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 Vikings-49ers game that will take place at 8 p.m. ET Saturday, July 25.
Set your free to play DraftKings lineups here: Madden Stream $5K FREE Contest [5 Entry Max] (MIN vs SF)
Note: All salaries will be Flex prices unless noted as Captain’s Pick prices
SHOWDOWN STRATEGY
Vikings
After a solid string of games from the Vikings quarterback, Kirk Cousins ($10,400) crashed back down to Earth against the Rams, scoring 8.3 DKFP. It snapped a streak of six-straight games with at least two touchdowns thrown and at least 15.6 DKFP. Even with the touchdowns, he still threw for under 200 yards in two of those games, proving once again how inconsistent he can be. As the second-most expensive player in this game, I think the exposure to him can be kept minimal, even with five lineups to work with.
It used to be that Adam Thielen ($9,400) was the receiver to lock in and not even think about it. Stefon Diggs ($9,200), however, has been really showing some life as of late. Diggs is averaging 17.3 DKFP over his past five games with at least four receptions and a touchdown in three of them. It’s finally looking as his he can be trusted, even with his salary on the rise. Don’t let that take away from how consistent Thielen has been, as he’s averaging 4.1 receptions, 65.3 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns scored through 38 games. His 22 touchdowns is by far the most on the team and account for 39% of Cousins’ season total. We see a significant drop off after these two, as Kyle Rudolph ($6,600) is the only real consideration after them. Quite frankly, you could even say he’s overpriced seeing as he’s averaging 3.1 receptions, 42.3 yards and seven touchdowns scored. Even the WR3 in Laquon Treadwell ($3,200) is too much of a risk at his low salary. He’s been shutout in six of the 38 games for the Vikings and even when he’s targeted, you’re lucky to see more than one reception from him.
The only other Vikings player I’m interested in is Dalvin Cook ($9,800). He’s one of the true RB1s in these simulations you can trust, as he’ll get plenty of work both on the ground and through the air. This has amounted to an average of 90 scrimmage yards per game and 28 touchdowns scored, although all of them have come on the ground. Nonetheless, this game is loaded at the running back position.
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San Francisco 49ers
I’m not going out of my way to get Jimmy Garoppolo ($10,600) in my lineup either. He’s been more productive than Cousins and if you’re looking to take a QB, he’s the easy choice of the two. However, I think you’re getting better and more value at other positions that it’s not necessary to take one of the $10K quarterbacks. Garoppolo is averaging 253 passing yards and has thrown 66 touchdowns, good for 17.5 DKFP per game.
For me, I can’t justify paying up for Garoppolo if it means I can’t afford someone like George Kittle ($8,200) who continues to be a volume monster in this offense. Kittle is averaging five receptions per game and 72.6 yards. His lack of scoring is honestly annoying, but he makes up for it with the number of receptions he makes. In fact, over his past 10 games, Kittle has at least four catches in seven of them. The salary of Emmanuel Sanders ($8,600) has come down to a reasonable level and I think he’s back in play. When he was $10K-plus, he was an easy fade for me. Now at $8,600, it makes more sense for a player averaging four receptions and 57.2 yards with 17 touchdowns scored. Aside from Kittle, Deebo Samuel ($6,200) makes one of the better plays overall relative to his salary. Samuel is averaging 3.6 receptions and 57.1 yards and has scored 15 times — some really strong numbers for someone who is priced in the mid-tier range. Kendrick Bourne ($4,600) remains your biggest boom-or-bust play of the slate. His volume is terrible, averaging 2.8 receptions and 39 yards, but he has taken it to the house on 16 occasions. He’s worth a Captain spot in at least one of your lineups on the hope he can do the same.
Before choosing your lineup, make sure to toss in Tevin Coleman ($8,000) first. He could EASILY be in the $10K price range and I don’t think anyone would question it. How can someone who is averaging just under 100 scrimmage yards per game at 98.3 be so cheap? At this point, it’s a question I don’t ever want answered. Simply take the savings and smile.
THE OUTCOME
The strongest overall Captain option is the man we just spoke out, Tevin Coleman ($12,000 CP). His ceiling is massive and if anyone is going to go off in the Captain spot, it’ll be this guy. If you want to go a bit more expensive, Adam Thielen ($14,100 CP) is always an easy choice for me. Finally, if you want the true boom-or-bust option, as mentioned, Kendrick Bourne ($6,900 CP) will give you an immense amount of lineup flexibility as well as some high touchdown upside.
Final Score: Vikings 20, 49ers 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.