The Dream Stream is back for another full Saturday of Madden sim action to help you get hyped and prepared for the first NFL Sunday of the year. DraftKings has six matchups lined up and ready to begin at 12 p.m. ET, but for this post, we’ll focus on the featured three-game classic slate that kicks off at 6 p.m. ET. The Cowboys take on the Bears in the first sim on this slate followed by the Titans and Eagles in virtual Philadelphia at 8 p.m. ET. We close out the night with the Patriots visiting the Packers on “Madden After Dark,” kicking off at 10 p.m. ET. Make sure to take a look at the newly updated depth charts and X-factors for Madden 21 along with the upcoming schedule on the Madden Stream info page.
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Quarterback
Stud
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys at Chicago Bears, $6,900 — Prescott has been consistently effective in his five sims in Madden 21, averaging 22.2 DKFP per sim and putting up over 21 DKFP in four of those contests. Prescott connected on two touchdown passes in each of his past three games and piled up over 300 yards in two of his past four contests. Prescott also adds the extra potential of picking up yards on the ground in some situations and has rushed for an average of 20 yards per sim along with a rushing touchdown. Chicago’s defense isn’t a great matchup for Dak but they did give up plenty of points when they faced the Packers and Vikings in the Madden 21 Tournament.
Other Options — Aaron Rodgers ($7,200), Carson Wentz ($7,100)
Value
Cam Newton, New England Patriots at Green Bay Packers, $5,600 — The Patriots have been a good fit for Newton in the sims so far and he led them to the AFC Championship game of the tournament before being shut out by the Chiefs. He struggled to just 4.92 DKFP against Kansas City in that matchup but posted over 20 DKFP in four of his previous five contests. He has topped 40 rushing yards twice in the Madden 21 sims and scored two rushing touchdowns while throwing for three touchdowns in two games as well. He is in a difficult matchup against a very good Packers defense but Newton has shown enough upside that he is still worth a look at this salary as the cheapest starting QB play on the slate.
Other Option — Mitchell Trubisky ($6,100)
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Running Back
Stud
Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans at Philadelphia Eagles, $6,600 — One of the biggest changes in Madden 21 for Henry is that he steps in as the third-down back for the Titans now that Dion Lewis is with the Giants. He had five catches or more in two of his three sims, adding even more potential to his performance. As a result of his new role, Henry hardly ever comes off the field and has a very high ceiling with his 93 overall rating, 91 speed rating, 98 awareness rating, 93 break tackle rating and 97 toughness rating. Add in his X-factor trait of Freight Train and superstar traits of Arm Bar and Tank and Closer, and he should be a dominant force. However, his production has been a little uneven in his three sims since the Titans fell behind in two contests and had to abandon the run. He had a huge start to the Madden 21 sims with 31.1 DKFP against the Colts and I think he has that kind of potential in this matchup with the Eagles.
Other Options — Ezekiel Elliott ($6,800), Aaron Jones ($6,200)
Value
James White, New England Patriots vs. Green Bay Packers, $4,300 — White was passed on the Patriots’ depth chart by Sony Michel ($6,100) in the move to Madden 21 but he is still involved enough as the third-down back to be a valuable play at just over $4K. White has at least four catches in four of his past five sims and has posted over 11 DKFP in three of those contests, including a high point of 19.0 DKFP against the Dolphins when he scored his lone touchdown. He is averaging just under 10 DKFP per contest in Madden 21 and could be more heavily involved than usual if the Patriots have to go pass-heavy to keep up with Green Bay.
Other Options — Miles Sanders ($5,800), Tarik Cohen ($4,400)
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Wide Receiver
Stud
Allen Lazard, Green Bay Packers vs. New England Patriots, $6,400 — Even though he isn’t the highest-rated WR on the board for this slate, Lazard has been the most productive, averaging a massive 22.2 DKFP over his first five sims as the Packers’ WR2 and slot option. Lazard has scored five touchdowns in those five sims averaging 6.2 catches for 89.2 yards per game. He opened up his Madden 21 contests with a 10-catch performance against the Lions that netted him 46.3 DKFP. He hasn’t matched that monster total yet but has remained very involved with at least five catches and at least 14 DKFP in all but one game.
Other Options — Amari Cooper ($6,700), DeSean Jackson ($6,300)
Value
Michael Gallup, Dallas Cowboys at Chicago Bears, $4,300 — After often disappointing in Madden 2020, Gallup has been very productive in Madden 21, especially over his past two contests. He had 100 yards and a touchdown for 23 DKFP against the Vikings and followed that with 109 yards, a touchdown and 23.9 DKFP against the Saints. He has found the end zone four times in his five sims, helping him average 14.8 DKFP per contest and be a very solid WR2 option in a productive Dallas offense.
N’Keal Harry, New England Patriots at Green Bay Packers, $3,400 — This must be a new record for most affordable WR1; Harry is under $3.5K and moves to WR1 slot on the Patriots’ depth chart coming into this matchup against Green Bay. Julian Edelman ($5,800) gets plenty of work out of the slot but is actually listed as the WR2 on the depth chart. Harry will be moving into this role for the first time after the Patriots released Mohamed Sanu, who is no longer on their roster for this sim. Harry has hauled in 16 catches for 187 yards and three touchdowns in his six sims and his new role gives him even more upside despite in a tough matchup with the Packers.
Other Options — A.J. Brown ($5,600), CeeDee Lamb ($3,200)
Tight End
Stud
Devin Asiasi, New England Patriots at Green Bay Packers, $4,800 — The Patriots’ TE spot has been very productive due to the team’s playbook that made Gronk a star and Ben Watson a Madden 2020 legend. Asiasi has also taken advantage of the great route tree to produce 12.3 DKFP per sim in his six contests as the starter in Madden 21. He had a very quiet game when New England was shut out by the Chiefs but produced 22.7 DKFP in the prior game against Miami and over 15 DKFP in two of his earlier contests in the Madden sims. He should be heavily involved once again, as the Patriots will likely have to pass the ball to keep up with the Packers.
Other Options— Blake Jarwin ($5,800), Zach Ertz ($5,500)
Value
Jonnu Smith, Tennessee Titans at Philadelphia Eagles, $3,800 — Smith hasn’t shown the upside of the three stud options listed above but can be a reliable contributor, providing some production for under $4K. He has at least three catches in each of his three games with a high point of five catches for 46 yards and 9.6 DKFP in the Titans’ first Madden 21 sim. If Tennessee’s offense can get rolling, he should even out-produce those numbers since he has been a frequent target.
Other Options— Jimmy Graham ($3,700), Marcedes Lewis ($2,700)
DST
Stud
Packers DST vs. New England Patriots, $3,100 — The Packers’ defense has been a much-improved unit in Madden 21 and has been making plays all over the field. They have a strong pass rush and run defense up front and Jaire Alexander leads an excellent secondary as well. In the Packers’ five games, they have put up 8.2 DKFP per contest with five takeaways, nine sacks and a pair of defensive touchdowns.
Value
Bears DST vs. Dallas Cowboys, $2,700 — Chicago is coming off one of the best DST performances we have seen in these sims, as the Bears totally dismantled the Lions, 34-3, in their most recent contest. The defense had nine sacks, an interception, a fumble recovery and a defensive touchdown for a massive 26.0 DFKP. They’ll have a much tougher matchup against a strong Cowboys offense but are still worth a look if you want to go cheap on the defensive side of things.
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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.