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.
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, on the DK Live app (download here) or right here in this post. Follow along to watch your fantasy team pile up fantasy points. The stream begins at 12:00 p.m. ET on Friday, July 17.
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Quarterback
Stud
Deshaun Watson, HOU at GB, $7,700 — After spending most of our Madden season as the top overall fantasy producer, Watson has actually been surpassed by Russell Wilson ($8,000), who is also on this slate. Even so, I prefer Watson in a much easier matchup. Watson takes on the Packers while Wilson is playing against the 49ers. Watson has scored at least 18 DKFP in seven of his last eight games and should play well against Green Bay.
Value
Mitchell Trubisky, CHI at MIN, $6,600 — This is a bit of a tough spot for me. Trubisky is almost always my favorite per dollar quarterback, although the Vikings have been the one Madden defense that we have seen play well consistently. For this reason, I think spending up at QB makes the most sense, although I still think Trubisky is viable due to his rushing upside. He’s rushed for 1,719 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Running Back
Stud
Tevin Coleman, SF at SEA, $6,200 — Coleman has been a stud at running back in Madden. Despite almost always being one of the best fantasy producing skill position players on every slate, he’s usually not one of the most expensive. Coleman averages 17.4 DKFP, the most of any RB on this slate, and there are three players more expensive than him at the position.
Value
Tarik Cohen, CHI at MIN, $5,000 — Due to a change in how players are priced for this slate, there isn’t really any true value at running back. All the players are priced around the same. For this reason, it makes the most sense to spend up for a couple of guys like Coleman and Dalvin Cook ($6,800). It makes sense to roster Cohen on slates when he is in the $3K price range, but I can’t make a case for rostering any of the running backs on this slate priced under $6,000.
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Wide Receiver
Stud
Odell Beckham Jr., CLE at IND, $7,500 — One of the most explosive players in our Madden sims, Beckham was in a two-game rut before bouncing back with a 23.5 DKFP performance his last time out. OBJ always has a bit of variance in our sims, just as he has in real life, but nobody has more upside at any position. A couple of weeks ago, Beckham had a 57.9 DKFP game against the Falcons with four touchdowns.
Value
DK Metcalf, SEA vs. SF, $4,600 — Even though the 49ers’ defense presents a tough matchup, Metcalf could see more targets than usual since Tyler Lockett ($5,400) could be blanketed by Richard Sherman. Metcalf’s size and speed often present issues for cornerbacks, leading to him averaging 12.3 DKFP. He comes with solid upside and has scored over 28 DKFP in two of his last three games.
Tight End
Stud
Darren Waller, LV vs. JAX, $5,500 — Waller or George Kittle ($6,000) is a really tough call and either can be considered viable options. With that said, I am leaning towards Waller as the stronger option. He’s $500 cheaper and has more touchdown equity. Kittle has only scored 11 total touchdowns in our simulations, which somewhat caps his upside. He’s scored just once in his last nine games. Waller has over 2,000 receiving yards and has scored six touchdowns in his last 10 games.
Value
James O’Shaughnessy, JAX at LV, $3,900 — O’Shaughnessy is almost always a safe play at tight end. For a cheap price, he doesn’t have many duds and has caught at least three passes in eight consecutive games. Playing against the Raiders is also one of the easiest matchups possible due to their weak pass defense. They have allowed at least 20 points in seven of their last nine games.
DST
Bears DST at MIN, $2,000 — The Vikings’ defense figures to get most of the attention on most contests since they average 7.0 DKFP, but I actually prefer the other side of this game for $1,000 less. The Bears’ defense is the minimum price and their 4.9 DKFP is respectable compared to what most DSTs produce. As good as the Vikings’ defense has been in Madden, their offense isn’t quite as strong and Kirk Cousins ($5,700) averages the least DKFP of any QB on today’s slate.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is gehrenberg) 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.