It’s another wild weather Wednesday on the DraftKings Dream Stream with six sims lined up to battle the elements throughout the day. The latter set of three games make up the featured classic slate, which kicks off at 6:00 p.m. ET with the Detroit Lions visiting the Cincinnati Bengals in a game that will be impacted by wind. The middle game of the slate is a classic AFC showdown between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots in the snow in virtual Foxborough, and we close out the night with another snow game as the New Orleans Saints head to the frozen tundra to face the Green Bay Packers on Madden After Dark.
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.
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Quarterback
Stud
Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals vs. Detroit Lions, $6,500 — Even in the wind, I think Burrow is the best QB play on the board due to his matchup. He has faced the Lions four times in Madden 21 sims, producing 25.8, 27.42, 27.42 and 35.38 DKFP. (Yes, he really did put up exactly 27.42 DKFP with totally different stats in two games against Detroit.) He had multiple touchdowns in each of those contests and has totaled 99 touchdowns in his 62 sims so far in Madden 21. Burrow has a big arm and his throw power should help him overcome the wind, while his speedy receivers should benefit from catching short passes and breaking off big runs against the Lions’ poor-tackling defense. Despite his rookie status, Burrow carries most of the workload in the Bengals’ offense, making him a low-risk play with a high floor. Making Burrow stand out even more on this slate is the fact that both Aaron Rodgers ($6,800) and Drew Brees ($6,600) have been held under 20 DKFP in each of their two head-to-head meetings in Madden 21. Burrow has a significantly better track record in the matchups on this slate.
Other Option — Aaron Rodgers ($6,800)
Value
Cam Newton, New England Patriots vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, $6,100 — I don’t love the matchup for Cam, but I still trust him much more than the other cheap options since he does bring some potential rushing contributions, which are always key but even more important in snow games. Newton has posted multiple passing touchdowns and over 18 DKFP in four of his past five sims, highlighted by 29.76 DKFP against the Lions and 24.62 DKFP against the Packers in his two most recent contests. Newton led the Patriots to a win but only had 10.52 DKFP in his first contest against Pittsburgh. He definitely doesn’t come without risk, but he has the highest ceiling of the cheap options in addition to the extra safety of some potential rushing production.
Other Option — Matthew Stafford ($6,300)
Running Back
Stud
Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers vs. New Orleans Saints, $6,900 — The only two workhorse RBs on the slate go head-to-head in the late game as Jones leads the Packers against Alvin Kamara ($7,200) and the Saints. Both have had some big games due to their ability to get involved as pass-catchers, but I’m leaning toward Jones and taking the discount because I trust the Packers’ offense to put up points in the snow, while Brees and the Saints have struggled in weather elements when leaving the safety of the virtual Superdome. Jones has been impressive with 58 touchdowns in 65 Madden 21 sims and an average of 62.3 rushing yards and 22.5 receiving yards on 3.1 catches per contest. Jones had 19.3 DKFP in his most recent meeting with the Saints but went off for 29.6 DKFP in their first meeting while falling just four yards short of the 100-yard rushing bonus. He totaled 13 catches in those two games, and the snow could force even more targets his way if Rodgers has to focus on shorter passes.
Other Options — Alvin Kamara ($7,200), Gio Bernard ($5,200)
Value
Jaylen Samuels, Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots, $4,500 — Samuels has also been very involved as a receiver out of the backfield, although he shares early-down work with James Conner ($4,300). Samuels has averaged 4.1 catches per contest over his 62 sims and has produced at least 8.0 DKFP in four of his past six. He has only reached over 20 DKFP one time during that stretch, so he does come with a limited ceiling but also offers affordable PPR production. Since the snow often forces shorter passes, he could get a few more targets his way than usual in New England.
Other Options — D’Andre Swift ($4,800), James White ($4,700)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers vs. New Orleans Saints, $6,900 — Like Jones over Kamara, I’m taking Adams over Michael Thomas ($6,700) more because of my doubts about Drew Brees and the whole Saints offense in the snow rather than any specific issues I have with Thomas. Adams had four catches in each of his first two games against the Saints but didn’t go off for a big game. He has been posting big numbers on a regular basis lately, though, with a touchdown in three straight sims and 31.2 DKFP against the Patriots in his most recent contest. Adams has 37 total touchdowns in his 64 Madden 21 appearances while averaging 4.9 catches for 70.9 yards per contest.
Other Options — JuJu Smith-Schuster ($6,100), Marvin Jones Jr. ($5,900)
Value
John Ross III, Cincinnati Bengals vs. Detroit Lions, $5,600 — Ross is a matchup nightmare for many teams in Madden due to his 96 speed rating, and the Lions have been unable to slow him down in their meetings so far in Madden 21. Ross had six catches for 134 yards, a touchdown and 28.4 DKFP in their most recent matchup and posted over 20 DKFP in two of his three earlier meetings with the Lions in Madden 21. Since he and Burrow should be able to still connect despite the wind, I think he’ll be just fine with all that big-play ability after the catch.
Danny Amendola, Detroit Lions at Cincinnati Bengals, $4,500 — Slot receivers usually get a little bit of a boost in weather games since the focus is more on short passes that are less impacted by the wind. Amendola is already a frequent target for Matthew Stafford ($6,300) and has at least three catches in 10 straight sims. During that stretch, he has averaged 11.0 DKFP on 4.5 catches for 46.3 yards per contest. He doesn’t usually produce a ton of yards but his PPR work and favorable matchup should make him a solid value against the Bengals.
Other Options — Emmanuel Sanders ($5,400), Tyler Boyd ($4,600), Tre’Quan Smith ($4,300)
Tight End
Stud
Eric Ebron, Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots, $4,900 — Ebron has been excellent for the Steelers in these sims, averaging 11.9 DKFP on 4.5 catches for 47.8 yards per game. He should get heavy usage again in this sim since the Patriots’ highly-rated secondary often forces teams to rely more on their TE, especially in the weather. Ebron has posted at least 9.9 DKFP in eight of his past nine games and is a relatively low-risk option due to his consistent workload. He’s actually the third-highest priced TE on the slate, though, and seems a little underpriced compared to the two more expensive players.
Other Options — T.J. Hockenson ($5,500), Devin Asiasi ($4,600)
Value
C.J. Uzomah, Cincinnati Bengals vs. Detroit Lions, $4,300 — The Lions’ defense hasn’t been able to stop TEs either, and Uzomah is a solid cheap play to consider at your FLEX spot even if you go with a more expensive TE. Uzomah had two touchdowns and 23.9 DKFP in his most recent matchup with the Lions after posting 8.9, 7.6 and 21.5 DKFP in their earlier meetings. He has averaged over four catches per game over his 61 Madden 21 sims and is a low-risk play with a high ceiling in this matchup.
Other Option — Marcedes Lewis ($3,500)
DST
Stud
Patriots DST vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, $3,100 — The Patriots have forced an impressive 69 turnovers in their 64 Madden 21 sims while also adding 103 sacks and 12 defensive touchdowns. They had three picks, three sacks and 19.0 DKFP in their first meeting with the Steelers and have a similar ceiling in this rematch in the snow. The Patriots usually thrive in weather games when turnovers are even more frequent.
Value
Packers DST vs. New Orleans Saints, $2,800 — The Packers are also a solid defense to consider since they’ll be taking on Brees in the snow. Green Bay has an excellent secondary led by X-factor Superstar Jaire Alexander and a strong pass rush that has produced 138 sacks in 65 sims. They only have 21 takeaways, so their ceiling isn’t quite as high as New England’s, but the Packers are a very solid value alternative on this slate.
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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.