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Madden Stream Picks: Top DraftKings Fantasy Football DFS Targets, Values for April 23

Zach Thompson gives his top studs and value plays at each position for Friday’s three-game Madden Stream DraftKings slate, which starts at 6:00 p.m. ET.

Start your weekend with a fantastic Friday of fantasy football from the Madden 21 sims on the DraftKings Dream Stream. The featured late classic slate starts at 6:00 p.m. ET and showcases a trio of great NFC matchups, starting with the Minnesota Vikings hosting the Dallas Cowboys. In primetime, the Green Bay Packers take on the New Orleans Saints in the virtual Superdome, and we close things out with a matchup between the Chicago Bears and the Bracket Tourney Champions, the Seattle Seahawks. All six teams present multiple fantasy options to consider, and you can find my favorite plays below.

You can get all the gameplay details on the Madden Streams Information Page and dive into the full depth chart for each team.


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Quarterback

Stud

Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks vs. Chicago Bears, $7,300 — Wilson carried the Seahawks to the Bracket Tourney Championship and is always a good spot to start your lineup. He can pile up yards through the air or on the ground and has averaged 189.5 passing yards and 58.8 rushing yards per sim while scoring 99 passing touchdowns and 35 rushing touchdowns in 72 sims. He has the highest ceiling of any player on this slate and also has relatively low risk since even if one aspect of his game is shut down, he can find other ways to produce.

Other Option — Mitchell Trubisky ($6,700)

Value

Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints vs. Green Bay Packers, $6,200 — Brees won’t have to play outdoors or deal with any weather in this matchup, which should help him be a reliable value play. He has thrown 123 touchdowns in 75 sims and has over 14 DKFP in 13 of his past 14 games, highlighted by a 30.02-DKFP performance against the Texans. He has been solid but not spectacular against the Packers in Madden 21, producing 15.88, 19.3 and 12.32 DKFP.

Other Option — Dak Prescott ($6,500)


Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: Madden Stream $4K Friday Night Special [$1K to 1st] and your FREE fantasy football lineups here: Madden $250 FREE Contest


Running Back

Stud

Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings, $7,800 — Zeke should be able to feast against the Vikings, who he beat for 17.9, 20.1 and 22.7 DKFP in his three most recent meetings. He is coming off a monster 169-yard performance against the Patriots in his most recent sim that featured four rushing touchdowns and 43.9 DKFP. He’s significantly cheaper than Dalvin Cook ($8,500) and has a better offense around him.

Other Options — Dalvin Cook ($8,500), Aaron Jones ($7,000)

Value

Tarik Cohen, Chicago Bears at Seattle Seahawks, $5,200 — Cohen is the Bears’ third-down RB and shares time with David Montgomery ($4,200). While Montgomery is extremely touchdown-reliant, Cohen usually provides enough PPR production to be a solid play and also brings big-play potential. He has over 9.0 DKFP in seven of his past 10 contests with multiple receptions in each of those sims.

Other Option — Carlos Hyde ($4,600)


Wide Receiver

Stud

Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings, $6,400 — With Michael Thomas ($7,000) facing Jaire Alexander and Davante Adams ($6,500) and Devin Funchess ($6,200) potentially stealing looks from each other, Cooper is left as the most reliable WR1 on this slate, especially taking on the woeful Vikings’ secondary. Cooper has 38 touchdowns in 65 sims including three in his four most recent games and also had 16.5 DKFP in his most recent meeting with Minnesota. He is averaging 4.5 catches for 69.6 yards per sim.

Other Option — Michael Thomas ($7,000), DK Metcalf ($5,500)

Value

Allen Robinson II, Chicago Bears at Seattle Seahawks, $5,000 — Robinson is the Bears’ top WR and gets consistent targets as a result, averaging 3.6 catches for 55.1 yards per sim. He has double-digit DKFP in four of his past six games and seven of his past 10. The Seahawks have a hard-hitting defense but have allowed some big receiving games.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Green Bay Packers at New Orleans Saints, $4,200 — With a 93 speed rating in his role as the Packers’ slot option, MVS has a ton of upside at this bargain price. He is averaging 3.2 catches for 41.8 yards per appearance and had double-digit DKFP in each of his past two games.

Other Options — Michael Gallup ($5,400), Tajae Sharpe ($5,100), Ted Ginn Jr. ($4,100)


Tight End

Stud

Jared Cook, New Orleans Saints vs. Green Bay Packers, $5,000 — Cook went off for 25.3 DKFP on Wednesday night in Tampa Bay, finishing with eight catches for 143 yards. It was his second straight 100-yard performance and gave him over 12 DKFP in 10 of his past 14 sims.

Other Option — Greg Olsen ($4,200)

Value

Blake Jarwin, Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings, $4,000 — Aside from a no-show in the Bracket Tourney, Jarwin has been consistently involved in Dallas’s offense, averaging 4.2 catches for 49.7 yards per sim. He doesn’t get the touchdown volume of elite options but typically racks up PPR points.


DST

Stud

Seahawks DST vs. Chicago Bears, $3,000 — When scrambling, Mitchell Trubisky ($6,700) has had fumble issues which should set up Seattle for a big game. The Seahawks have forced 52 fumbles in 72 contests along with their 148 sacks and 11 defensive touchdowns, which have propelled them to 6.8 DKFP per contest.

Value

Cowboys DST at Minnesota Vikings, $2,600 — The Cowboys have only one defensive touchdown in their 68 sims, but they have been able to force 29 turnovers and accumulate 136 sacks. They’ve averaged 3.9 DKFP overall and 4.25 DKFP in their four previous meetings with Minnesota.

Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: Madden Stream $4K Friday Night Special [$1K to 1st] and your FREE fantasy football lineups here: Madden $250 FREE Contest


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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.