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Thursday night has a solid trifecta of games on the Madden slate, starting with a 6 p.m. ET matchup between Washington and the Raiders, who are still playing their sims in virtual Oakland in Madden 2020. The primetime matchup is a rematch of multiple Super Bowls as the Patriots head to virtual Philadelphia and take on the Eagles. The final game of the night should be a fun one as well as the Seahawks take on the Tennessee Titans at 10 p.m. ET on “Madden After Dark.”
All six of those teams provide intriguing fantasy options to check out, and I’ll give you my favorite stud and value play for each roster spot on this slate below. For more, 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 in upcoming matchups.
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Quarterback
Stud
Russell Wilson, SEA at TEN, $8,000 — Wilson has definitely been a star in these sims even though the Seahawks have been very disappointing overall. Wilson is averaging a very solid 22.0 DKFP per sim with averages of 213.8 passing yards and 48.0 rushing yards. He’s thrown 66 touchdowns and just eight interceptions while running for 12 additional touchdowns through his first 41 sims. Wilson has been one of the most consistent QB options in all of Madden, posting at least 18.0 DKFP in nine of his past ten sims. That steady production doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a high ceiling, though, as he showed with 39.68 DKFP against the Chiefs during that span.
Other Option — Tom Brady ($7,500)
Value
Derek Carr, LV vs WAS, $6,400 — Carr takes on Washington in the first sim of the slate in a favorable matchup for him to keep posting good numbers. Carr has thrown multiple touchdowns in eight-straight games with at least 16.0 DKFP in each of those contests. He had an impressive 27.48 DKFP against the Dolphins with four touchdown passes and has been threatening the 300-yard bonus on a regular basis. He didn’t do much against Washington in their first meeting, but overall its defensive secondary has been pretty beatable for big plays. As a result, I think he’ll have a much better showing in the rematch.
Other Option — Dwayne Haskins Jr. ($5,900)
Running Back
Stud
James White, NE at PHI, $6,100 — White had been a dual-threat source of production for the Patriots throughout these sims and usually contributes good numbers either as a rusher or receiver. He caught six passes in the Pats’ first meeting with the Eagles and totalled 11.4 DKFP, despite it being a low-scoring contest. White had over 100 yards on the ground and posted an impressive 26.9 DKFP in New England’s recent win over Buffalo. He has at least 11.0 DKFP in 24 of his past 39 sims (62%) since settings were adjusted. Unlike in real life, the Patriots stick with White in most situations making him a reliable enough option to spend over $6K on in this matchup.
Other Option — Miles Sanders ($6,200)
Value
Chris Thompson, WAS at LV, $3,000 — There isn’t much depth in the RB pool on this slate since there are so many timeshares in play. If you can’t stack White and Sanders, it makes sense to go with one of the more affordable third-down backs, where you’ll be saving some salary and still getting solid upside. Thompson is available at the minimum and has been very involved despite being Washington’s RB3. He plays in all the pass-heavy formations as the third-down back and has scored nine touchdowns while averaging 7.9 DKFP per sim. He has reached double-digit DKFP in six of his past eight sims and had 7.0 DKFP against the Raiders in their past meeting. He is averaging 23.9 rushing yards and 21.1 receiving yards per contest and gets a much heavier workload when Washington is trailing and relying more on passing formations. If the Raiders get out to a lead, as I expect they will, Thompson could be a key player in Washington’s attempts to rally.
Other Options — Dion Lewis ($3,600), C.J. Prosise ($3,000)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Tyrell Williams, LV vs. WAS, $6,500 — Washington has been giving up big plays to opposing WR1’s lately and Williams comes in on a nice roll with a total of five touchdowns in his past three sims, bringing him to 22 on the sim season. Williams is averaging 4.1 catches for 66.5 yards per contest and also has a long rushing touchdown on a WR screen. He has at least 13.0 DKFP in five-straight and has been a very solid option throughout these sims. The Raiders usually use their strong playbook to get the speedy Williams in space and give him the opportunity to make big plays, and this matchup should allow him to do just that.
Other Options — Julian Edelman ($7,000), A.J. Brown ($5,800)
Value
Paul Richardson Jr., WAS at LV, $3,800 — Richardson has been one of the best WR2 options in all of Madden and is always available at an affordable salary. He has scored an impressive 27 touchdowns in his 43 sims while averaging 3.8 catches per contest. He has gone off for some huge games recently, with double-digit DKFP in nine of his past 10 sims. That includes five games with over 20.0 DKFP and even a game with 36.4 DKFP during that run. Oakland’s secondary is a good matchup for Richardson, and he makes a great value option on this slate.
Zay Jones, LV vs. WAS, $3,400 — The WR2 on the other side of the early matchup is also a good value since Jones is extremely affordable against that iffy Washington secondary. Jones has averaged 3.7 catches for 56.0 yards per sim and he’s scored a total of 24 touchdowns in 43 contests. He hasn’t been as consistent as Richardson, but he still brings massive upside at just $3.4K. It could be a Zay day against Washington and all of Oakland’s passing game is a sleeper stack with big-time potential on this slate.
Other Options — DK Metcalf ($4,500), Phillip Dorsett II ($3,500)
Tight End
Stud
Zach Ertz, PHI vs. NE, $5,600 — New England has an elite secondary but has been beatable by TEs all throughout the sim season. Ertz had seven catches for 143 yards and 24.3 DKFP in their first meeting and has been one of the most consistent producers at tight end due to his high volume. Ertz has averaged 5.3 catches for 65.5 yards per sim and has found the end zone 21 times. He has an extremely high ceiling when he becomes the focus of the Eagles passing attack, which I expect him to be in this matchup once again.
Other Option — Darren Waller ($5,300), Jordan Reed ($5,100)
Value
Ben Watson, NE at PHI, $4,300 — Watson has almost matched Ertz’s average, but hasn’t quite scored as many touchdowns with 17 through his first 42 sims. He has averaged over 65.0 yards per sim and has hauled in more than 5.0 passes per contest. His spot in the Patriots’ passing playbook has made him a standout value all season long and that trend should continue in this contest against the Eagles.
Other Option — Will Dissly ($4,400)
DST
Stud
Patriots DST at PHI, $3,000 — New England’s defense has racked up 99 sacks in their 43 sims, but stayed stuck on that number against Minnesota in their most recent matchup. They have forced 25 turnovers and scored a pair of defensive touchdowns to average 5.2 DKFP per sim and have been even better on the road, posting 6.1 DKFP per contest.
Value
Titans DST at SEA, $2,600 — The Titans and Seahawks both have strong defenses in the late game, which is why it may be a lower-scoring contest, especially if both teams commit to running the ball. The Seahawks have a little more flair with Bobby Wagner, but the Titans have been very steady and have actually had better per-game production than Seattle. Tennessee’s D has 94 sacks and four safeties to go with three defensive touchdowns and 15 takeaways in its 43 sims, with at least 5.0 DKFP in five-straight.
Other Option — Seahawks ($2,500)
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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.