Monday Night Football wraps up Week 3 in the NFL, but there’s also some great fantasy football action lined up for during the day on Monday as part of the three Madden 21 simulations on the DraftKings Dream Stream. Each matchup has single-game Showdown contests available in addition to a three-game classic kicking off at 12 p.m. ET. We’ll focus on that three-game classic in this post, which starts at noon when the Giants visit the Bengals in virtual Cincinnati. At 2 p.m. ET, the Dolphins and Lions meet in virtual Detroit before we close out the day with the Rams taking on the Bears at 4 p.m. ET. Even though Nick Foles ($5,000) took over Sunday, Mitchell Trubisky ($6,700) will still be the QB1 in simland for the Bears.
The roster for each team does include player movement that occurred prior to Week 1 of this season, and you can find the depth charts, abilities and X-factors for Madden 21 along with the upcoming schedule on the Madden Stream info page. The rosters have also been adjusted to get the best players on the field and will not be impacted by any COVID-19 opt-outs or injuries.
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Quarterback
Stud
Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals vs. New York Giants, $7,000 — The QBs on this slate aren’t a very inspiring group, as a whole. Of the six starters, Burrow has shown the highest ceiling, although the rookie QB can be very boom-or-bust. He has thrown for 13 touchdowns in his seven sims but they have been very unevenly distributed. He threw for four touchdowns against Washington and four touchdowns against Detroit, posting 28.92 and 35.38 DKFP, respectively, but has thrown zero or one touchdown in four of his other five games. He does have that high ceiling but hasn’t consistently reached it. However, in this matchup with the Giants, I think he’ll have one of the better days of the QBs in play. He hasn’t turned the ball over at all and has led Cincinnati to a 3-4 record in Madden 21.
Other Option — Mitchell Trubisky ($6,700)
Value
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins at Detroit Lions, $6,100 — Unlike Burrow, Tua hasn’t started every game since the switch to Madden 21, but he has been very productive since jumping into the fray three sims ago. He has over 14 DKFP in each of those contests and has gone 3-0 with wins against Washington, Carolina and Jacksonville. Detroit’s defense has been horrid in Madden 21 and Tua should be able to continue producing. He has averaged 229 passing yards and 40.3 rushing yards in his three sims. Especially with the added rushing potential, Tua is a very nice play at just over $6K in this very favorable matchup.
Other Option — Jared Goff ($5,700)
Running Back
Stud
Saquon Barkley, New York Giants at Cincinnati Bengals, $8,000 — In good news, Saquon is still healthy and the Giants’ featured RB in simland and he has been very effective in his seven sims to this point, producing 20.3 DKFP per game. He has been a little boom-or-bust with a pair of games over 30 DKFP and four games under 15 DKFP, but I love his upside against Cincinnati. Barkley has had big games as a rusher, putting up over 100 yards and 21.2 DKFP in his most recent sim and he has also starred as a receiver out of the backfield, catching 11 passes for 103 receiving yards and 31.3 DKFP against the Lions a few sims ago. He has had some quiet games but usually against better defenses, while he shreds weaker opponents. The Giants will likely lean heavily on him for this matchup in Cincinnati and I think he’s clearly the top RB to pay up for if you have the available salary.
Other Option — Malcolm Brown ($6,500)
Value
Matt Breida, Miami Dolphins at Detroit Lions, $5,000 — Breida has been outstanding in his three games as the RB1 for the Dolphins and is a steal at this salary. He was only the third-down back at the start of the Madden 21 sims but also took over as RB1 in the most recent roster update. Since then, he has 21, 25.2 and 38.2 DKFP. He had five catches for 56 yards and a touchdown in addition to two rushing touchdowns and 96 rushing yards in that 38.2-DKFP performance against the Jaguars in his most recent contest. He has been a dual-threat much like Barkley and has great upside against the Lions even though he only will cost you $5K to roster.
Other Options — Tarik Cohen ($4,200), Darrell Henderson Jr. ($3,800)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Allen Robinson II, Chicago Bears vs. Los Angeles Rams, $6,700 — Robinson had a huge game against the Falcons in real life on Sunday and has been an excellent option for the Bears in these sims as well. He has scored five touchdowns over his past four games, highlighted by a 182-yard performance in which he had 40.2 DKFP against the Raiders. He is averaging 4.4 catches for 65.3 yards per contest and five of his six touchdowns have come at home, where he is averaging 25.3 DKFP in his three sims and where he will face the Rams on this slate. He could run into Jalen Ramsey in some formations, but Los Angeles doesn’t typically deploy Ramsey to shadow the opposing WR1. As a result, I think Robinson should still be able to find room to work.
Other Options — DeVante Parker ($6,100), Robert Woods ($5,800)
Value
Darius Slayton, New York Giants at Cincinnati Bengals, $5,400 — Slayton has been very effective as the Giants’ WR3 and has posted multiple catches in each of his seven sims. He has scored three touchdowns and is averaging 3.9 catches for 72.3 receiving yards per contest. Slayton had three straight games with over 15 DKFP before calming down for just 7.7 DKFP against the Cardinals in his most recent sim. He should be able to bounce back to better production, though, in a friendly matchup against Cincinnati.
Danny Amendola, Detroit Lions vs. Miami Dolphins, $3,900 — Amendola is usually very involved out of the slot for the Lions and is an affordable way to get a reliable source of PPR production. He is averaging 4.1 catches per sim for 38.7 yards and also has a pair of touchdowns. Amendola had just one catch for eight yards against Washington in his most recent sim but had over 7.0 DKFP in each of his previous six contests. His ceiling isn’t extremely high, but he is reliable enough to definitely be worth a look with a salary under $4K.
Other Options — Tyler Boyd ($5,200), Albert Wilson ($4,400)
Tight End
Stud
C.J. Uzomah, Cincinnati Bengals vs. New York Giants, $5,300 — Uzomah is out for the season in real life but very much involved in these sims as Burrow’s No. 1 TE and one of his favorite targets. In his seven sims, Uzomah is producing an average of 71.6 yards on 5.9 catches per game and has found the end zone four times. He is averaging 17.2 DKFP per sim, which is not only higher than any other TE on this slate but higher than any WR and any RB with the exception of Saquon. Uzomah should continue to produce great numbers based on the volume of attention he’s receiving from his rookie QB.
Other Option— T.J. Hockenson ($5,500)
Value
Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins at Detroit Lions, $4,200 — Gesicki has multiple catches in each of his nine sims and has averaged 43.1 receiving yards on 4.1 catches per contest. He has been limited to only one touchdown, though, which is why he has only put up 9.1 DKFP per game. He does have enough volume to give him upside, especially in this matchup against the Lions’ struggling defense.
Other Options— Evan Engram ($4,600), Jimmy Graham ($3,300)
DST
Stud
Bears DST vs. Los Angeles Rams, $3,200 — The Bears have been the most productive DST on this slate by a wide margin, producing 6.6 DKFP per game while no other DST in this contest is averaging more than 4.0 DKFP. Chicago has done most of its work with an effective pass rush, piling up 24 sacks in seven games to go with two takeaways and a defensive touchdown. They went off for 26 DKFP against the Lions and have multiple sacks in five of their past six contests.
Value
Dolphins DST at Detroit Lions, $2,600 — The Bears’ huge game came against the Lions, who have been a mess in most of their seven Madden 21 sims. They’re averaging only 14.7 points per game and were just held to only six points by Washington in their most recent contest. Even though the Dolphins haven’t been great on defense, they have produced at least 5.0 DKFP in four straight games and have shown enough to be a solid pivot play in this plus matchup.
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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.