On Wednesday, wild weather comes to the Madden sims on the DraftKings Dream Stream, and this week sets up another solid six-game schedule. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are one of the teams in action on the three-game featured slate which kicks off at 6:00 p.m. ET, and they’ll be back in some sims with huge free contests later this week as part of the DraftKings $250K Tailgate Weekend on The Dream Stream, which you won’t want to miss. Tom Brady ($5,700) and the Bucs will get the late classic slate started in the rain as they host the AFC Championship runner-up Buffalo Bills. At 8:00 p.m. ET, the action shifts to Ohio where the two teams from the Buckeye State go head-to-head as the Cleveland Browns host the Cincinnati Bengals in a snow game. The final game of the day will be impacted by wind to round out the day of bad weather, as the Atlanta Falcons visit the Tennessee Titans on “Madden After Dark.”
As always, 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
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, $7,400 — EA Sports issued an update to some Superstar traits at the beginning of December, and Allen is one of the players who has been most impacted. He was given the Superstar abilities of “Quickdraw” and “Escape Artist,” which have helped him get away from pressure and make more plays both on the ground and through the air. He has over 17 DKFP in each of his past seven contests and has averaged 21.1 DKFP over that stretch. The Bucs’ defense is solid but not unbeatable in these sims, and Allen put up 20.1 DKFP in his most recent sim against them even before he got his upgrade. Of the six QBs in play, he’s the one with the highest ceiling due to his rushing potential and also comes with good consistency over his past several contests.
Other Option — Joe Burrow ($6,300)
Value
Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals, $5,900 — Mayfield has had some nice snow games in these sims and will get a favorable matchup against the Bengals, as he faces his in-state rivals for the fifth time in these Madden 21 sims. He has only averaged 13.42 DKFP in those four games but did post 18.7 DKFP in his most recent matchup with Cincinnati. Mayfield has also been playing well lately with over 16 DKFP in four straight before a letdown against the Packers. He doesn’t take off and run very often but has added four rushing touchdowns to his 52 passing scores in 38 sims. He tends to be boom-or-bust, but I like his ceiling from under $6K especially since weather usually severely limits Brady in Madden, and Ryan Tannehill ($6,000) will have to contend with the wind.
Other Option — Ryan Tannehill ($6,000)
Running Back
Stud
Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans vs. Atlanta Falcons, $8,000 — The wind in Nashville could force the Titans to keep the ball on the ground even more than normal, which should set Henry up for a monster game against the Falcons’ shaky defense. Henry went off for 26.4 DKFP on 153 rushing yards the last time he faced Atlanta and had been an absolute beast in these sims, producing 40 touchdowns in 41 sims with over 19 DKFP in five consecutive sims coming into this contest.
Other Options — Todd Gurley II ($7,400), Nick Chubb ($6,300)
Value
LeSean McCoy, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Buffalo Bills, $4,400 — The Bills have an elite secondary, and the combination of great CB play and rain could force Brady to check down to McCoy more often. The Bucs use McCoy as their third-down back in these sims, and the veteran has multiple catches in six straight games and in 11 of his past 12. He has over 9.0 DKFP in six straight and posted 8.8 DKFP and 6.7 DKFP in his two earlier sims against his former team from Buffalo. He is a great value option at RB, who can pay off huge with a touchdown or PPR points.
Other Options — Kareem Hunt ($5,300), Giovani Bernard ($4,900)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Odell Beckham Jr., Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals, $6,100 — Beckham has been boom-or-bust in these sims as a whole, but he has at least three catches in each of his four previous meetings with the Bengals and went off for 123 yards, a touchdown and 24.3 DKFP in his most recent meeting with Cincinnati. OBJ is coming off a couple of down games with just one catch against the Packers and Bills, but both those teams have elite cover corners, while the Bengals definitely do not. Hopefully, his ownership is a little lower coming off those down games, and he still bounces back with more boom and less bust.
Other Options — Stefon Diggs ($6,300), Chris Godwin ($5,900)
Value
A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans vs. Atlanta Falcons, $5,100 — The wind makes me a little hesitant to go with Brown, but the Titans’ WR1 has been locked in lately and should be able to find room to make plays against Atlanta. He had seven catches for 97 yards and 16.7 DKFP in his earlier matchup with the Falcons and comes into this rematch with a touchdown and double-digit DKFP in four straight contests.
Russell Gage, Atlanta Falcons at Tennessee Titans, $3,700 — On the other side of that windy matchup, Gage makes sense coming out of the slot for the Falcons as their WR3. He has averaged 3.3 catches for 36.0 yards per sim and scored nine touchdowns, two of which came in his earlier matchup against Tennessee. Gage is coming off a big game with six catches for 91 yards, a touchdown and 21.1 DKFP against San Francisco. He has a high ceiling for this low salary, and weather elements like wind tend to keep passes to the middle of the field, which means more targets for Gage.
Other Options — A.J. Green ($5,000), Tyler Boyd ($4,600), Adam Humphries ($3,800)
Tight End
Stud
C.J. Uzomah, Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns, $4,100 — Uzomah’s season was cut short in real life due to an Achilles injury, but he has continued to be a solid option for Joe Burrow ($6,300) in these sims. He is averaging 10.2 DKFP per contest after posting over 12 DKFP in four straight contests. He didn’t do much against Cleveland in their most recent meeting but did have over 9.0 DKFP in each of their three earlier matchups. The Browns are typically awful against TEs, so he should find room to produce points in this one and keep his streak of big games going.
Other Option — Jonnu Smith ($4,700)
Value
Hayden Hurst, Atlanta Falcons at Tennessee Titans, $4,000 — If Matt Ryan ($6,700) does focus on the middle of the field, Hurst could join Gage as a frequent target. Hurst has at least four catches and four straight sims and six of his past seven. He had eight catches for 80 yards against the Titans in their previous meeting and should be a solid PPR producer in this rematch.
Other Option — Lee Smith ($3,300)
DST
Stud
Bills DST at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, $3,000 — Brady has struggled in weather sims, and the Bills’ DST should be able to get after him in this rainy contest in Tampa Bay. Buffalo had multiple sacks and averaged 10 DKFP in its two previous games against the Bucs. In their 39 sims, the Bills have totaled 71 sacks, 33 takeaways and four defensive touchdowns. They have multiple sacks in nine straight games and are a low-risk, high-upside play in this matchup.
Value
Falcons DST at Tennessee Titans, $2,900 — The Falcons have also been getting pressure on the QB lately with three sacks in each of their two most recent contests. Overall, they have 86 sacks in 43 sims and had a pair of sacks in their previous meeting with the Titans, when they posted 4.0 DKFP. There is definitely the potential for turnovers in this matchup as well if the Titans try to air it out in the windy conditions. Tannehill has lost 14 fumbles and thrown eight picks in these sims and has had four turnovers in his three most recent sims.
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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.