This week brings another wild weather Wednesday to the DraftKings Dream Stream, meaning all six Madden 21 sims will be impacted by adverse weather conditions. At 6:00 p.m. ET, the first game on the featured late classic slate gets underway with the New Orleans Saints taking on the Seattle Seahawks in a rainstorm in the virtual Pacific Northwest. In the primetime matchup at 8:00 p.m. ET, the Tennessee Titans will face the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC matchup in the snow. The slate closes with another snow game on Madden After Dark when the Carolina Panthers visit the Green Bay Packers.
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.
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Quarterback
Stud
Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks vs. New Orleans Saints, $7,300 — Wilson has been the most productive of the six QBs in play on this slate, averaging 22.1 DKFP per sim. He has been a strong dual-threat producer, who comes with a high ceiling and a relatively low risk, especially when added weather elements are in play. In his 58 sims overall, Wilson has averaged 61.2 rushing yards and 188.8 passing yards per sim while totaling 81 passing scores and 26 rushing touchdowns. He had 13.72, 20.84 and 17.0 DKFP in his three previous meetings with the Saints, but he can definitely produce a bigger number when he reaches his ceiling. He had over 25 DKFP in four of his six most recent sims and had four touchdowns and 31.88 DKFP in one of those matchups. Although the rain does limit passing at times, the added weather element can benefit running QBs since defenders also lose their footing in poor conditions, creating more space for speedsters like Russ.
Other Option — Aaron Rodgers ($7,800)
Value
Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Tennessee Titans, $6,200 — Big Ben has been boom-or-bust especially in the weather, but he does have a good ceiling and a favorable matchup against the Titans’ porous secondary. Roethlisberger threw for 304 yards and a touchdown while adding a rushing score on his way to 24.26 DKFP in his most recent contest with Tennessee after producing 22 and 11.96 DKFP in their two earlier meetings in Madden 21. Roethlisberger has at least 16 DKFP in seven of his past nine sims and offers solid upside for a QB play barely over $6K.
Other Options — Teddy Bridgewater ($6,100)
Running Back
Stud
Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers, $7,400 — It’s very unusual to see Henry as anything other than the most expensive option on the slate, so it’s a little jarring to see him as the third-highest priced RB behind Christian McCaffrey ($7,500) and Alvin Kamara ($7,600). Henry does have a tough matchup but has had success against the Steelers in the past, producing 17.9, 25.7 and 23.8 DKFP in his three previous meetings with Pittsburgh. Overall, Henry has scored 55 touchdowns in 58 sims while averaging 82.6 rushing yards and 25.3 receiving yards to produce 21.1 DKFP per contest. He has also been very involved as the team’s third-down back as well, averaging 3.8 catches per sim. Even in this matchup, he should find space to succeed since he gets very reliable volume in just about every contest.
Other Options — Alvin Kamara ($7,600), Aaron Jones ($6,500)
Value
Carlos Hyde, Seattle Seahawks vs. New Orleans Saints, $4,500 — Hyde had a pair of touchdowns as a great value play in his most recent sim, producing 21.3 DKFP at just $4,200. Even though he is only the Seahawks’ power back, he usually gets a good amount of work since Seattle relies so heavily on power formations in their run-heavy attack. Out of those power formations, Hyde has still hauled in 2.6 catches for 20.5 yards in 52 appearances while also chipping in 13.7 rushing yards per game. Hyde has scored 14 touchdowns in Madden 21 and produced 10.4, 9.3 and 8.7 DKFP in his three previous matchups with the Saints. If you can’t spend up for two full-time starters at the position, he’s the best option from a timeshare on this slate and has shown he can put up good points despite sharing work with RB1 Chris Carson ($4,200), who is extremely cheap since he has been held under 2.0 DKFP in four straight sims.
Other Options — Jaylen Samuels ($4,700)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers vs. Carolina Panthers, $7,500 — The Panthers don’t have a shutdown CB, which could leave them in trouble against Adams, who has been red hot lately with over 15 DKFP in six straight sims. He is coming off back-to-back 10-catch performances against the Broncos that resulted in 26.6 and 51.9 DKFP. He had 209 yards and three touchdowns in that game with over 50 DKFP and now has 34 scores in his 59 sims to go with his averages of 4.9 catches and 72.6 yards per game. He has sometimes taken a backseat to other WRs when Aaron Rodgers ($7,800) locks in on secondary options, but lately, Rodgers has been flooding Adams with targets and both have been posting huge results. This will actually be the first time the Packers and Panthers meet in Madden 21, but there isn’t anyone on the Carolina side who comes close to matching up with Adams’ elevated ratings.
Other Options — Michael Thomas ($6,400), JuJu Smith-Schuster ($5,900)
Value
A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers, $4,900 — The Titans have gone 3-0 in their three earlier meetings in Madden 21 with the Steelers, and Brown has been one of their best producers in those three matchups. He has at least four catches in each game and has posted 13.8, 20.4 and 11.2 DKFP. Even though Brown is the WR1, he has been prone to bust games when the Titans’ offense becomes solely the Derrick Henry show, but when he’s called upon he does bring big-play potential. He has 20 touchdowns in his 58 sims, including one in his most recent contest in which he also hit the 100-yard bonus on his way to 25.2 DKFP against the Cowboys.
Marques Valdes-Scantling, Green Bay Packers vs. Carolina Panthers, $4,200 — The Panthers have struggled to slow down opposing slot receivers in these sims, so MVS has a very nice ceiling as the Packers’ WR3. Slot receivers sometimes get extra attention in the snow since their routes are typically shorter and closer to the line of scrimmage, requiring less air travel for a completion. However, Valdes-Scantling can still turn those shorter catches into big plays thanks to his 93 speed rating. In his 58 Madden sims, he has produced 21 touchdowns and averaged 3.3 catches for 42.9 yards per contest. At just over $4K, he is the most stable value WR while also offering the highest ceiling.
Other Options — Tre’Quan Smith ($4,800), Corey Davis ($4,300), Adam Humphries ($3,300)
Tight End
Stud
Eric Ebron, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Tennessee Titans, $4,800 — Similarly to slot WR, TEs often get a boost from weather games since their routes are usually short and over the middle of the field. Ebron is one of virtual Big Ben’s favorite targets regardless of the situation and has scored a touchdown in each of his three previous meetings with the Titans, so he should be in a good spot to produce in this rematch. He posted 15.9 DKFP in their most recent meeting with five catches for 49 yards and a touchdown, and he has over double-digit DKFP in 10 of his 16 sims dating back to that matchup. The Titans’ defense has been very beatable by all TEs, and Ebron will look to continue that trend in this matchup.
Other Option — Jared Cook ($5,100)
Value
Jonnu Smith, Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers, $4,100 — This is a great salary for Smith on the other side of that primetime matchup as well, and he has also had success against the Steelers in their past meetings. Smith finished with at least six catches in each of those three earlier Madden 21 meetings, posting 17.3, 19.1 and 9.7 DKFP. He’ll be an excellent option if he’s around that total again in this contest, and I think the snow will help him much like it will Ebron and MVS.
Other Options — Ian Thomas ($4,000), Marcedes Lewis ($3,900)
DST
Stud
Seahawks DST vs. New Orleans Saints, $3,100 — The Seahawks’ defense thrives in bad weather, which has also had a dampening effect on the production of Drew Brees ($6,400), who has struggled outdoors in general during Madden 21 and especially when wild weather is involved. The Seahawks produced only one turnover in their three earlier meetings with Brees and the Saints, but did manage to get at least three sacks in each contest. Overall, they have forced 54 turnovers in 58 sims while totaling 134 sacks, 10 defensive touchdowns and two safeties for an average of 7.1 DKFP per contest. Seattle has only reached double-digit DKFP one time in their past 11 sims, which is why their price is a little lower, but I think they’re overdue for a monster game, and this situation sets up ideally for them.
Value
Titans DST at Pittsburgh Steelers, $2,800 — If you do pivot off the Seahawks, the best cheap option is the Titans, who have produced 5.3 DKFP per sim by forcing 39 turnovers in 58 sims to go with 122 sacks. They have actually been better defensively on the road than at home in these sims and posted 7.0, 2.0 and 7.0 DKFP in their three wins over the Steelers earlier in Madden 21.
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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.