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.
Saturday’s six-game slate starts with the Falcons and Dolphins from virtual Miami at 12 p.m. ET. The last time those two teams faced off, there were a total of 73 points scored, so don’t sleep on that early game as a good source of fantasy points. The 2 p.m. ET contest features the Raiders hosting the Panthers and the Texans and Cowboys meet in a Texas-sized rivalry matchup at 4 p.m. ET. The second half of the slate starts at 6 p.m. ET with the Seahawks taking on the Bears before the primetime matchup, which will pit the two best teams from these sims in the NFC head-to-head as the Vikings take on the 49ers. The final game of the night should be a good one as well, as the Saints visit the Titans in virtual Tennessee on “Madden After Dark.”
All six of those matchups have some intriguing elements to consider and the 12 teams provide fantasy owners with plenty of good options across the board. 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.
Set your FREE to play DraftKings lineups here: Madden Stream $3K FREE Contest
Curious about when major leagues and events will return? Check out our DraftKings Sports Calendar for the latest updates.
Quarterback
Stud
Deshaun Watson, HOU at DAL, $6,800 — Watson is the only QB on the board who can come close to matching Russell Wilson ($7,900) in terms or both average production and upside. Both mobile QBs have produced identical 22.0 DKFP per sim averages and have done it with a potent combination of rushing and passing. I’ll go with Watson in this matchup since Wilson has to face the Bears, a typically-stronger defense, and costs significantly more. Watson had 24.42 DKFP in his first matchup against Dallas, throwing for 273 yards and two touchdowns while adding over 50 yards rushing. He has been locked in recently with at least 18 DKFP in six straight sims and 10 of his past 11.
Other Options — Russell Wilson ($7,900), Dak Prescott ($6,300)
Value
Mitchell Trubisky, CHI vs. SEA, $5,800 — The QB going head-to-head with Wilson also has some nice upside even though Trubisky is the cheapest of all the starting QBs on the slate. He is the only player averaging at least 20 DKFP on the whole slate aside from Wilson and Watson. Trubisky has been successful due to his rushing abilities in these sims and is averaging 49.4 rushing yards to go with 188.6 passing yards per contest while totaling 56 passing touchdowns and 14 rushing scores. He destroyed the Seahawks’ secondary in the first meeting between these teams, throwing for five touchdowns and 241 passing yards on his way to 36.04 DKFP. He has that kind of ceiling and comes so cheap, that it’s hard to pass him up if you need salary, even though Wilson and Watson are definitely flashier options.
Other Option — Derek Carr ($6,200), Ryan Fitzpatrick ($5,900)
Running Back
Stud
Devonta Freeman, ATL at MIA, $5,900 — Freeman gets all the work he can handle on a regular basis in the Falcons’ backfield and has averaged 17.8 DKFP per contest on 63.2 rushing yards and 25.2 receiving yards per contest along with 29 total touchdowns. Freeman had 28.4 DKFP in his first meeting with the Dolphins, who always struggle against the run. Freeman should be an elite play even though his salary is under $6K.
Other Options — Ezekiel Elliott ($6,500), Dalvin Cook ($6,200)
Value
Tevin Coleman, SF vs. MIN, $5,600— Coleman has been one of the best RBs in the sims but is still affordably priced under $6K. Even though a matchup with the Vikings’ defense looks difficult on the surface, he went off for 47.2 DKFP on 235 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the teams’ first meeting. While he is unlikely to duplicate that production, it definitely shows this isn’t a stay-away game for the do-everything back in San Francisco. He is averaging an impressive 17.8 DKFP per contest and has over 11 DKFP in eight of his past nine contests. He has 31 touchdowns in his 38 sims and remains always an option to consider, even in tough matchups.
Other Option — Tarik Cohen ($3,800), Jalen Richard ($3,400)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Julio Jones, ATL at MIA, $7,500 — Jones continues to dominate in these sims and is averaging 17.6 DKFP with at least one catch in every one of Atlanta’s 38 sims and an average of exactly five catches per contest for 80.8 yards and a total of 23 touchdowns. He had four straight games with over 20 DKFP before settling for just 10.1 DKFP against the Jaguars in his most recent sim. He should be in a good spot to get back to his usual high-level production against a Miami defense that doesn’t typically cover WR1s very effectively.
Other Options — Michael Thomas ($7,800), DeVante Parker ($6,000)
Value
Zay Jones, OAK vs. CAR, $3,500 — Jones has put up a couple of monster games in his past two sims. He had 230 yards, three touchdowns and 55 DKFP against the Browns and followed that with another strong game of 23.4 DKFP with 104 receiving yards and a touchdown against the Bucs. He has at least three catches in five straight games with six touchdowns over that span. The Panthers’ secondary doesn’t have a ton of depth, so Jones has a good chance of putting together another solid ceiling game.
Keke Coutee, HOU at DAL, $3,000 — Coutee has been regularly involved in the Texans’ offense as the slot receiver even though he’s the WR4, which keeps him at the minimum salary on this slate. Coutee had his best game of the sim season in the Texans’ previous matchup with Dallas, hauling in five catches for 113 yards, a touchdown and 25.3 DKFP. Since Dallas has a good secondary overall, Watson could again be forced to check down to his slot option and Coutee has shown he can be a PPR beast with exactly 100 catches in these sims already.
Other Options — Calvin Ridley ($4,600), DK Metcalf ($4,300), Ted Ginn Jr. ($3,200)
Tight End
Stud
Jared Cook, NO at TEN, $5,100 — Cook has scored five touchdowns in his past six games and has 15 on the sim season. His scoring binge has helped him produce at least 17 DKFP in each of those five games and raised his average up to 14.3 DKFP per sim. He had six catches in his first meeting with the Titans and typically gets plenty of volume. He’s a little underpriced at just over $5K since he plays such a large role in the New Orleans passing attack.
Other Options — George Kittle ($5,800), Delanie Walker ($5,000)
Value
Darren Waller, OAK vs CAR, $4,900 — Waller’s average of 14.4 DKFP per sim for the Raiders edges out Cook’s production once you include the one outlier in which Cook didn’t have a catch. Waller has a catch in every sim for Oakland and is averaging 4.7 catches per contest for 65.7 yards with a total of 17 touchdowns. He had a massive 10-catch, 33.5-DKFP performance in his most recent sim against the Bucs and has produced over 14 DKFP in three straight and five of his past seven. He can be the sole focus of the Raiders’ offense at times, which results in heavy volume and huge games.
Other Options — Will Dissly ($4,200), Mike Gesicki ($4,000)
DST
Stud
Cowboys DST at PHI, $2,900 — While the Cowboys haven’t been the flashiest of units causing a ton of turnovers and scoring defensive touchdowns, Dallas’ defense has been very consistent and is now averaging 6.7 DKFP per sim, the same as the Panthers’ DST, who many consider among the best in these sims due to takeaway potential. Dallas does have 26 takeaways and 59 sacks in its 38 sims to go along with three safeties and five defensive touchdowns. The Cowboys do a great job of limiting their opponent as well and have been especially good at home, where Dallas faces the Texans on this slate.
Other Option — Panthers ($3,000)
Value
Vikings DST at SF, $2,700 — Even though the Vikings did get gouged by Coleman in the teams’ first meeting, Minnesota’s defense is still good enough to play in the rematch since the unit continues to be the most dynamic unit in all of Madden. The Vikings are averaging 7.3 DKFP per contest after recovering three fumbles and posting an impressive 17.0 DKFP in the team’s most recent sim against the Rams. Minnesota has at least 10 DKFP in 13 of 38 sims overall, including each of the past two. The Vikings have 39 takeaways in 38 sims along with a massive 87 sacks and six defensive touchdowns.
Other Options — 49ers ($2,400), Seahawks ($2,300)
Set your FREE to play DraftKings lineups here: Madden Stream $3K FREE Contest
Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game.
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.