After binging football with a pair of triple-headers over the first-ever Super Wild Card Weekend, there’s no better way to start the new week than enjoying a six-game schedule of Madden sims on the DraftKings Dream Stream. The three-game featured slate kicks off at 6 p.m. ET with what should be a fun matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and the Indianapolis Colts. At 8 p.m. ET in primetime, there will be more fantasy star power on display as the Minnesota Vikings host the Dallas Cowboys, and we close out the full day of action with a 10 p.m. ET matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Baltimore Ravens.
As usual, it’s important to note that each roster is not impacted by COVID-19 opt-outs, injuries, suspensions or illness in these sims and that the highest-rated options have been placed at the top of the depth charts. The roster for each team includes all player movement that occurred prior to Week 1 of this season and uses the Madden 21 ratings from Week 1 of this season.
For more details, you can find the game settings, depth charts, abilities and X-factors for each team in Madden 21 along with the upcoming schedule on the Madden Stream info page. There were a few tweaks to the X-factors and Superstars in the latest December update, so be sure to check the depth charts of each team.
Check out the daily DraftKings Madden Stream contests lobby with paid contests for real cash prizes now available alongside free contests. 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.
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Quarterback
Stud
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens at Los Angeles Chargers, $9,300 — Building around Jackson is tricky given this staggering salary, but he has shown he can be worth north of $9K by averaging 27.1 DKFP per sim. After getting his first playoff win in real-life Sunday, he’ll face the Chargers for the third time in these Madden sims. In their most recent meeting which was part of the recent Madden Holiday Season, he ran for 130 yards and finished with 22.36 DKFP despite passing for just 59 yards. He had 127 passing yards, 101 rushing yards and 27.18 DKFP in their first meeting, which was part of the preseason tournament. Jackson has at least 100 rushing yards in seven of his past eight games and is averaging 105.7 per contest to go with his 148.0 passing yards. He has thrown 33 touchdowns in 35 sims while rushing for 32 more. Jackson has surpassed his average of 27.1 DKFP in each of his five most recent sims, highlighted by a pair of games with over 40 DKFP. His ceiling is too high to pass on Jackson, even though his salary will stretch the rest of your salary cap thin.
Other Option — Russell Wilson ($8,300)
Value
Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings vs. Dallas Cowboys, $5,200 — If you’re going to pivot off of Jackson to save salary and pay up at the rest of your roster spots, Cousins is actually the play with the most significant savings available and also comes with some solid upside. He threw for 221 yards and two touchdowns in his previous matchup with the Cowboys and finished with 16.84 DKFP. He only has 26 passing touchdowns in his 31 sims but is averaging 201.8 passing yards per contest. Against a Dallas defense that usually gives up plenty of points, he’s an intriguing option, though, since he does have good pass-catchers to work with and has thrown six touchdowns in his past six sims with over 200 yards in each of those contests. His ceiling is nowhere nearly as high as Jackson’s, but he saves almost $4K which can get you a significant upgrade in multiple other roster spots.
Other Option — Justin Herbert ($6,300)
Running Back
Stud
Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings vs. Dallas Cowboys, $9,000 — Cook has been the top RB in Madden 21, averaging 25.4 DKFP per sim. He has run for an impressive 39 touchdowns in 31 sims while averaging 98.7 rushing yards per sim in addition to tacking on two more scores and averaging 3.6 catches for 29.5 receiving yards as a receiver. Those PPR points make him lower risk and raise his ceiling. He has at least one touchdown in eight straight games and has over 21 DKFP in seven of those contests, highlighted by a 51-DKFP performance against the Giants. Cook had over 100 yards rushing in his first matchup with the Cowboys as well, adding five catches for 20 yards and posting a total of 19.1 DKFP even without a score. He’ll likely find the end zone in this rematch and will be a good play if he continues to be the focus of everything Minnesota does on offense. Building around Cook and Jackson will require some cheap options at other spots, but there are enough strong value plays at other spots that I think it’s a roster construction that can work.
Other Options — Ezekiel Elliott ($7,700), Austin Ekeler ($7,200)
Value
J.K. Dobbins, Baltimore Ravens at Los Angeles Chargers, $4,400 — Dobbins is a solid value play whenever the Ravens are in action since he is both the third-down and power back for Baltimore. He didn’t have a huge game against the Chargers in their recent meeting with just 4.4 DKFP, but he did bounce back and post double-digit DKFP in two of his past three contests, producing 11.7 DKFP against Denver and 16.7 DKFP against Houston. Jackson is always a threat to steal touchdowns and do most of the heavy lifting himself, but Dobbins still gets more opportunities than any other bargain RBs on this slate. I do think this late game will be low-scoring as both the earlier sims between these teams were, but I also think it will be a close game which could lead to more work for Dobbins near the goal line and out of shotgun formations.
Other Option — Chris Carson ($5,000), Marlon Mack ($4,200)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings vs. Dallas Cowboys, $6,000 — While Thielen hasn’t been quite as dominant as he was in Madden 2020 when he was able to play against lighter coverage with Stefon Diggs also drawing attention, he has still been a very solid play for the Vikings’ offense and usually gets good volume and PPR production. In his 31 sims, he has averaged 4.6 catches but only 52.2 yards per contest to go with his 11 touchdowns. One of those scores did come against Dallas in their first meeting when he totaled 19.2 DKFP with seven catches for 62 yards. He has produced double-digit DKFP in three straight sims and in seven of his past nine. His volume makes him a relatively low-risk, especially in this matchup with Dallas, which has struggled against top slot options so far in these sims.
Other Option — Amari Cooper ($6,400), T.Y. Hilton ($5,600)
Value
Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers vs. Baltimore Ravens, $5,400 — Another WR who was legendary in Madden 2020 but has cooled off a little in Madden 21 is Mike Williams, although Williams has bounced back and become an option again now that Justin Herbert ($6,300) is starting at QB. Williams had three catches for 41 yards and 7.1 DKFP against the Ravens in their recent matchup and has at least three catches in four of his past five sims dating back to a two-touchdown, 24.3-DKFP performance against the Raiders. While he may not hit that ceiling in this matchup, he should still be involved enough to be a solid mid-range play. He has at least 7.0 DKFP in 12 of his 14 most recent sims and has averaged 14.3 DKFP per contest over that span.
Parris Campbell, Indianapolis Colts at Seattle Seahawks, $3,700 — Campbell always offers intriguing upside out of the slot due to his high speed rating, and he will be a nice cheap play against the Seahawks’ secondary that has been prone to giving up big plays. Campbell has at least three catches in 10 straight sims although he only had one touchdown during that time. He should be set up for success in this matchup and comes with a very high ceiling if he gets multiple catches as a player with a salary under $4K.
Other Options — DK Metcalf ($5,300), Tajae Sharpe ($4,700), Phillip Dorsett II ($3,400)
Tight End
Stud
Trey Burton, Indianapolis Colts at Seattle Seahawks, $4,700 — If Philip Rivers ($5,700) does retire, no one will miss him as much as his TEs, who he continually feeds a high volume of targets both in real life and in these Madden sims. Burton has been a very nice play since moving to the top of the depth chart for Indy, averaging 5.0 catches for 53.4 yards per sim and scoring five touchdowns in his 28 games in that role. He is low-risk since he gets so much volume and also has a high ceiling, which he showcased in a 10-catch game against the Bengals that resulted in 25.3 DKFP two sims ago. He had six catches, 83 yards and 14.3 DKFP against Seattle in their previous meeting and should be very involved again in this rematch.
Other Option — Blake Jarwin ($5,100)
Value
Greg Olsen, Seattle Seahawks vs. Indianapolis Colts, $4,500 — Olsen has also been very involved for the Seahawks in these Madden sims, averaging 4.2 catches for 42.7 yards per sim. He has more than doubled Burton’s touchdown output with 11 scores in his 32 sims. Like Burton, his consistent volume makes him low-risk, and the veteran TE has at least five catches and 9.5 DKFP in each of his three most recent contests.
Other Option — Kyle Rudolph ($3,900)
DST
Stud
Seahawks DST vs. Indianapolis Colts, $3,200 — The Seahawks continue to have the top defense in Madden for fantasy purposes since they force so many turnovers with their hard-hitting duo of Bobby Wagner and Jamal Adams. In their 33 sims, the Seahawks have forced 35 turnovers and turned five of those into touchdowns to go with their 73 sacks and a safety. They had three sacks and three fumble recoveries in their first meeting with the Colts on their way to 10.0 DKFP. They have posted a few quiet games lately, so they seem overdue to make a big play or two in this rematch with Indianapolis in the virtual Pacific Northwest.
Value
Ravens DST at Los Angeles Chargers, $2,900 — The Ravens’ defense has also been solid, but they get most of their fantasy production from being able to limit their opponents’ scoring rather than by forcing turnovers. They only have 14 takeaways in their 35 sims but have stacked up 73 sacks, a safety and three defensive touchdowns to average 4.9 DKFP per sim. They had 6.0 and 10.0 DKFP in their first two meetings with the Chargers, and I expect this to be a relatively low-scoring game as well.
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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.