The American Ultimate Disc League returns to the DraftKings Dream Stream this Friday night, so the Madden 21 sims will be reduced from the regular schedule of six contests to just four games. After the Boston Glory and the DC Breeze go head-to-head in the game of the week in the AUDL, we’ll wrap up the day with a 10:00 p.m. ET sim between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Denver Broncos. The Eagles are atop the NFC East after going 5-4 in the first nine weeks of the simulated season, while the Broncos have been a disappointing 3-6. Denver has won three of their four most recent sims, though, including wins against both Dallas and Washington, and they’ll look to continue their run of success against the NFC East.

You can check out the full standings for the ongoing simulated season and find gameplay details and upcoming matchups on the Madden Streams Information Page. As you fill out your roster, make sure you also take a look at the depth charts for each team.

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Captain’s Picks

DeSean Jackson ($13,800 CP) — Jackson is the Eagles’ WR2 in these sims, but he has been a much more productive play than WR1 Alshon Jeffery ($6,400). Jackson is averaging 4.3 catches for 65.0 yards per sim with an impressive 50 touchdowns in his 87 Madden 21 sims, while Jeffery is averaging only 3.4 catches for 46.9 yards and has scored 34 touchdowns. Jackson has the speed to make big plays on the outside with his 95 speed rating and should have a great matchup against Denver’s secondary, which is very prone to giving up big games to opposing WRs.

Jackson has scored in three of his past four games, with over 14 DKFP in all four of those games and in seven of his past eight. The Eagles and Broncos have met four times in past Madden 21 sims, and D-Jax has double-digit DKFP in each of those meetings, highlighted by 20.5 DKFP on seven catches for 75 yards and a touchdown. Jackson can be a little volatile since the whole Eagles’ offense has had its ups and downs, but in this matchup, he should have a big game.

Jerry Jeudy ($8,400 CP) — If you want to go a little cheaper in your Captain’s slot but still get good upside, check out Jeudy, who has been a solid contributor as the Broncos’ WR2 behind Courtland Sutton ($7,600). Jeudy had a monster game vs. the Cowboys in his most recent sim, totaling 23.2 DKFP on four catches for 102 yards and a touchdown. The rookie WR can be boom-or-bust but has had multiple catches in every sim he has played vs. the Eagles, including a 10.7-DKFP performance in their most recent meeting. Jeudy can go off with a big game if he gets the targets, and he should have a generally favorable matchup against the Eagles’ thin secondary.

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Value Plays

Zach Ertz ($8,400) — Ertz is surprisingly affordable under $9K on this slate and has been one of the most consistent pass-catching TEs in all of Madden 21. Ertz has averaged 5.4 catches for 57.4 yards per sim while finding the end zone 37 times over his 87 sims. He has four touchdowns so far in the sim season and has multiple catches in all nine games the Eagles have played, averaging 4.3 catches per contest. He had 12.4, 12.3, 8.2 and 15.1 DKFP in his four earlier matchups vs. the Broncos and should find space to operate down the middle of the field.

Melvin Gordon III ($6,600) — Gordon has been very boom-or-bust in these sims since he is sharing the backfield with Phillip Lindsay ($7,800), but I like Gordon at this price in this contest due to his touchdown-dependent upside. He also had over 100 yards vs. the Cowboys in his most recent game, giving him over 11 DKFP in three of his past four. Gordon had 13.8 and 13.9 DKFP in two of his earlier matchups vs. the Eagles and would be a great value if he gets near that level again. If you need even more value, don’t overlook the kickers since Jake Elliott ($4,400) has been good in these sims and will be kicking at altitude in this contest, bringing long-range bonuses into play.

Fades

Drew Lock ($9,000) — Lock has been one of the worst if not the absolute worst QB in all of Madden 21, averaging just 13.6 DKFP per sim, and he has been held under 11 DKFP in six of his nine contests this season. He only had 4.42 DKFP vs. Washington two sims ago, but Denver still worked out a way to win that game. He was even worse with 4.16 DKFP against the Steelers earlier in this sim season. He and Sutton always have the chance to go off, but I don’t think this matchup is the place to target either one of them.

The Outcome

While Carson Wentz ($10,400) has been far from perfect in simland, he has definitely been better than he was in real-life this past season. He has worked with Ertz, Jackson and workhorse RB Miles Sanders ($9,800) to make the Eagles a legitimate playoff contender. They should be able to chew up the Denver secondary, while the Broncos offense could have major struggles against the Eagles DST ($3,800), which is typically aggressive and puts pressure on opposing QBs. The Broncos DST ($3,600) also has a good pass rush, but their secondary has let them down.

I expect Jackson, Ertz or maybe even Marquise Goodwin ($7,000) to break off big gains in this matchup and help the Eagles walk away with a pretty easy victory, ending the Broncos' mini two-game winnings streak.

Final Score: Philadelphia 30, Denver 10

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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.