Even with the NBA in the midst of their All-Star break, there’s still plenty of fun DFS options throughout this weekend at DraftKings, including a jam-packed day of Madden sims on Saturday’s DraftKings Dream Stream. The later three games on tap make up the featured three-game classic slate, which gets underway at 6:00 p.m. ET with an exciting matchup between two rookie QBs as Justin Herbert ($6,700) leads his Los Angeles Chargers to South Beach, where they’ll take on Tua Tagovailoa ($5,800) and the Miami Dolphins. At 8:00 p.m. in primetime, another AFC West team will hit the road as the Las Vegas Raiders visit the Baltimore Ravens and try to slow down Lamar Jackson ($8,000). The final game on the slate and Saturday’s edition of Madden After Dark features a replay of the matchup that gave us “The Drive” and “The Fumble” in the late 1 980s when the Denver Broncos welcome in the Cleveland Browns.
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
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens vs. Las Vegas Raiders, $8,000 — The man is on the cover of the game for a reason, and he has dominated Madden 21 with plenty of big performances. He had 28.84 DKFP in his matchup with the Raiders a few weeks ago, throwing for 186 yards and a touchdown while running for 94 yards and a second score. He’s averaging an impressive 105.7 rushing yards per sim in his 55 contests, which is a higher mark than any RB has produced in Madden 21. Jackson has added 149.8 passing yards per game as well while totaling 57 passing scores and 44 rushing touchdowns. His ceiling is higher than any other player in the game, so he makes sense to pay up for on this slate even coming off a down game against the Vikings in his most recent contest. Jackson has over 25 DKFP in four of his past eight contests and should have no trouble reaching that mark against a struggling Raiders defense.
Other Options — Baker Mayfield ($7,000), Justin Herbert ($6,700)
Value
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins vs. Los Angeles Chargers, $5,800 — Tua is a much more affordable option at QB than Jackson or even his fellow rookie Herbert. However, he out-dueled Herbert when they met earlier in these sims, throwing for three touchdowns and 294 yards on his way to 26.16 DKFP and a 24-21 victory. Tua doesn’t run a lot in these sims but does have the ability to get a critical third down or even a touchdown when the need arises. He has 69 touchdown passes in his 45 sims as the Dolphins’ starting QB and has thrown for a total of 9,998 yards. He should get to 10K passing yards early in this game and could end up being the key to unlocking the star skill position players you are looking to build your lineup around if you choose to go cheap at QB.
Other Option — Derek Carr ($5,900)
Running Back
Stud
Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers at Miami Dolphins, $7,500 — Four of the six teams on the slate use timeshares in the backfield with only the Chargers and Dolphins relying on a single option as RB1, third-down back and power back. Ekeler and Matt Breida ($7,000) have both had big games as a result of their substantial workload, but Ekeler has been slightly more reliable from sim-to-sim. He is averaging 19.3 DKFP on 69.1 rushing yards and 30.8 receiving yards per sim. His 3.9 receptions per contest make a nice safety net of PPR points while also boosting his ceiling. Ekeler had six catches for 79 yards and finished with 18.6 DKFP against the Dolphins in their first meeting even though he didn’t score one of his 40 Madden 21 touchdowns. If he finds the end zone in this rematch, he could break the slate, and he’s the best RB to target if you’re paying up at the position.
Other Option — Matt Breida ($7,000)
Value
Jalen Richard, Las Vegas Raiders at Baltimore Ravens, $4,300 — There are plenty of timeshares to pick your value option for, but my favorite play under $5K is Richard, who is the Raiders’ third-down back and one of Derek Carr’s favorite targets. Richard has multiple catches in eight straight sims and in 42 of his 49 sims in Madden 21 (86%). He almost always produces over 6.0 DKFP and can go for a much bigger total if he gets into the end zone or gets even higher volume. He did both in a 20-DKFP ceiling game against the Bears recently, and I think he could find space in this matchup with the Ravens as well.
Other Options — Kareem Hunt ($4,700), J.K. Dobbins ($3,900)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Henry Ruggs III, Las Vegas Raiders at Baltimore Ravens, $6,000 — Ruggs has a 98 speed rating in Madden 21, which is the second-highest in the entire game behind only Tyreek Hill’s 99 perfect speed rating. Ruggs has been a little boom-or-bust since Carr sometimes struggles to get him the ball, but when the rookie WR finds space, there’s no one on the Ravens who will be able to catch him. Ruggs has hit for 15 DKFP or more in four of his past seven games including a two-touchdown performance against the Chargers that resulted in 26.7 DKFP. He had just one touchdown in his previous matchup with Baltimore, but he totaled a solid 11.5 DKFP. If you’re paying $6K for him on this slate, you’re hoping he can outperform that total in this rematch, but his speed and volume as the Raiders’ WR2 always give him an extremely high ceiling.
Other Options — Keenan Allen ($6,600), DeVante Parker ($5,900)
Value
Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos vs. Cleveland Browns, $5,400 — Sutton is the Broncos’ WR1 in these sims and has been very good since the knee injury that cost him last season doesn’t impact him. Sutton has averaged 3.8 catches for 65.0 yards per sim and scored 22 touchdowns in 48 contests. Against the Browns in their previous matchup, Sutton went off for four catches and 131 yards for a total of 26.1 DKFP. He also had a memorable three-touchdown performance against Cleveland in the Madden 2020 sims. Sutton is a great mid-range play with upside if Drew Lock ($5,500) looks his way in this home game against the Browns’ iffy secondary.
Joe Reed, Los Angeles Chargers at Miami Dolphins, $3,300 — Reed is the Chargers’ WR3, but he makes sense as an ultra-cheap play since he usually gets involved. He has multiple catches in four of his past five sims, dating back to a six-catch game against the Browns. Reed had one of his best games of Madden 21 in his first game against the Dolphins, posting 25.0 DKFP and two of his five touchdowns while hauling in six catches for 70 yards. While he probably won’t reach that ceiling again, he is a solid punt play at barely over the minimum salary.
Other Options — Jerry Jeudy ($4,700), Jarvis Landry ($4,200), Hunter Renfrow ($3,700)
Tight End
Stud
Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins vs. Los Angeles Chargers, $5,000 — Gesicki answered Reed’s two touchdowns with two touchdowns of his own in that earlier matchup against the Chargers, and the big TE finished with 24.1 DKFP on five catches for 71 yards. Gesicki has averaged 4.4 catches for 48.6 yards per contest and scored 16 touchdowns, and his matchup is much better than Darren Waller’s ($5,500) against the Ravens. Gesicki is a solid PPR target for Tua and gets plenty of work in most of Miami’s contests.
Other Option — Darren Waller ($5,500)
Value
Noah Fant, Denver Broncos vs. Cleveland Browns, $3,900 — Fant always brings a very high ceiling in Madden 21 since he is one of the fastest TEs in Madden 21. He had one of his eight touchdowns in his first matchup with the Browns, finishing with 9.6 DKFP. Lately, he has been getting consistent volume with three catches or more in four straight sims.
Other Option — Hunter Henry ($4,000)
DST
Stud
Chargers DST at Miami Dolphins, $3,000 — The Chargers will have a good chance to make plays against Tua since the rookie QB has fumbling problems when he does scramble and also thrown interceptions when under pressure. Los Angeles has 39 takeaways in 52 sims while racking up an impressive 116 sacks. The Bolts had 15.0 DKFP in their first matchup with Miami, which was actually led by Ryan Fitzpatrick ($5,000) at that point. They followed that with 3.0 DKFP when they faced Tua in the rematch, and they enter this contest as the most productive DST on the slate with their average of 5.2 DKFP per game.
Value
Broncos DST vs. Cleveland Browns, $2,800 — The Broncos also have a good pass rush in these sims since Superstar X-factor Von Miller is healthy. They have racked up 94 sacks in 50 games to go with 23 takeaways and four defensive touchdowns. The defense has been especially effective at home, where the Broncos are averaging 4.7 DKFP in 29 sims. They don’t have the easiest matchup against the Browns, but Cleveland’s offense has been hit-or-miss, so there is some nice upside for this cheaper defense.
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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.