This Sunday may be a slower one across much of the sports world, but there are still some fantastic fantasy football contests to get a piece of on DraftKings, focusing on another full day of Madden sims on Sunday’s DraftKings Dream Stream. The later three games on the schedule are part of the featured three-game classic slate, which kicks off at 6:00 p.m. ET when the Indianapolis Colts visit the Green Bay Packers at virtual Lambeau Field. Following that matchup, the Arizona Cardinals head to the virtual Big Easy to take on the New Orleans Saints in a matchup of exciting offenses in the primetime matchup at 8:00 p.m. ET. The final game of the day brings more potential for offensive fireworks when the star-studded Kansas City Chiefs visit the New York Giants for Madden After Dark, which kicks off at 10:00 p.m. ET.
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 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
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs at New York Giants, $7,000 — Mahomes is the only QB in the Week 1 player ratings used for these sims with a 99 overall rating, and he has been one of the top performers in the game as a result. He has posted an impressive 151 passing touchdowns and 11 rushing scores in his 60 sims while averaging 287.5 passing yards per contest. He did have a down game in his most recent sim against the Raiders with only 6.92 DKFP, but he typically is good for over 22 DKFP, a level that he had reached in seven straight sims before that letdown. He should be able to shred the Giants in this matchup since New York’s secondary doesn’t offer much resistance in most contests. He threw for 347 yards, three touchdowns and 28.78 DKFP in their most recent matchup and beat the Giants for 362 yards, three touchdowns and 30.38 DKFP earlier in these Madden 21 sims. He should be in a perfect bounce-back spot, so don’t let his last game out discourage you from building around the superstar X-factor QB.
Other Option — Kyler Murray ($7,300)
Value
Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints vs. Arizona Cardinals, $6,100 — If you decide to stack other roster spots and go cheap at QB, Brees makes sense in this favorable matchup against Arizona. He posted 27.04 DKFP with over 300 passing yards and three touchdowns in his first game against the Cardinals in these Madden 21 sims and followed that up with 16.2 DKFP in the rematch. He hasn’t been nearly as consistent as Mahomes has been, but he has totaled 96 passing touchdowns in 58 sims while averaging 257.5 passing yards per contest. He had over 16 DKFP in five straight sims before a down game against the Seahawks in his most recent contest, but he should also be set up well for a bounce-back performance in this matchup with the Cardinals.
Other Option — Daniel Jones ($5,700)
Running Back
Stud
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints vs. Arizona Cardinals, $7,100 — Kamara is heavily involved in every part of the Saints’ offense, taking on a large workload as both rusher and receiver in most contests. He has scored four touchdowns in his past three sims, bringing his total to 52 in his 59 sims in Madden 21. Kamara is averaging 3.7 catches per sim while also adding 27.6 receiving yards to his 57.7 rushing yards per contest, and that work through the air raises both his ceiling and his floor for this matchup against Arizona. He posted 15.1 and 14.5 DKFP in his previous two contests with the Cards, and another solid game should be lined up for him in this matchup. He always has the potential to break the slate, and he is also relatively low-risk due to his consistent workload.
Other Options — Kenyan Drake ($6,900), Aaron Jones ($6,600)
Value
Nyheim Hines, Indianapolis Colts at Green Bay Packers, $5,900 — There aren’t many value plays at RB on this slate since only the Colts use a timeshare in the backfield of the six teams in action. Hines has been one of the best third-down backs in Madden 21, though, so he’s a very solid option if you can work his salary under your cap. Despite sharing time with RB1 Marlon Mack ($4,500), Hines has produced 26 touchdowns in 50 sims while averaging 33.0 rushing yards in addition to 4.4 catches for 35.3 receiving yards per sim. He has over 16 DKFP in each of his two most recent games since he found the end zone in losses to both the Cowboys and the Patriots. Hines has breakaway potential any time he touches the ball, so as long as he gets targets against the Packers, he should be a solid investment at this price.
Other Option — Marlon Mack ($4,500)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs at New York Giants, $7,300 — In Madden 21, speed is an extremely valuable trait and provides players a ton of potential for big plays and giant totals. Hill is a prime example with his perfect 99 speed rating, which he uses effectively out of the slot as Mahomes’ top target. In his 60 sims, Hill is averaging 6.3 catches for 93.2 yards per contest, and he has found the end zone 55 times. He scored twice in his first Madden 21 matchup against the Giants, hauling in 10 passes for 110 yards, two scores and 36 DKFP, and he followed that up with seven catches, 101 yards and 20.1 DKFP in the rematch. Like Mahomes, he is coming off a down game against the Raiders, but prior to that outing, Hill had over 29 DKFP in two of three games. He’s in an ideal spot to get things turned back around in this matchup against the Giants, who don’t have any speedsters in their secondary to slow down The Cheetah.
Other Options — Michael Thomas ($6,900), Davante Adams ($6,100)
Value
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Green Bay Packers vs. Indianapolis Colts, $4,700 — Another productive slot option in these sims has been Valdes-Scantling, who works as the WR3 for the Packers but typically gets a good amount of targets from Aaron Rodgers ($6,300). MVS has averaged 3.2 catches for 42.3 yards per sim over his 54 contests and has found the end zone 18 times. He has multiple catches in 14 straight contests and also had multiple catches in each of his two earlier matchups with the Colts, posting 6.5 and 10.1 DKFP. He hasn’t hit double digits in three straight sims, but he had four straight games of at least 16 DKFP before that, so he definitely has the potential to return plenty of value from his salary under $5K on this slate.
Golden Tate, New York Giants vs. Kansas City Chiefs, $4,400 — If the Chiefs jump out to a lead and the Giants have to throw a lot while playing from behind, Tate could also end up being a great value since he’s the Giants’ WR1 who works out of the slot for Daniel Jones ($5,700). Tate has been a consistent target monster regardless of game script and brings a high ceiling if he gets a lot of passes thrown in his direction. He had five catches for 41 yards and 9.1 DKFP in his most recent matchup with the Chiefs after putting up 21.5 DKFP on six catches and 125 yards in their first meeting. Both previous matchups have been fairly high-scoring, so look for another strong showing from Tate if this game follows a similar flow.
Other Options — T.Y. Hilton ($5,100), Sterling Shepard ($5,000), Tre’Quan Smith ($4,500), Demarcus Robinson ($4,200), Parris Campbell ($3,900)
Tight End
Stud
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs at New York Giants, $5,900 — The third Superstar X-factor in the Chiefs’ offense is Kelce, who is usually priced higher than this due to his consistent volume and high ceiling. He has averaged 5.8 catches for 69.9 yards per sim and scored 33 touchdowns in 60 contests. He had big games in each of his earlier meetings with the Giants, producing 17.0 DKFP on nine catches for 80 yards in their first contest and following that up with six catches for 143 yards and 23.3 DKFP in the rematch. He can definitely go off for a big number like that but has been held under 15 DKFP in three straight sims, which has resulted in a little slip in salary. If you can stack him with Mahomes and Hill without destroying the rest of your lineup, the Chiefs’ trio of stars always comes with a high ceiling.
Other Option — Evan Engram ($4,900)
Value
Trey Burton, Indianapolis Colts at Green Bay Packers, $4,400 — Burton is always very involved for the Colts since Philip Rivers ($5,400) feeds his TE1 a steady dose of targets. Burton has averaged 4.8 catches per contest since taking over the top spot on the TE depth chart and has scored 13 touchdowns during that run. Even though he doesn’t find the end zone as much as the elite options at the position, his PPR production makes him a strong consideration at this salary. He had 15.5 and 17.1 DKFP in his two earlier matchups with the Packers, with a total of 13 catches in those two contests. That kind of volume is the norm for Burton and makes him a great play as a pivot from Kelce or in a flex spot if you go with a two-TE lineup.
Other Option — Marcedes Lewis ($3,500)
DST
Stud/Value
Packers DST vs. Indianapolis Colts, $2,800 — With so many top offensive options in play and the lack of cheap plays at RB, this is probably a slate to keep it cheap on defense. The Packers are a solid option against the Colts and come at an affordable salary as well. In their recent meeting three sims ago, the Packers’ defense piled up six sacks and 7.0 DKFP against Indy after posting 7.0 DKFP against them in their earlier matchup as well. The Colts’ offense has only totaled 17 points in the two matchups, so this sets up to be a favorable spot for the Packers to once again get after Rivers and limit the Colts’ production once again.
Other Options — Saints ($3,100), Chiefs ($2,900)
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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.