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Madden Stream Picks: Top DraftKings Fantasy Football DFS Targets, Values for September 2

Zach Thompson gives his top studs and value plays at each position for Wednesday’s three-game Madden Stream DraftKings slate, which starts at 6:00 p.m. ET.

It’s the first wild weather Wednesday in Madden 21, as DraftKings continues the third and final games for each team in the Madden 21 Tournament divisional play-in round. At 6 p.m. ET, the featured slate starts with the Jets and Dolphins playing for a spot in the knockout round since both teams enter this matchup in the rain with a 1-1 record. The primetime matchup shifts the attention to the NFC East, where the Cowboys (2-0) have been the best team to this point and can advance with a win over the Eagles (1-1), who are also still alive for the knockout round if they pull out an upset in the rain at home. In the final matchup of the day, Washington hosts a snow game against the Giants with both teams still with a chance to advance as well.

You can find all the latest standings throughout the tournament here on Playbook and keep up with the upcoming schedule on the Madden Stream info page, where you can also find the new depth charts and X-factors for the teams in Madden 21.

Enter your lineup in the daily DraftKings Madden Stream contests with paid contests for real cash prizes now available alongside free contests. Along with single-game Showdown contests focused on each individual game, there is an early slate of games that includes Madden Stream games at 12 p.m. ET, 2 p.m. ET and 4 p.m. ET, followed by the featured slate, which focuses on the sims at 6 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. ET and 10 p.m. ET. Each simulation will be played out computer vs. computer via an online Madden Stream using Madden 21. 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.

Set your DraftKings lineups for Wednesday night here: Madden Stream $4K Wednesday Night Special [$1K to 1st] and your FREE lineups here: Madden Stream $1K FREE Contest.


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Quarterback

Stud

Dak Prescott, DAL at PHI, $7,100 — The Cowboys have rolled in their first two games in the Madden 21, scoring over 30 points in each contest. Prescott threw three touchdowns against the Giants for 25 DKFP and then topped 300 yards against Washington on his way to 21.94 DKFP. He ran for over 20 yards in each contest as well and adds the extra production of having rushing potential. The Eagles on the road in the rain is a tough spot but he’s still the top option on this slate, especially since he has so many options to go to in the passing game.

Other Option — Ryan Fitzpatrick ($6,500)

Value

Daniel Jones, NYG at WAS, $5,800 — The value options on this slate are pretty sketchy with two second-year QBs and Sam Darnold ($6,000), who has only managed 6.4 DKFP per sim. Jones is the best of the three bad options and does actually have decent pass-catchers to work with in a favorable matchup against the Washington Football Team. Jones had 17.9 DKFP against Dallas in his first game in Madden 21 and followed that with 12.78 DKFP against the Eagles. He has a little bit of rushing potential as he showed with a rushing TD in the first game but doesn’t take off and run a ton.


Running Back

Stud

Saquon Barkley, NYG at WAS, $6,800 — Trying to tackle Saquon in the snow seems like a defensive player’s worst nightmare and Barkley has already been dominant in his two good-weather sims in Madden 21. He had a solid 14.2 DKFP in the opener against Dallas but then went off for 132 yards and two scores on the ground in addition to five catches for 65 yards in his second game against the Eagles. He has an extremely high ceiling and can make big plays as either a rusher or receiver, so get him in your lineup if you can afford his salary just under $7K.

Other Options — Ezekiel Elliott ($7,100), Le’Veon Bell ($6,300)

Value

Miles Sanders, PHI vs. DAL, $5,800 — Sanders is the every-down back for the Eagles in Madden 21 and he turned that into a monster game to help his team past Barkley’s Giants in his most recent contest. He had seven catches for 41 yards against New York and ran for 72 yards and a score on his way to 24.3 DKFP. He’s a nice way to spend less and still get an RB with lots of upside and plenty of volume coming his way.

Other Option — Matt Breida ($5,300), J.D. McKissic ($4,100)


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Wide Receiver

Stud

Amari Cooper, DAL at PHI, $8,000 — Cooper has been an absolute beast in his two sims with over 25 DKFP in each matchup. He started with seven catches for 76 yards, two scores and 26.6 DKFP against the Giants. In the second game he didn’t get into the end zone but still got plenty of volume, catching nine passes for 145 yards and 26.5 DKFP against Washington. The most encouraging thing about those two stat lines is the consistent volume, since in Madden 2020 he definitely had potential but sometimes didn’t get enough passes thrown his way to be a superstar.

Other Options — DeVante Parker ($6,900), DeSean Jackson ($6,000)

Value

Steven Sims Jr., WAS vs. NYG, $4,000 — Sims has scored in each of his first two games as Washington’s WR2 and is worth a look at this salary for reasons beyond the fact that his name seems to be a perfect fit for the Madden Stream. He had four catches for 52 yards and six catches for 58 yards to produce 15.2 and 17.8 DKFP in his first two games. Even if he doesn’t get another score, he’s getting enough volume to be a solid play at only $4K.

Jalen Reagor, PHI vs. DAL, $3,700 — The Eagles’ dynamic rookie showed his upside with 107 yards on six catches in his first Madden 21 matchup against Washington. He only had one catch in his most recent game for eight yards, so there’s definitely a “boom-or-bust” element to his game. However, in this matchup, I think he’ll be more involved and be a great cheap WR play.

Other Options — Chris Hogan ($5,500), Preston Williams ($3,900)


Tight End

Stud

Evan Engram, NYG at WAS, $5,600 — Engram is tied for the highest speed rating of any TE with Darren Waller of the Raiders. He has caught four passes in each of his first two games and produced 12.6 DKFP and 6.8 DKFP. He has a high ceiling which we saw a few times in the Madden 2020 sim season and he could break through with a big game against Washington to help the Giants cause mayhem and a three-way tie for the second spot with a win and a Philadelphia loss.

Other Option — Zach Ertz ($5,900)

Value

Blake Jarwin, DAL at PHI, $5,400 — Jarwin has been impressive as one of Prescott’s go-to options in Madden 21 and has totaled 12 catches over his first two contests as Dallas’ TE1. He had a solid 13.5 DKFP against the Giants but stepped up even bigger against Washington, producing 109 yards and a touchdown on seven catches. Washington’s vulnerability to TE is why I give Engram the slight edge over Zach Ertz in the stud spot. He’s a little expensive for a value play but offers top-shelf upside.

Other Option — Jeremy Sprinkle ($3,500)


DST

Stud/Value

Jets DST at MIA, $2,900 — The Jets’ DST is still a solid unit despite losing their top playmaker in Jamal Adams in the move to Madden 21. The Jets had a big game for 9.0 DKFP to help them pull the upset against the Patriots in their most recent game with a sack, fumble recovery and defensive touchdown. They also forced a turnover in their first game against the Bills and should get the easiest matchup in their three divisional games as they visit rainy Miami. Normally, I provide two defenses, but I think the Jets are the way to go since they’re in the middle of the salary spectrum and the other cheaper units haven’t shown that they can produce anything fantasy-worthy.

Other Options — Washington ($3,300), Cowboys ($3,100)

Set your DraftKings lineups for Wednesday night here: Madden Stream $4K Wednesday Night Special [$1K to 1st] and your FREE lineups here: Madden Stream $1K FREE Contest.


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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.