digit DKFP just once since then. He just goes off too rarely to justify paying for. Dion Lewis ($3,000) is a worthy punt play, surprisingly rushing for a touchdown in consecutive sims while scoring double-digit DKFP in each.
Just because Tannehill doesn’t have much upside, it doesn’t mean there isn’t value at WR. A.J. Brown ($8,400) is less of a consideration, putting up pretty tame numbers (11.4 DKFP per game). Brown will draw a matchup against Jalen Ramsey, which we want no part in targeting. Brown had just once reception for 10 yards in the Week 25 sim in this matchup.
However, Corey Davis ($6,400) finds himself in a much stronger matchup, and has been the hottest play in the Titans’ offense. Davis has been on a tear that began against the Rams, when he went for 6-97-1 (21.7 DKFP). It started a streak of scoring 10-plus DKFP in 10-of-12 sims, six of which were for 19 or more DKFP. Look for Davis to thrive in this matchup again as the go-to-guy given the situation.
Adam Humphries ($5,000) is another cheaper consideration, but his salary has gotten a bit pricey without much production to justify it. I’d prefer finding a way to go up $2,000 to the TE position and roster Delanie Walker ($7,000). Walker’s averaging 11.4 DKFP and has shown a super-high ceiling — 35.3 DKFP against the Vikings, and 42.5 DKFP against the Browns.
Los Angeles Rams
Jared Goff ($10,200) is an extremely similar play to Tannehill. He’s reached 30 DKFP just once and wasn’t anything special when we last played out this matchup. I think there are enough solid plays to potentially build a QB-less lineup on this slate, which should be pretty contrarian.
Goff’s targets are all still dangerous, which makes it difficult to choose between the bunch. Cooper Kupp ($9,000), Robert Woods ($8,000) and Brandin Cooks ($7,400) have all had big sims and have taken a backseat to one another at other times. If you’re trying to identify the best play of the trio, I’d lean to Woods, who’s been the most consistent, but has also shown the highest ceiling. While he didn’t play well in this matchup the last time out, I’d still trust Woods the most in this spot. Cooks is another way to get cheaper exposure to a similar ceiling, close to 40-DKFP. But, of course, Cooks hits his floor more often.
I’d try and find the salary to roster at least two of the Rams’ WRs, but if you do need to save some cash, Tyler Higbee ($6,200) isn’t a bad play. Most of his better sims came in the first half of the season, so perhaps he’s due for another one.
Todd Gurley ($9,600) is probably the safest play on the entire slate. As the every-down back for the Rams, Gurley averages 15.2 DKFP and did score a touchdown in the earlier sim against the Titans, although they didn’t move the ball well. I’ll take the security of a high floor for touches for Gurley, which comes with a 35-DKFP ceiling we’ve already seen.
Greg Zuerlein ($4,000) is at least worth mentioning, and as a highly ranked kicker, you could wind up with a deep FG from him. A 7.5 DKFP average is pretty good for a kicker, and 10 DKFP would be welcomed value at his price point.
THE OUTCOME
I think the WR position is where I’ll be targeting a captain on the slate, and you can go on either side. Corey Davis ($9,600 CP) is my preferred play, but Robert Woods ($12,000 CP) also makes sense.
Final Score: Los Angeles 26, Tennessee 20
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is jedlow) 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.