Tuesday brings another great slate of Madden sims to the DraftKings Dream Stream with six games spread throughout the afternoon and evening. The featured three-game classic slate includes the three games starting at 6:00 p.m. ET or later and begins with a fun matchup AFC East between the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots. The primetime matchup features another AFC East team in action as the New York Jets hit the road to take on the Seattle Seahawks in the virtual Pacific Northwest. Madden After Dark closes the curtain on another busy simday with the New Orleans Saints rolling into the Mile High City to face the Denver Broncos, but unlike when these two teams met in real life, the Broncos will actually be able to have their real QB instead of a practice squad WR filling in at that spot—thanks for the memories, Kendall Hinton!
As in all these Madden 21 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.
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
Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks vs. New York Jets, $7,500 — After an odd stretch of underwhelming results, Russ is cooking again for the Seahawks in Madden with 30.3 and 28.42 DKFP in his past two contests. He has thrown for two touchdowns in each of those sims while running for a third score to go with over 80 rushing yards in each contest. That’s the kind of performance we had come to expect from Wilson before a weird stretch of five-in-seven sims with under 15 DKFP. Overall, his numbers are still strong, and he is averaging 22.0 DKFP on 182.2 passing yards and 64.0 rushing yards per sim. Wilson has thrown 66 touchdowns in 50 sims while adding 25 more on the ground. He has the highest ceiling of any QB on the slate due to this dual-threat potential, but there is some risk in this matchup since the Jets held him to 14.7 and 10.78 DKFP in their previous meetings. There’s a good chance he overcomes that risk and is the best QB on the slate, but make sure you consider other options if you need the salary elsewhere.
Other Option — Drew Brees ($6,600)
Value
Cam Newton, New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins, $6,000 — Newton and the Patriots will be facing the Dolphins for the fifth time in these Madden 21 sims, and the veteran QB has been productive in each of those previous outings, posting 23.12, 22.36, 16.92 and 23.68 DKFP. He is coming off an awful game against the Giants, in which he managed only 4.26 DKFP, but he should be set up to bounce back in this contest. He doesn’t run nearly as much as Russ does, but he has scrambled for 13 touchdowns to go with his 72 passing scores in 51 sims. He is averaging a solid 17.2 DKFP per contest, but against Miami, he should be good for 20-plus DKFP and sets you up with plenty of salary for stars at other positions.
Other Option — Drew Lock ($5,700)
Running Back
Stud
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints at Denver Broncos, $7,200 — With eight touchdowns in his past eight sims, Kamara is up to 49 scores in 56 contests in Madden 21. He is averaging 57.1 rushing yards but also chips in 3.8 receptions for 27.8 more yards per contest. His usage as a receiver gives him a nice safety net and also a higher ceiling, and he has reached over 16 DKFP in six of his past eight sims. When he faced the Broncos for the second time in Madden 21, he had 103 yards, a touchdown and 24.6 DKFP in Denver after posting 24.4 DKFP in their first meeting in the Superdome. He is a very steady option with a good ceiling and definitely my favorite stud RB to build around on this slate.
Other Options — Matt Breida ($7,300), Le’Veon Bell ($7,000)
Value
James White, New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins, $4,400 — White is usually very involved as the Patriots’ third-down back in these sims and offers more consistent production than RB1 Sony Michel ($5,400). White has multiple catches in eight straight sims and in 17 of his past 18. He didn’t have a big game against Miami in their two most recent contests but did go off for 19.0 DKFP against them in one of their meetings early in Madden 21, when he scored one of his 11 touchdowns in simland. White averages 3.2 receptions per sim, making him a relatively safe affordable option under $4.5K at RB.
Other Options — Phillip Lindsay ($5,600), Carlos Hyde ($3,600)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints at Denver Broncos, $7,000 — Thomas is the only WR in the Week 1 ratings used for these sims with a perfect 99 overall rating. While he hasn’t been the most consistent play at WR throughout these Madden sims, he has shown enormous upside and gets a good matchup to exploit on this slate. He posted exactly 100 yards on 10 catches in his most recent matchup with the Broncos’ secondary and finished with an impressive 29.0 DKFP. Recently, he hasn’t quite had a ceiling game like that but has scored in five straights sims with at least five catches in each of his four most recent games. He has a distinct ratings advantage over all the Broncos’ CBs who will be trying to slow him down, so I expect that he’ll be able to go off once again as long as he keeps getting good volume.
Other Options — DeVante Parker ($6,200), Julian Edelman ($5,400)
Value
Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos vs. New Orleans Saints, $4,900 — The Broncos use their rookie WR as their WR2 in these sims behind Courtland Sutton ($5,200), and Jeudy has been solid, averaging 11.0 DKFP with 3.6 catches for 49.4 yards per sim to go with his 15 touchdowns in 45 games. He didn’t score in either of his previous matchups with New Orleans but still posted 9.8 and 14.7 DKFP. He has double-digit DKFP in five of his past six sims, and if he hits that number again, he’ll be a solid midrange value in this rematch with New Orleans.
Damiere Byrd, New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins, $3,700 — Byrd has been a solid speed option for the Pats as their WR3 in these sims and can rip off a big play or two due to his 93 speed rating. He has multiple catches in 12 straight sims and is a nice sleeper under $4K even though he hasn’t shredded the Dolphins in their earlier meetings. All it takes is one go route to hit, and he’ll be a great play at this price, and he has shown a high ceiling for a cheap play recently with over 15 DKFP in three of those 12 straight multi-catch performances.
Other Options — Emmanuel Sanders ($5,000), N’Keal Harry ($4,600), Tre’Quan Smith ($4,500)
Tight End
Stud
Devin Asiasi, New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins, $4,900 — Despite a very quiet rookie season in real life, Asiasi is a Madden legend in these sims, taking advantage of a great route tree in the Patriots’ virtual playbook and producing 4.1 catches for 42.9 yards per sim and scoring 21 touchdowns in his 51 contests. Asiasi has hit for over 9.0 DKFP in three of his four meetings with Miami, including 22.7 DFKP on eight catches for 87 yards in a touchdown in one of their matchups. He has been on fire lately with 12 touchdowns in his past 11 sims, and he should be able to keep rolling in this favorable matchup.
Other Option — Jared Cook ($5,100), Greg Olsen ($5,000)
Value
Chris Herndon, New York Jets at Seattle Seahawks, $4,600 — Another TE who is more productive in simland than he was in real life, Herndon has averaged 4.7 catches per sim, getting even more work than Asiasi, but he hasn’t been able to score nearly as many touchdowns which is why he’s a little more affordable. Herndon has slowed down a little bit lately and hasn’t found the end zone in 12 straight contests; however, he has continued to produce solid PPR numbers with at least four catches in nine of those 12 contests, so he’s a low-risk midrange option who does have upside if he can find space against the Seahawks and his former teammate, SS Jamal Adams, over the middle.
Other Option — Noah Fant ($4,000)
DST
Stud
Patriots DST at Miami Dolphins, $3,200 — The Seahawks earned their reputation as the top defense in Madden 21 with a flurry of takeaways early in these sims, but they have really slowed down lately, and the Patriots have actually passed them in terms of production. New England has forced 58 turnovers in its 51 sims along with 85 sacks and a whopping 11 defensive touchdowns. The Patriots had 19 DKFP in their most recent matchup with the Dolphins and posted 5.0, 11.0 and 3.0 DKFP in their earlier contests in Madden 21. Getting pressure on rookie QB Tua Tagovailoa ($5,800) can force him into bad decisions, so look for the Patriots to play up to their top salary on this slate.
Value
Seahawks DST vs. New York Jets, $2,900 — Despite their recent struggles, it’s a little shocking to see the Seahawks as the fourth-most expensive DST on this slate. They get a great matchup against Sam Darnold ($6,200) and the Jets, and over the entire span of Madden 21, they remain one of the best defensive units. Seattle has forced 49 turnovers in 50 sims while scoring 10 defensive touchdowns. The Seahawks had 5.0 DKFP in each of their first two meetings with the Jets, so this looks like a good spot to take advantage of a market overcorrection and get a great defense at a reduced salary.
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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.