DraftKings continues to provide some great sports simulations even with baseball and basketball starting to resume. 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.
On Friday, we have another stacked slate of sims starting at 12 p.m. ET with the latest version of the “Battle of Ohio” as the Browns visit the Bengals in virtual Cincinnati. The Jaguars host the Washington football team at 2 p.m. ET, followed at 4 p.m. ET by another NFC East opponent taking on a team from Florida as the Giants host the Buccaneers. The second half of the slate kicks off at 6 p.m. ET with the Patriots hosting the Steelers in a matchup of the top two teams in the AFC based on their records so far in these sims. At 8 p.m. ET, we’ve got another juicy primetime matchup as the Packers visit virtual Philly to take on the Eagles, and we close out the full day of sims with the Bills taking on the Ravens on “Madden After Dark” at 10 p.m. ET.
With those six matchups and 12 teams giving fantasy owners many good options across the board, there are several ways to consider building your roster for this all-day slate. I’ll give you my favorite plays at each position and price point below. For more information, you can always 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. BUF, $7,600 — In his most recent sim, Jackson set the single-game high for rushing yards by a QB with 168 yards on the ground against the Texans. He finished with 34.96 DKFP and has over 34 DKFP in three of his past five contests. His ceiling is always sky-high due to his dual-threat production, but I especially like him in this matchup since the Bills have struggled against the run. The fact that they have a good secondary may actually force Jackson to run more, which will help his fantasy value. He had 22.6 DKFP against the Bills in his first game against them, which is actually very typical of Jackson’s production. He can be a little boom-or-bust, but I don’t see the Bills containing him in this contest.
Other Options — Tom Brady ($7,400), Jameis Winston ($6,300)
Value
Baker Mayfield, CLE at CIN, $6,000 — Playing Mayfield is definitely a swing for the fences—when it pays off he can be the best QB on almost any slate, but you can also end up with a brutal swing-and-miss. His most recent outing was definitely “the whiff” with just 167 passing yards and 5.68 DKFP against Denver. It was a weather game, though, which may have been part of the problem. He gets a good matchup for a bounce-back game against the Bengals, and he has shown he can be excellent when on top of his game with over 19 DKFP in seven of his past 10 sims. He is almost always around that 300-yard bonus and has thrown multiple touchdowns in 20-of-38 sims (53%).
Other Option — Josh Allen ($6,200), Dwayne Haskins Jr. ($5,600)
Running Back
Stud
Leonard Fournette, JAX vs. WAS, $5,900 — Fournette is under $6K, but he’s one of the top RB on this slate since many of the backs ahead of him share work. Fournette gets all the work in Jacksonville and has been very involved as a receiver, averaging 2.5 catches per sim. He has 21 touchdowns in his 37 sims and typically carries a lot of the offensive workload for the Jags, especially in lower-scoring contests, which is what I expect against Washington. In his first game against Washington, Fournette exploded for 164 rushing yards with a touchdown and 25.4 DKFP. He has the potential to put up big numbers again in the rematch, especially at home where he has averaged 1.5 DKFP more per sim than his average on the roard.
Other Options — Saquon Barkley ($6,700), James White ($5,800)
Value
Miles Sanders, PHI vs. GB, $5,200 — Sanders is also a do-everything back who adds a lot of value from his receiving yards and PPR production. He gets almost all the work in the Eagles’ backfield and has turned that into a 15.7 DKFP per sim average. He is averaging 71.5 rushing yards and 17.6 receiving yards on 2.3 catches per contest. He has gone off for some monster games and has been relatively consistent as well with at least 11 DKFP in 22-of-38 sims (58%).
Chris Thompson, WAS at JAX, $3,000 — Thompson will be playing against his new team in real life in this matchup as he faces the Jaguars with his old team from Washington. He is an amazing value at the minimum salary and can help you afford high-priced options in the rest of your lineup. In each of his past three games, he has scored a touchdown and hit double-digit DKFP. He had five catches for 82 yards against Jacksonville on his way to 16.7 DKFP in the first matchup of these two teams. He gets involved in every single sim for Washington and is almost always a solid salary-saver.
Other Option — Gio Bernard ($3,600), Dare Ogunbowale ($3,000)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Odell Beckham Jr., CLE at CIN, $7,300 — Whether or not you’re going with the high-risk of playing Mayfield at QB, OBJ offers a great ceiling at WR. Due to Baker’s inconsistency, Beckham has been a little boom-or-bust as well, but he is averaging over 18.0 DKFP per sim, which is the highest of any WR on this slate. He has over 20 DKFP and 100 yards in three of his past four games and five of his past eight. Beckham had a pair of touchdowns and 25.3 DKFP against the Bengals in their first meeting, and I don’t see anyone in Cincinnati’s secondary who will slow him down in this contest.
Other Options — Mike Evans ($7,400), Alshon Jeffery ($6,400)
Value
DJ Chark Jr., JAX vs. WAS, $5,800 — The Washington Football Team has given up big games throughout these sims to opposing WR1 options, and I think Chark can attack that matchup and put up another big game. He has scored 26 touchdowns in 37 sims while producing almost 70 receiving yards per contest. He has over 13 DKFP in four straight and eight of his past 10. He also had a touchdown and 15.1 DKFP in his first meeting with Washington, so all signs point to another Chark-fest.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, GB at PHI, $3,000 — Getting a WR2 at the minimum salary is surprising, especially one that plays in a good offense like the Packers. It’s not like MVS has been a bust either. In fact, in his most recent sim, he went off for 147 yards and 37.7 DKFP against the Patriots. He is averaging double-digit DKFP and has at least three catches in eight of his past nine, showing he is regularly involved with a ton of upside for a WR that only costs $3K.
Other Options — Paul Richardson Jr. ($3,800), John Ross III ($3,000)
Tight End
Stud
Zach Ertz, PHI vs. GB, $5,800 — Ertz has been the focus of the Eagles’ passing attack and is averaging a robust 5.0 catches per sim. He has at least four catches in 11 of his past 13 sims, including his most recent outing when he hauled in eight for 83 on his way to 22.3 DKFP against the Steelers. Ertz had a pair of touchdowns and 20.6 DKFP in his first sim against Green Bay and has totaled 16 scores in his 38 sims. He is a spendy option at almost $6K at TE but gets the volume of work to still make him a play worth considering if you have saved at other spots.
Other Options — Evan Engram ($5,600), O.J. Howard ($4,400)
Value
Ben Watson, NE vs. PIT, $4,100 — Watson is actually out-producing every TE on this slate including Ertz with over 14.5 DKFP per contest. He didn’t find the end zone in his most recent sim against Green Bay, resulting in 9.0 DKFP, but he had hit for over 15 DKFP in four of his previous five games. The Steelers have a very solid defense but have been very beatable by TE all sim season long. They gave up 99 yards to Watson in their first meeting and have been prone to giving up monster TE games with multiple TDs.
Other Options — Tyler Kroft ($3,700), James O’Shaughnessy ($3,600)
DST
Stud
Packers DST at PHI, $3,100 — There aren’t any elite, turnover-creating defenses on the slate, but the Packers have been sneaky-good lately with at least 8.0 DKFP in three of their past four sims including nice performances against the Chiefs and Patriots. They should have no trouble slowing down the Eagles’ sometimes-inconsistent offense, especially with their pass rush that has produced 93 sacks in 38 sims (2.5 per sim). They have 21 takeaways and five defensive touchdowns, and for some reason, they’re better on the road, where they have put up 6.1 DKFP per contest.
Other Options — Patriots ($3,200), Buccaneers ($2,900)
Value
Jaguars DST vs. WAS, $2,200 — The Jags have a solid pass rush and should be able to get pressure on Haskins. Washington’s offense has definitely had its good days, but it has also struggled at times, giving the Jags D some solid upside at home. They are very affordable and have averaged a decent 4.0 DKFP coming into this favorable matchup.
Other Options — Steelers ($2,700), Bills ($2,100)
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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.