Tuesday night tees up another trifecta of Madden 21 sims for fantasy football contests on the DraftKings Dream Stream. There are six games throughout the day, but the latter set of three games are the featured classic slate, which kicks off at 6:00 p.m. ET. The first matchup on the board is a contest between the Chicago Bears and the Cleveland Browns followed by Josh Allen ($6,800) and the Bills hosting the Los Angeles Rams at 8:00 p.m. in primetime. A busy day of action wraps up as Madden After Dark heads to virtual Sin City where the Las Vegas Raiders welcome in the Atlanta Falcons head 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 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 on the Madden Stream info page, where you can also find links to 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
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills vs. Los Angeles Rams, $6,800 — The top three QBs on this slate are very close in both salary and production, but I’m giving Allen a slight edge over Mitchell Trubisky ($6,700) and Matt Ryan ($6,900). Allen has been the most productive and consistent of the three options recently and has been locked in since getting an update to his superstar traits in the December update. Allen gained Superstar abilities which have helped him escape from the pocket, resulting in a notable uptick in his rushing production. He had 99 rushing yards and 99 passing yards in his first Madden 21 meeting with the Rams to post 17.86 DKFP. He has over 17 DKFP in seven of his 10 most recent sims with at least 50 rushing yards in nine of those performances. His tendency to take off and run can result in a few fumbles at times, but the added boost to both his ceiling and his floor definitely make the extra rushing potential worth the risk while also making him my favorite QB play on this slate.
Other Option — Mitchell Trubisky ($6,700)
Value
Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns vs. Chicago Bears, $6,200 — Mayfield is the best option from the lower-priced three starters on this slate and has a beatable matchup against the Bears. Mayfield offers a pretty high ceiling, as seen with over 30 DKFP recently against the Texans. He can also be a little boom-or-bust as seen with under 14 DKFP in two of his past three sims. The difference between big games and bust games for Baker is typically his passing touchdowns. He has thrown for 92 touchdowns in 61 sims, but they seem to cluster together in games with three touchdown passes or more. If you get one of those performances at this price, Mayfield sets you up very well to stock the rest of your roster with top options. Allen has more upside due to his rushing contributions, but Mayfield is a solid lower-cost alternative to consider.
Other Option — Derek Carr ($5,700)
Running Back
Stud
Todd Gurley II, Atlanta Falcons at Las Vegas Raiders, $7,700 — Gurley is coming off a two-touchdown game with 22.8 DKFP against the Lions and has over 17 DKFP in five straight sims. He’s the only RB on this entire slate who is his team’s RB1, third-down back and power back, so he should have a big workload advantage over the field. He has turned his consistent workload into 57.0 rushing yards and 38.8 receiving yards on 4.4 catches per contest while scoring a total of 44 touchdowns in 65 sims. He didn’t have a touchdown in his first Madden 21 matchup with the Raiders, which Atlanta won 13-10, but still posted 13.2 DKFP thanks to four catches out of the backfield. His work as a receiver makes him a relatively low-risk play against this Raiders’ defense, which has given up some huge RB games. Gurley is averaging 18.4 DKFP per sim while no other RB available is producing more than 13 DKFP per contest.
Other Options — Devin Singletary ($6,200), Darrell Henderson Jr. ($6,000)
Value
Tarik Cohen, Chicago Bears at Cleveland Browns, $5,100 — Cohen has been very involved as the Bears’ third-down back in these sims and comes with good big-play potential due to his speed and elusiveness. He has produced at least 9.7 DKFP in five straight sims to push his average up to 9.2 DKFP on 3.1 catches for 24.0 receiving yards and 23.1 rushing yards per sim. Cohen has scored 15 touchdowns after finding the end zone for the Bears’ only touchdown in their most recent contest, which was a loss to the Chiefs. Cohen should be involved again out of the backfield both as a receiver and rusher against the Browns, who the Bears have not yet faced in Madden 21.
Other Options — Kareem Hunt ($4,600), Jalen Richard ($4,500)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons at Las Vegas Raiders, $7,400 — Like his teammate Gurley, Jones is significantly more expensive than the other options at his position but comes with a much better average and much more consistent production than the other options in play on this slate. Jones has been scorching hot lately, producing over 18 DKFP in seven straight games while averaging 26.3 DKFP over that stretch with eight touchdowns. He also had a touchdown in his first game against the Raiders on his way to 12.4 DKFP. I think he’ll be even better this time around since the Raiders’ secondary doesn’t have anyone with high enough ratings to slow down Jones if Matt Ryan decides to lean heavily on his WR1.
Other Options — Odell Beckham Jr. ($6,500), Henry Ruggs III ($5,600)
Value
Allen Robinson II, Chicago Bears at Cleveland Browns, $4,900 — Since Mitchell Trubisky runs a lot, the Bears’ WRs can sometimes be left with limited workloads. Despite the volatility, this price seems very low for Robinson, who is the team’s WR1 with Superstar traits. Robinson has had some huge games and has posted over 17 DKFP in three of his past five sims. Cleveland’s secondary has vastly improved this offseason, but in Madden 21, it remains beatable. It’s a great matchup and a great salary for Robinson, but do be aware there is a low floor as well.
Hunter Renfrow, Las Vegas Raiders vs. Atlanta Falcons, $3,800 — The Raiders use Renfrow as their primary slot option keeping him regularly involved even though he is listed as the WR5. Renfrow has two games with over 100 yards and over 20 DKFP in his past four contests, finishing with 24.0 DKFP against the Bucs and 29.7 DKFP against the Chargers. Along with his high ceiling, Renfrow is relatively low-risk under $4K since he has multiple receptions in 16 straight appearances. He almost always finds a way to produce decent returns at this salary and has averaged a solid 12.0 DKFP over his past 10 sims.
Other Options — Stefon Diggs ($5,500), Russell Gage ($4,400), Rashard Higgins ($3,200)
Tight End
Stud
Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams at Buffalo Bills, $4,800 — Since the Bills have very solid CBs, opposing offenses often rely heavily on TEs when facing Buffalo. If that’s what the Rams end up doing in this matchup, it sets up for another big game for Higbee, who is coming off a 12-catch performance against the Titans for 36.1 DKFP. While Higbee hasn’t routinely been that good, he has averaged a solid 4.6 receptions for 45.2 yards per sim while scoring 12 touchdowns. He had six catches for 49 yards and 10.9 DKFP in his first meeting with the Bills and should get good volume once again in this rematch, making him a nice TE option under $5K.
Other Option — Darren Waller ($5,400)
Value
Jimmy Graham, Chicago Bears at Cleveland Browns, $3,900 — Graham has at least three catches in four straight sims and double-digit DKFP in three of those four contests. He stays more consistently involved than the Bears’ WRs since Trubisky often checks it down to his big, reliable target in short-yardage situations. Graham has hauled in an average of 3.7 catches for 35.0 yards per sim over his 59 Madden 21 sims. Lately, he’s been more involved and should be in a pretty good spot on this slate against the Browns.
Other Option — Lee Smith ($3,500)
DST
Stud
Bills DST vs. Los Angeles Rams, $3,100 — The Bills have forced 53 turnovers in 63 sims (0.84 per game), which is one of the highest averages of any team in Madden 21. They have done most of that damage with their star-studded secondary led by Superstar X-factor Tre’Davious White. He has an impressive total of 36 interceptions to go with six defensive touchdowns and 113 sacks. The Bills produced two sacks, an interception and a defensive score for 10.0 DKFP in their first meeting with the Rams and should be a solid play again in this rematch with an erratic Jared Goff ($6,100).
Value
Rams DST at Buffalo Bills, $2,800 — The Rams’ defense is built around two highly-rated X-factor Superstars of their own in Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey. While the Rams’ overall depth across the rest of the defense isn’t outstanding, they have made some big plays with 29 takeaways and 94 sacks in their 60 Madden 21 sims. With Josh Allen’s increased running does come the potential for fumbles and the Rams’ DST should be ready to scoop up those potential turnovers.
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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.