While the NFL Draft takes center stage on Thursday night, the DraftKings Dream Stream will give everyone a chance to show off their own player selection prowess with some great fantasy football action from three Madden 21 sims on the main featured classic slate, which kicks off at 6:00 p.m. ET. The first game features the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosting the Los Angeles Rams, followed at 8:00 p.m. ET by a primetime matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Atlanta Falcons. At 10:00 p.m. ET, the contests close out with a Madden After Dark matchup between the Buffalo Bills and the Washington Football Team.
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
Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Los Angeles Rams, $6,800 — Brady hasn’t been the most reliable QB in these sims since he is so touchdown-reliant, but he usually ends up a solid play when he throws multiple scores. He has done that in eight of his past 13 sims including a game with 279 yards, four passing touchdowns and 26.96 DKFP against the Rams. With Josh Allen ($7,000) in a tough matchup against Washington, Brady becomes the safest QB stud on this slate.
Other Option — Matt Ryan ($6,700)
Value
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers at Atlanta Falcons, $5,700 — Like Brady, Herbert usually has the yardage to be a solid play, and his usefulness all comes down to whether he throws touchdowns or not. He has 99 touchdown passes in his 68 sims as the starting QB while averaging 215.4 passing yards. He had two touchdown passes and 17.22 DKFP in his first meeting with the Falcons and had over 15 DKFP in four straight before a down game against the Bears in his most recent sim.
Other Option — Jared Goff ($6,200)
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Running Back
Stud
J.D. McKissic, Washington Football Team vs. Buffalo Bills, $7,500 — Even in an inconsistent offense, McKissic is a reliable fantasy option since he catches so many passes out of the backfield as Washington’s workhorse RB. McKissic has at least four catches in six straight sims and is averaging 4.3 catches for 28.9 yards in addition to his 51.3 rushing yards per sim. He has scored 31 touchdowns in his 71 contests and finished with over 13 DKFP in each of his two previous Madden 21 matchups with the Bills.
Other Options — Austin Ekeler ($8,000), Todd Gurley II ($6,700)
Value
LeSean McCoy, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Los Angeles Rams, $4,600 — McCoy has also been very involved as a receiver out of the backfield, averaging 3.1 catches for 21.7 yards per game as the Bucs’ third-down back. He has produced double-digit DKFP in six of his past eight sims and has multiple receptions in 11 of his past 12.
Other Option — Darrell Henderson Jr. ($5,900)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons vs. Los Angeles Chargers, $7,100 — Jones has been one of the most consistent Madden WR, averaging 5.1 catches for 83.0 yards per sim and scoring 46 touchdowns in 69 contests. He had one of those scores with 13.5 DKFP in his first sim against the Chargers and comes into this rematch on a nice role with at least six catches in seven straight sims.
Other Option — Chris Godwin ($6,700)
Value
Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, $5,600 — Woods has posted double-digit DKFP in nine of his past 11 games, averaging 14.0 DKFP over that stretch. He’s now averaging 4.8 catches for 60.4 yards per sim and should be able to get loose for a big play or two against the Bucs’ inconsistent secondary in Madden 21.
Russell Gage, Atlanta Falcons vs. Los Angeles Chargers, $3,800 — Gage is the Falcons’ WR3 and primary slot option and has been a great value play in these sims, averaging 9.2 DKFP on 3.6 catches for 39.7 yards per sim. He has shown his ceiling with 20 DKFP in two of his past three contests.
Other Options — Keenan Allen ($5,200), Steven Sims Jr. ($4,900), Joe Reed ($3,400)
Tight End
Stud
Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, $4,700 — Higbee has been on a productive run lately with at least 9.9 DKFP in eight of his past 10 games, including a six-catch performance against the Bucs that resulted in 12.2 DKFP. He typically gets good volume with an average of 4.7 receptions per contest.
Other Option — Jeremy Sprinkle ($4,200)
Value
Hayden Hurst, Atlanta Falcons vs. Los Angeles Chargers, $3,900 — Hurst has also gotten a steady stream of targets in the Falcons’ offense, averaging 4.2 catches per sim. He had a huge game with six catches, a touchdown and 19.0 DKFP in his first meeting with the Chargers and offers great value under $4K in this rematch.
Other Option — Hunter Henry ($4,000)
DST
Stud
Washington Football Team DST vs. Buffalo Bills, $3,200 — Washington’s defense has one of the best pass rushes in Madden 21 and has piled up 150 sacks in 70 sims to go with 48 takeaways and nine defensive touchdowns. Washington had 19.0 DKFP in a recent sim against the Bills, with four sacks, an interception and a defensive touchdown. Even if Washington doesn’t quite reach that ceiling in this rematch, this defense bring the most upside of any DST on the slate.
Value
Buccaneers DST vs. Los Angles Rams, $2,800 — The Bucs’ defense hasn’t had the touchdowns or takeaways that Washington has, but they have been piling up sacks. They have 183 in their 75 sims and have produced multiple sacks in 12 of their 13 most recent sims.
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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.