After a fun schedule release on Wednesday kept the NFL in the spotlight of the sports world, the DraftKings Dream Stream keeps fantasy football front-and-center Thursday night with a three-game classic slate of Madden 21 sims. The action starts at 6:00 p.m. ET with a Week 1 preview of the matchup between the New York Jets and the Carolina Panthers. At 8:00 p.m. ET in primetime, the Baltimore Ravens host the New York Giants, and the slate concludes with a matchup between the Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Chargers, which kicks off at 10:00 p.m. ET.
Check out all the gameplay details on the Madden Streams Information Page and dive into the full depth chart for each team. My favorite fantasy plays for today’s slate are listed below.
Quarterback
Stud
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens vs. New York Giants, $7,900 — Jackson is averaging an outstanding 26.6 DKFP per sim, which is almost 10 full DKFP more than any other QB on this slate. He averages 52% more DKFP than Teddy Bridgewater ($6,200), who would be priced at $9,500 if his salary was based on the same rate. Jackson is actually a bargain under $8K and had 31.34 DKFP in his only previous meeting with the Giants in Madden 21 with 116 passing yards, 137 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He is the only player in Madden 21 at any position averaging over 100 yards rushing per sim. He does have occasional down games, but given the Giants’ defensive struggles, I don’t see them slowing down the Madden 21 cover athlete in this matchup.
Value
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers vs. Detroit Lions, $6,000 — Herbert has a great matchup against the Lions, who have been one of the worst defenses in these Madden 21 sims. The rookie has thrown 101 touchdowns in his 72 sims while averaging 213.1 yards per game. He has over 15 DKFP in five of his past nine sims, and his average sits at a solid 16.0 DKFP per contest. He’s the best pivot on the slate if you decide to pass up Jackson.
Other Option — Daniel Jones ($5,400)
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Running Back
Stud
Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers vs. Detroit Lions, $7,400 — The Lions have been especially awful against the run, so Ekeler could be poised for a big game after producing 24.7 and 19.2 DKFP in his first two matchups against Detroit. He is averaging exactly 20.0 DKFP in his 78 sims with 70 touchdowns and 71.0 rushing yards, 30.0 receiving yards and 3.8 catches per sim. His involvement as a pass-catcher provides a great safety net and also raises his ceiling, making him one of the top RBs to consider any time he’s on the slate.
Other Options — Saquon Barkley ($7,600), Le’Veon Bell ($6,900)
Value
D’Andre Swift, Detroit Lions at Los Angeles Chargers, $4,800 — Swift continues to share time in the backfield with Kerryon Johnson ($3,400) in these sims but has been productive as the team’s third-down back, averaging 3.7 catches for 25.1 yards per game and scoring 15 touchdowns. He has produced double-digit DKFP in six of his past nine games, averaging 5.0 catches per game over that stretch.
Other Option — J.K. Dobbins ($5,000)
Wide Receiver
Stud
DJ Moore, Carolina Panthers vs. New York Jets, $6,100 — While there are several top-tier RBs on the slate, there aren’t many truly elite WRs. Moore has a very high ceiling but has been inconsistent at times, disappearing when the offense is running through Christian McCaffrey ($7,900). However, he has been putting up good numbers lately with three touchdowns in his past four sims and at least 89 yards in three straight games. He has a favorable matchup against the Jets’ CBs, and since the Jets’ run defense is solid enough to slow down CMC, I think Moore is a solid play in this spot.
Other Options — Keenan Allen ($5,900), Kenny Golladay ($5,800)
Value
Darius Slayton, New York Giants at Baltimore Ravens, $4,100 — Slayton has been very involved as the Giants’ WR3, averaging 2.7 catches for 45.5 yards per sim. He brings a very high ceiling when Daniel Jones ($5,400) locks onto him, highlighted by a three-touchdown, 38.7-DKFP performance against Dallas. He had one touchdown and 19.6 DKFP in his first matchup with the Ravens, but at just over $4K, his upside is definitely worth considering.
Chris Hogan, New York Jets at Carolina Panthers, $3,700 — The other WR3 in New York has also been heavily involved, averaging 3.0 catches for 42.3 yards per sim. Hogan has scored 21 touchdowns overall and had a two-touchdown game that resulted in 23.0 DKFP in one of his earlier matchups against the Panthers.
Other Options — Curtis Samuel ($5,100), Jamison Crowder ($4,500), Danny Amendola ($4,400)
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Tight End
Stud
T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions at Los Angeles Chargers, $4,800 — While the Chargers have a defense that excels at forcing turnovers, it has struggled to stop TEs in Madden 21. Hockenson had 10 catches and 29.4 DKFP in one of their previous meetings and 12.6 DKFP in the other. He is averaging 12.5 DKFP on 4.9 catches for 53.5 yards per sim and makes a nice play in this matchup.
Other Option — Evan Engram ($5,600)
Value
Chris Herndon, New York Jets at Carolina Panthers, $4,000 — Herndon has also been a high-volume target, averaging 4.7 catches for 47.0 yards per game. He had eight catches and 15.3 DKFP in his recent matchup with the Panthers after having just a single catch in their first meeting. He’s a great value at $4K given his regular workload.
Other Option — Hunter Henry ($4,100)
DST
Stud
Chargers DST vs. Detroit Lions, $3,100 — The Lions’ offense has struggled in these sims, and the Chargers have been great at forcing turnovers with 67 takeaways in 78 sims. The Bolts also have 173 sacks and a handful of defensive touchdowns to help them average 5.7 DKFP per sim overall and 8.0 DKFP in their two previous meetings with Detroit.
Value
Jets DST at Carolina Panthers, $2,700 — The Jets’ defense features a solid front seven and a good pass rush, which has resulted in 140 sacks in 75 sims. New York is averaging 5.0 DKFP per sim, the second-highest mark on this slate, although it is only the fifth most expensive option.
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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.