In addition to the great content associated with the return of real-life sports like baseball and basketball, DraftKings has continue to provide some highly entertaining simulated sports action. Each day, there are six Madden Streams and eight free contests, with a single-game Showdown for each game along with a pair of classic contests. Each of the simulations is 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 or right here in this post. Follow along to watch your fantasy team rack up some big fantasy points.

The primetime game on Sunday night should be a good one between the Chiefs and the Rams and is also the focus of the daily $5K FREE Contest [5 Entry Max] (KC vs LAR). Both teams have been good enough to be in contention for the Wild Card in their respective conferences with the Chiefs currently at 21-17 through 38 sims while the Rams have gone 20-18. Both teams have shown off potent offenses at times in these sims, so hopefully there are plenty of points and fantasy points for everyone in this matchup. The first time they met in these sims was all the way back in the second game of the sim season, and the Rams pulled out a 31-24 win at virtual Arrowhead Stadium. That game was before the mode was changed to arcade and the quarters lengthened, so the final score is actually even more impressive than in initially appears. Can the Chiefs get payback by dealing a home loss to the Rams in this contest? What players should you focus on as you build your five entries? I’ll give you my pick to win the game and my favorite fantasy plays in this post.

Set your FREE to play DraftKings lineups here: Madden Stream $5K FREE Contest [5 Entry Max] (KC vs LAR)

---

Curious about when major leagues and events will return? Check out our DraftKings Sports Calendar for the latest updates.

---

Showdown Strategy

Kansas City Chiefs

Any discussion of the Chiefs offense has to start with Madden 2020 cover-athlete QB Patrick Mahomes ($11,400), who is only QB with a perfect 99 overall rating in this version of Madden. He has been very good in these sims after a slow start and is averaging 22.0 DKFP by stacking up an insane 10,567 passing yards and 92 touchdowns. That breaks down to an average of 278.1 passing yards and 2.4 passing scores per contest. He has been red hot lately with over 300 yards in five of his past six sims and at least three passing touchdowns in all six of those contests. Over that span, he is producing 32.31 DKFP per contest. While for some players, that seems like a “ceiling” game, Mahomes has made that his regular production lately, and he should have no trouble keeping things moving against the Rams defense. Los Angeles has a couple of big-name stars in Jalen Ramsey and Aaron Donald but don’t have enough depth to truly slow down this Chiefs attack. Mahomes has had some down games in these sims from time-to-time but has been locked in lately and needs to be a consideration for every one of your five entries.

Mahomes has gotten some help on offense from RB Damien Williams ($7,200), who has been solid with 13.8 DKFP per contest. He is the every-down option and has been involved as both a rusher and receiver, posting 59.5 rushing yards and 16.2 receiving yards per contest and scoring a total of 20 touchdowns in 38 sims. He has slowed his scoring pace a little bit lately since Mahomes has been throwing almost all of them. He has still managed to be productive, though with at least 11 DKFP in three straight and four of his past five. He has a nice ceiling for a mid-range player and can be a beast if the Chiefs go to the ground early and often which they have done in some of these sims.

When Kansas City airs it out, WR Tyreek Hill ($10,000) has shone as one of the top WR in all of Madden. He doesn’t have an X-Factor or Superstar traits, but he is the only player in all of Madden with a 99 overall speed rating. He has used that speed to stack up 3,032 total receiving yards for an average of just under 80 yards per sim. He has also added 32 touchdowns in 38 sims and scored eight times in his past four games. Those four games have been huge resulting in 46.4 DKFP, 33.6 DKFP, 13.4 DKFP and 43.2 DKFP. He had 212 yards in his most recent sim against a tough 49ers defense and had five catches for 98 yards, a touchdown and 21.3 DKFP in his first meeting with the Rams despite the settings. Hill has been a monster lately and his connection with Mahomes makes him one of the top options in all of Madden, especially in Arcade Mode.

Even with Hill soaking up so much usage, TE Travis Kelce ($7,600) hasn’t been quiet. He has the same 96 overall rating that Hill brings but adds the X-Factor of “Double Me” along with Superstar abilities of “Double-Move Elite” and “In-Out Elite.” Kelce had a quiet game against the 49ers with just 6.5 DKFP but exploded for 37.7 DKFP against the Packers in his previous sim. He has over 17 DKFP in five of his past seven games and should be able to find holes in this Rams’ secondary. I don’t like him quite as much as Hill, but he’s much more affordable and another solid mid-range option to consider alongside Williams.

The Chiefs offense has been so potent that even the value options are putting up nice numbers. WR2 Sammy Watkins ($5,800) is producing 12.6 DKFP per sim with 24 touchdowns and an average of 49.5 receiving yards per contest. Even WR3 Demarcus Robinson ($4,800) is averaging 12.0 DKFP per sim with similar yardage numbers but only 16 touchdowns. You can definitely use either of these WR in your lineup and look for Mahomes to get the ball in their hands as speedy playmakers on the outside.

Their offense has been excellent but the Chiefs’ DST ($3,400) has only managed 3.6 DKFP per sim. They have 66 sacks and 15 takeaways in their 38 games, but I’d prefer going with Harrison Butker ($3,800) as a value play since he’s averaging a significantly higher 6.5 DKFP per sim. He has a 95 kick power rating and 86 kick accuracy rating, making him the third-highest rated kicker in all of Madden.

---

Los Angeles Rams

The Rams have been extremely streaky in these sims reeling off nine straight wins at one point but going just 2-8 in their past 10 sims. Thee offense can put up big points and help them pull off big upsets, like we saw against the Chiefs the first time these teams met, a 41-38 win over Green Bay and a 27-24 win in Minnesota in their most recent sim.

The Rams’ attack has just not been nearly as consistent as the Chiefs, mostly due to erratic QB play at times from Jared Goff ($10,400), who is putting up 16.3 DKFP per contest. He has thrown multiple touchdowns in three of his past four sims but has only hit 20 DKFP one time in his past 16 sims. He isn’t an awful play and does have contrarian upside, but he pales in comparison to Mahomes, Hill and the other Chiefs plays at the top of the salary structure.

The most consistent play in the inconsistent Rams offense has definitely been RB Todd Gurley ($7,800), who has 23 touchdowns and is producing 14.5 DKFP per sim on 58.9 rushing yards and 20.0 receiving yards per contest. He has been held under 10 DKFP in three of his past four games but was very consistent before that, so don’t let recency bias scare you off too much. The key to teams beating the Chiefs has been relying heavily on running the ball, and the Rams will likely try to follow that script as long as they don’t fall too far behind. In their first meeting, Gurley had 20.5 DKFP despite the old settings. He’s not a total lock with Williams and Kelce good options in the same price range, but he’s worth considering for an entry or two since he has had success.

The Rams WRs are a bit of a riddle since all have talent but are inconsistently involved. WR1 Cooper Kupp ($8,800) works out of the slot and is the only one with Superstar traits. However, he has scored 13 touchdowns and is only averaging 12.7 DKFP, which makes him seem overpriced at this salary. Robert Woods ($7,400) is one of the highest-rated WR2’s in all of Madden with his 86 overall rating and is averaging 13.3 DKFP per sim. He has been the hot hand lately with five touchdowns over his past four games giving him 18 scores on the sim season and at least 10 DKFP in seven straight sims. It’s hard to pick him over Gurley, Kelce and Williams all in the same salary range, but he does come with real upside. The speed option among the Rams WRs is Brandin Cooks ($7,000), who has a 95 speed rating. Cooks has 15 scores and is averaging over 12 DKFP per contest, but his $7K salary is a tough one to swallow given the other options around him, his inconsistent volume and the fact that Watkins and Robinson are much cheaper with similar averages.

There’s not much salary relief from TE Tyler Higbee ($6,600) either. The big TE has hauled in at least one catch in every sim and is averaging 44 yards per sim. He has over 12 DKFP in three of his past four and had four catches for 59 yards against the Chiefs in their first meeting. He’s not a horrible play, but he’s not really a great value option since he’s still pretty pricey.

With the WRs and RBs so expensive, you might have to get creative for cheap plays. The Rams DST ($3,600) has been pretty good lately and had seven sacks, two defensive fumble recoveries and 18.0 DKFP in their most recent outing against a solid Vikings’ offense. They aren’t consistently at that level but have averaged 4.9 DKFP per sim, significantly better than the Chiefs’ DST. Greg Zuerlein ($4,000) has also been one of the best kickers in Madden, averaging over 7.0 DKFP per sim. He definitely makes sense at his salary too if you need to try and balance out some of your big acquisitions.

---

The Outcome

For Captain’s Picks, Mahomes ($17,100 CP) and Hill ($15,000 CP) stand out as elite options but will definitely cost you a lot and you’ll have to be creative with your flex spots. If you want to slide both those players into flex spots, you could check out Williams ($10,800 CP) Watkins ($8,700 CP) or even Robinson ($7,200 CP) as your Captain’s Picks as well. On the Rams side, Gurley ($11,700 CP) is probably the most reliable option with Woods ($11,100 CP) a contrarian play with enough upside to go with and see if he can go off. The real challenge will be finding value in the flex spots, so take a look at the kickers and Rams DST if you need to round out your roster.

The Chiefs offense has been on a whole different level lately, and I don’t think the Rams will be able to stop them with Mahomes so dialed in. I have no confidence in Goff, who has been so volatile in these sims, so as a result I think the Chiefs go into L.A. and come out with another W.

Final Score: Chiefs 35, Rams 21

Set your FREE to play DraftKings lineups here: Madden Stream $5K FREE Contest [5 Entry Max] (KC vs LAR)

---

Depth Charts

Chiefs

Rams

---

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.