It’s time to start another work week on the DraftKings Dream Stream with six more Madden 21 sims stacked up throughout the afternoon and evening. The later three games on the schedule make up the featured classic slate, which starts at 6:00 p.m. ET when the Carolina Panthers visit the San Francisco 49ers. At 8:00 p.m. ET in primetime, the Green Bay Packers host the Denver Broncos, and we close out the day with a matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts on Madden After Dark.
As in all of 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 the 2020-21 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
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers vs. Denver Broncos, $7,400 — The Broncos upset the Packers, 23-16, in the first half of this home-and-home set of sims, but Rodgers still put up 22.92 DKFP on 333 passing yards and six rushing yards with a rushing touchdown. He is averaging 250.9 passing yards per sim and has totaled 117 touchdowns in his 59 contests in Madden 21. Although his lack of rushing production keeps him from being among the elite options in the entire game, he does have the best average of the QBs on this slate and comes with the highest ceiling as well in this favorable matchup against Denver’s thin secondary in Madden 21.
Other Option — Ben Roethlisberger ($6,600)
Value
Teddy Bridgewater, Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers, $6,100 — Bridgewater has the second-highest DKFP average of the six starting QBs but checks in with the fifth-highest salary. He has produced 17.2 DKFP on 220.9 passing yards and 13.5 rushing yards per sim. He has thrown 80 touchdowns, including one in his previous matchup with the 49ers in which he totaled an impressive 360 passing yards. The 49ers keyed in on stopping Christian McCaffrey ($8,100) in that contest and gave up big plays to DJ Moore ($5,200). If the 49ers focus on stopping the run again in this rematch, Bridgewater and Moore should be able to continue to beat them deep, which could lead to another strong passing yard performance from Bridgewater. He had 20.4 DKFP in that first meeting and has produced over 16 DKFP in six of his past eight sims, which is enough to make him the best bargain QB on the slate.
Other Options — Drew Lock ($5,800)
Running Back
Stud
Raheem Mostert, San Francisco 49ers vs. Carolina Panthers, $8,400 — Mostert has been dominant in Madden 21 as the 49ers’ RB1 and third-down back. He has totaled 56 touchdowns in 56 games while averaging 82.1 rushing yards and 27.2 receiving yards per sim. He crushed Carolina in their previous meeting, galloping for 126 rushing yards and two touchdowns while adding three catches for 52 more receiving yards on his way to 35.8 DKFP. Mostert has over 23 DKFP in six of his eight sims dating back to that matchup, highlighted by a monster 58.2-DKFP performance against the Bills in which he ran for 237 yards and three touchdowns while also adding a receiving touchdown. The 49ers’ rushing-focused playbook and excellent offensive line give Mostert the highest ceiling of any player on this slate and his consistent PPR contributions make him fairly low-risk as well, especially in a tasty matchup with the Panthers.
Other Option — Aaron Jones ($6,900)
Value
Melvin Gordon III, Denver Broncos at Green Bay Packers, $4,200 — Gordon is the RB1 for the Broncos in these sims but does lose some work to Phillip Lindsay ($5,000), who is the third-down back. Gordon has rushed for over 40 yards in four straight sims to raise his average to 39.3 rushing yards per sim in his 53 Madden 21 contests. He has scored 24 touchdowns in those contests and managed to produce 6.9 DKFP even without a score in his most recent sim, which was against these same Packers. He has at least that many DKFP in five of his past six games and has a pretty solid floor for a part-time RB who loses work on passing downs. He is unlikely to go off for a huge point total but does make a solid affordable play at barely over $4K.
Other Options — Nyheim Hines ($5,900), Jaylen Samuels ($4,500)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers vs. Denver Broncos, $7,200 — Adams has a clear ratings advantage against whoever he matches up with from this Broncos secondary, and he used that advantage to haul in 10 catches for 124 yards and 26.6 DKFP in their previous meeting. He has been red hot lately with at least seven catches and 20 DKFP in four of his past five games, raising his averages in Madden 21 to 4.8 catches for 70.2 receiving yards and 16.0 DKFP per contest. He does sometimes receive less attention from Rodgers, resulting in a few quiet games, but for the most part, he has been a reliable WR1 option lately and obviously comes with a high ceiling in this great matchup.
Other Options — JuJu Smith-Schuster ($6,300), Devin Funchess ($5,700)
Value
DJ Moore, Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers, $5,200 — Moore is in a much less favorable matchup on paper but still has good upside based on his previous success against San Francisco. Moore caught six passes for 123 yards and 21.3 DKFP in his previous contest against the 49ers and has multiple catches in 12 straight sims, producing double-digit DKFP in eight of those contests. Moore usually gets heavily targeted both close to the line and deep down the field, so if the Panthers have to air it out late to try and catch up, he often piles up yards in garbage time. Moore has the big-play speed and the target share to be a very solid play at just over $5K.
Parris Campbell, Indianapolis Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers, $4,100 — Campbell’s 94 speed rating makes him a cheap WR play to consider since he offers plenty of big-play potential out of the slot for the Colts. Campbell caught the 12th touchdown of his 51 sims against the Steelers in their previous matchups and has added one touchdown since then. He has at least three catches in 11 straight appearances and usually gets good usage since Philip Rivers ($6,400) often focuses on shorter passes to his slot WR. Campbell had his run of four straight games with over 11 DKFP snapped in his most recent sim, but he should be in a good spot to bounce back in this rematch with Pittsburgh.
Other Options — Deebo Samuel ($5,100), Marquez Valdes-Scantling ($4,700), James Washington ($4,300), Jerry Jeudy ($3,700)
Tight End
Stud
Trey Burton, Indianapolis Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers, $5,000 — Another Rivers focal point is Colts TE Trey Burton, who has gotten heavy volume since taking over as TE1. In his 52 sims, Burton has averaged 4.9 catches for 53.2 yards per sim and scored a total of 15 touchdowns. He is coming off a nine-catch game against the Seahawks that netted him 16.7 DKFP and had six catches for 38 yards and 9.8 DKFP in his recent matchup with the Steelers. Burton always seems to get a high volume of targets, which makes him a low-risk option at your TE spot.
Other Options — George Kittle ($5,800), Eric Ebron ($4,800)
Value
Noah Fant, Denver Broncos at Green Bay Packers, $4,200 — Fant has been boom-or-bust in these Madden 21 sims overall, but he went off for 30.5 DKFP in his most recent sim, which was also against the Packers, finishing with eight catches, 135 yards and a touchdown. Since the Packers have highly-rated cornerbacks, the Broncos focused instead on attacking the middle of the field with Fant, who had one of his best sims to date. He has at least five catches in three of his past four sims and usually converts usage into performance. He is a little boom-or-bust compared to the three options above, but he comes with an extremely high ceiling in a matchup we know he can exploit.
Other Options — Marcedes Lewis ($4,000)
DST
Stud
Steelers DST vs. Indianapolis Colts, $3,100 — The Steelers’ defense has been one of the best units in Madden 21, forcing 48 turnovers in 56 sims and piling up 119 sacks. They have multiple sacks in five straight games, including five sacks in their recent matchup with the Colts, who they held to just 10 points and finished with an impressive 19.0 DKFP against. While they don’t always reach that ceiling, they do have the best upside of any DST on this slate along with the highest average of 6.4 DKFP per sim, more than 1.5 DKFP higher than any other team on the board.
Value
49ers DST vs. Carolina Panthers, $2,900 — If you do pivot off of the Steelers, the 49ers are the DST that makes the most sense as an alternative. In their previous matchup with the Panthers, the 49ers had four sacks and 7.0 DKFP and they have at least 5.0 DKFP in six of their 10 most recent sims. The 49ers have strong playmakers at every level of their defense and usually limit their opponents’ scoring. As a result, they’re a relatively low-risk play to consider as they host the Panthers.
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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.