Wednesday brings another six-game schedule of wild weather to the DraftKings Dream Stream, including the featured classic slate highlighting the three games beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET. The three games each have their own unique weather elements, starting with a rain game in virtual Seattle between the Seahawks and the Carolina Panthers. At 8:00 p.m. ET in primetime, the action shifts to virtual Lambeau Field where the Green Bay Packers host the Houston Texans in a snow game. In the final game of the slate, the newly-crowned World Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers host Tom Brady’s ($6,100) former team as they take on the New England Patriots in a game that will be impacted by wind.
As in all these Madden sims, it’s important to know that each roster is not impacted by COVID-19 opt-outs, injuries, suspensions or illness 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.
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Quarterback
Stud
Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans at Green Bay Packers, $8,000 — Watson will be one of the most talked-about players of the offseason due to his trade request, but for these sims, he continues to put up good numbers for the Texans. Watson and the Texans faced the Packers three sims ago, and he ran for 116 yards and a touchdown on his way to an impressive 31.16 DKFP. He has averaged 23.9 DKFP per contest in his 42 sims with 60 passing scores and 19 rushing touchdowns. He has over 20 DKFP in seven of his past nine contests and offers both a high ceiling and consistent production at $8K. The snow actually usually helps running QBs since it puts the defense on skates and could make Watson’s moves even more effective.
Other Option — Russell Wilson ($7,100)
Value
Cam Newton, New England Patriots at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, $6,200 — Weather games in Madden may be the only thing in the world that can slow down Brady, and he has definitely had down games when he has to deal with the elements. Instead of going with Brady, I’m going with his replacement in Newton, who has actually out-produced the Super Bowl MVP in these contests. Newton has been up-and-down in these sims, but he threw for four touchdowns and ran for a fifth for 32.84 DKFP in his most recent contest. This will be the first time Newton has faced the Bucs in these Madden 21 sims, but Tampa Bay’s defense hasn’t been nearly as good in these sims as they were in the real-life playoffs. Cam has over 16 DKFP in three straight and six of his past eight contests, and I like the matchup better for him than for Brady against the Patriots’ elite secondary.
Other Option — Aaron Rodgers ($6,700)
Running Back
Stud
Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers vs. Houston Texans, $6,900 — If the snow forces the Packers to rely more on the ground game, it could lead to a huge game for Jones, who is both the RB1 and third-down back for Green Bay. He had 12.7 DKFP in his previous matchup with the Texans, but he didn’t have a touchdown in that contest, leaving plenty of potential. He has shown an even higher ceiling with 42 scores in 45 sims. He had four of those touchdowns in a recent sim against the Browns when he went off for 48.5 DKFP. Even if he doesn’t hit that ceiling in this contest, he should be the top RB available on this slate.
Other Option — Christian McCaffrey ($7,100)
Value
LeSean McCoy, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New England Patriots, $4,400 — Even though he just won his second straight Super Bowl without logging a snap, McCoy is a regular part of the Bucs’ offense in these sims as the third-down back. In this situation, he could be in for an even bigger workload due to the weather and the Patriots’ CBs limiting Brady’s downfield options. McCoy has multiple catches in 10 straight games, averaging 10.4 DKFP per contest over that span. If he is around that level of production again, he will end up being a very solid value play against the Patriots.
Other Option — Chris Carson ($5,400), Duke Johnson ($3,400)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Devin Funchess, Green Bay Packers vs. Houston Texans, $6,200 — Both Funchess and Davante Adams ($7,300) have big upside against a suspect Texans secondary. Virtual Aaron Rodgers ($6,700) relies heavily on both of them, and usually gives both of them enough attention to create good value. Since Funchess is a little cheaper and will probably have lower ownership, I’m leaning his direction in this one, but both Packers’ WRs have been very good overall. Since being added to the depth charts with the rest of the COVID-19 opt-outs, Funchess has averaged 14.3 DKFP by catching 4.4 passes for 61.6 yards per sim and by scoring a total of 22 scores over that span. He has five touchdowns in his past seven contests and hauled in six catches for 77 yards and 13.7 DKFP in his recent matchup with this Houston secondary.
Other Option — Davante Adams ($7,300), Mike Evans ($5,800)
Value
DJ Moore, Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks, $5,600 — While Seattle’s defense has been excellent at forcing turnovers, they have also given up plenty of points and yardage throughout these sims, so Moore and the Panthers aren’t in a stay-away spot despite the matchup. Moore has produced over 12 DKFP in seven of his past 10 sims while averaging 14.4 DKFP per contest and scoring a total of seven touchdowns to bring his total to 16 in his 38 Madden 21 sims. Moore is usually good for four or five catches and solid yardage as Carolina’s WR1 and can really deliver on his upside when he gets into the end zone.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Green Bay Packers vs. Houston Texans, $4,200 — As the Packers’ WR3, MVS remains extremely underpriced and could be more involved than usual if the snow forces Rodgers to keep his passes in the middle of the field and focus on his slot receiver. Valdes-Scantling typically serves in that role and has turned his workload into 9.5 DKFP per sim on 3.2 catches for 43.3 yards per contest. He had six catches for 90 yards, two touchdowns and 27.0 DKFP in his recent matchup with Houston and should be able to again take advantage of their lack of CB depth again in this rematch.
Other Options — DK Metcalf ($5,200), Damiere Byrd ($4,300), Scotty Miller ($3,500)
Tight End
Stud
Rob Gronkowski, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New England Patriots, $4,500 — Gronk is in a revenge spot against the Patriots coming off of scoring three touchdowns in his two sims against the Chiefs before and after the Bucs’ big win on Sunday. Gronk had two touchdowns and 33.2 DKFP in the Big Game Replay contest while catching eight passes for 102 yards in that most recent sim. He should get enough targets to put up another big game especially if the wind keeps Brady from throwing deep passes outside and keeps his throws more over the middle. Gronk has been boom-or-bust in these sims, but there are really no elite options at TE on this slate.
Other Option — Darren Fells ($4,400)
Value
Greg Olsen, Seattle Seahawks vs. Carolina Panthers, $4,200 — Another veteran TE in a good spot against his former team, Olsen has averaged 4.0 catches for 42.1 yards per sim in Madden 21 and has been Wilson’s most consistent pass-catcher. He has more touchdowns than Gronk with 13 scores to Gronk’s 10, and he has averaged a solid 10.2 DKFP per sim. The Panthers don’t usually defend opposing TEs well, so it should set up well for Olsen to have a solid total in his revenge game in rainy Seattle.
Other Option — Devin Asiasi ($4,000)
DST
Stud
Seahawks DST vs. Carolina Panthers, $3,200 — The Seahawks have been a turnover-forcing machine in these Madden 21 sims and are usually the best defense to roll with in Madden as a result. They have recovered 37 fumbles in 42 games while also adding eight interceptions to average about one takeaway to go with their 2.3 sacks per contest. They have turned eight of those turnovers into defensive touchdowns and averaged 7.6 DKFP per contest. Especially with the rain and an inconsistent QB coming to Seattle, look for the Seahawks’ DST to continue to be a great play on this slate.
Other Option — Patriots ($3,000)
Value
Packers DST vs. Houston Texans, $2,700 — Despite Watson’s individual upside, the Packers’ DST should be able to create some big plays against the turnover-prone Texans in this contest. The Packers had one sack, one interception and 4.0 DKFP in their previous meeting with Houston and followed that with an even more impressive six-sack performance against the Dolphins that resulted in 18.0 DKFP. The Packers have some big superstar playmakers throughout their defense, and their ceiling makes them the best pivot off of the Seahawks if Seattle feels too chalky for you.
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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.