The DraftKings Dream Stream continues to bring everyone six Madden 21 sims each day of the week, giving everyone a chance to get in some fantasy football action even during the NFL offseason. This Saturday’s featured three-game classic slate kicks off at 6:00 p.m. ET with a matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and the New York Giants. At 8:00 p.m. ET, the Baltimore Ravens head to the virtual West Coast and take on the Los Angeles Rams, followed at 10 p.m. by the Jacksonville Jaguars taking on the Cincinnati Bengals to close out the night.
In addition to the daily contests, be sure to check out the Free $5K Simulated Pro Football Season Pool for the new Madden season, which starts next Monday. The new season will continue to use the rosters and ratings from Week 1 while following the upcoming 2021 NFL schedule. 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 at Los Angeles Rams, $8,400 — Jackson is always a pricey play but brings so much upside that he has to be considered despite the sizable investment. Jackson is averaging 26.6 DKFP per sim, which is almost 10 DKFP more than any other QB on the slate. Most of his production comes from his 105.0 rushing yards per game, and he has finished with over 25 DKFP in three straight sims after posting 32.1 DKFP against Denver in his most recent outing. On this slate, he faces the Rams, who he just beat for 37.94 DKFP by rushing for 123 yards and two touchdowns while throwing a third score to go with his 166 passing yards.
Value
Gardner Minshew II, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Cincinnati Bengals, $5,700 — Minshew hasn’t been nearly as consistent as Jackson but has shown a high enough ceiling to be the best pivot play on this slate. Minshew has a favorable matchup with the Bengals, who he had 262 passing yards, three touchdowns and 22.18 DKFP against in their prior Madden 21 meeting. He has totaled 120 touchdowns in his 78 sims and posted over 20 DKFP with multiple scores in each of his two most recent sims. He’s boom-or-bust, but if you’re passing on Jackson, Minshew offers significant savings and still brings real upside.
Other Options — Daniel Jones ($6,200), Joe Burrow ($6,000)
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Running Back
Stud
Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings at New York Giants, $8,300 — The Vikings and Giants met earlier this week in Minnesota and will finish their home-and-home set with this game in New York. Cook should be excited to see Big Blue on the schedule again since he dominated with 142 rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns, six catches and a massive 52.2 DKFP in their first meeting of the week after posting 23.9, 51 and 38.2 DKFP in their three earlier meetings in Madden 21. Cook has totaled 85 touchdowns in 76 sims while averaging 23.5 DKFP on 82.5 rushing yards, 34.4 receiving yards and 4.3 catches per sim.
Other Option — Chris Thompson ($6,300)
Value
Darrell Henderson Jr., Los Angeles Rams vs. Baltimore Ravens, $5,300 — Henderson is the Rams’ third-down back but has had plenty of success despite being stuck in a timeshare. He has averaged 4.4 catches for 32.4 yards per sim and scored 27 touchdowns in 73 contests. He had a massive game in his first Madden 21 matchup with the Ravens, hauling in 10 catches for 103 yards and a touchdown on his way to 30.1 DKFP. He doesn’t always hit that ceiling but has posted double-digit DKFP in two straight and six of his past 11 sims.
Other Options — Gio Bernard ($5,500), J.K. Dobbins ($4,700)
Wide Receiver
Stud
John Ross III, Cincinnati Bengals at Jacksonville Jaguars, $5,900 — Ross is the WR3 for the Bengals but has been a great option in these sims due to his impressive 96 speed rating. Despite his spot on the depth chart, he has double-digit DKFP in 11 of his past 14 sims, highlighted by a pair of games with over 35 DKFP against the Falcons and Packers. He is just one catch away from 300 receptions in his 77 sims and has scored 35 touchdowns while averaging 59.1 yards per sim. He should find space against this Jaguars’ secondary, which has given up big games to speedy WRs like Ross.
Other Options — Robert Woods ($6,400) DJ Chark Jr. ($5,600)
Value
Dede Westbrook, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Cincinnati Bengals, $5,000 — Westbrook does most of his work out of the slot for the Jaguars and has found the end zone in three consecutive games coming into this favorable matchup with the Bengals, who he had 14.7 DKFP against in their prior contest. Westbrook has averaged 10.5 DKFP on 3.7 catches for 47.2 yards per sim and has posted over 14 DKFP in four straight.
Darius Slayton, New York Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings, $4,300 — Slayton had three catches for 38 yards in his game earlier this week against Minnesota and has three catches or more in five of his past seven sims. He had 17.3 DKFP in one of his earlier matchups with the Vikings and comes with a high ceiling if he gets volume or finds the end zone, which he has 25 times in 73 Madden 21 sims.
Other Options — Josh Reynolds ($5,500), Tyler Boyd ($4,100), Chris Conley ($3,700)
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Tight End
Stud
Tyler Eifert, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Cincinnati Bengals, $4,500 — Eifert will be taking on this former team in this matchup and should stay busy as one of Minshew’s top targets. He has averaged 4.4 catches for 41.3 yards per sim and has been a consistent PPR producer with three catches or more in 14 of his past 17 contests.
Other Option — Evan Engram ($5,500)
Value
Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams vs. Baltimore Ravens, $4,200 — Higbee has also been busy, averaging 4.5 catches for 44.6 yards per sim. He had over 100 yards in his first matchup with Baltimore, finishing with 19.3 DKFP. He has been a little less consistent than Eifert, but both TEs have been solid enough to consider stacking the two Tylers in your TE and flex spots.
Other Option — C.J. Uzomah ($4,300)
DST
Stud
Ravens DST at Los Angeles Rams, $3,200 — The Ravens haven’t forced many turnovers in their 83 sims but have piled up 149 sacks. They have multiple sacks in five straight games and are a steady contributor as a result of the pass rush. In their first game against the Rams, they had 10 DKFP and will look for a similar result in this rematch with inconsistent Jared Goff ($6,500).
Value
Jaguars DST vs. Cincinnati Bengals, $3,000 — In their 78 sims, the Jags have forced 46 turnovers and piled up 135 sacks. They only have four defensive touchdowns, so they’re not an elite unit, but they have been solid enough to have nice upside in this matchup with the Bengals.
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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.