With a couple of NFL preseason games on Thursday night, the DraftKings Dream Stream will have an abbreviated four-game slate of sims, the first game of which kicks off at 12:00 p.m. ET. The New England Patriots visit the Detroit Lions in the first sim of the day, followed by the Washington Football Team taking on the San Francisco 49ers at 2:00 p.m. ET. The 4:00 p.m. ET sim should be a good matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Chargers, and the schedule closes out with an AFC West matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals.
As you take a look at the eight teams in play and put together your lineup, be sure to consider the depth charts for each team. If you’re looking for gameplay details for these sims, along with the upcoming schedule, head over to the Madden Streams Information Page.
Quarterback
Stud
Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals, $7,000 — Wilson has multiple touchdowns and over 20 DKFP in four of his past five sims. He has averaged 22.3 DKFP in his eight matchups vs. the Cardinals in Madden 21 and has reached over 27 DKFP in half of those contests. The Cardinals’ defense has been generous in general to opposing QBs, and Wilson is poised to take advantage of this matchup again. He has the easiest matchup of the QBs that bring rushing potential and has been the most consistent option in play.
Other Options — Kyler Murray ($7,300), Josh Allen ($6,900)
Value
Cam Newton, New England Patriots at Detroit Lions, $6,000 — Newton also has a very favorable matchup vs. the Lions, who have struggled on defense. Newton had 20.74 DKFP in his most recent game vs. the Lions and has averaged 20.9 DKFP in his four most recent games vs. Detroit. Overall, Newton has 158 passing scores and 21 rushing touchdowns while averaging 222.4 passing yards per sim. The rest of the cheap QBs are all very high risk, and Cam also brings good upside to this favorable matchup.
Other Option — Justin Herbert ($6,200)
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Running Back
Stud
Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers vs. Buffalo Bills, $7,200 — Ekeler is the focal point of the Chargers’ offense and is usually very involved as both a rusher and receiver. In his 109 sims in Madden 21, he is averaging 19.1 DKFP on 67.6 rushing yards, 28.8 receiving yards and 3.9 catches per sim. He has over 12 DKFP in four of his past five sims and in 18 of his past 20. He’s a very solid play with lower risk than the other top RBs since the Bills have struggled against the run.
Other Options — Raheem Mostert ($8,200), J.D. McKissic ($6,700)
Value
Carlos Hyde, Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals, $3,900 — Hyde is regularly very involved in his timeshare in the Seattle backfield with Chris Carson ($4,500). Hyde has hauled in an average of 2.5 catches for 18.2 receiving yards along with 14.2 rushing yards and has scored a total of 30 touchdowns. He had a two-touchdown sim vs. Arizona in one of their earlier matchups and posted 21.3 DKFP in that contest. For a play under $4K, Hyde brings plenty of upside.
Other Options — D’Andre Swift ($4,900), James White ($4,700)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers vs. Buffalo Bills, $6,300 — Allen has had success out of the slot against the Bills’ secondary in their past meetings with Buffalo, posting eight catches for 31.9 DKFP after hauling in nine catches for 22.7 DKFP in their first meeting. Allen has averaged 4.7 catches for 54 yards per sim, and he has been hot lately with a dozen or more DKFP in each of his five most recent matchups.
Other Options — DeAndre Hopkins ($6,100), Stefon Diggs ($5,900)
Value
Terry McLaurin, Washington Football Team at San Francisco 49ers, $5,500 — McLaurin is another WR1 that works primarily out of the slot and should avoid too much focus from X-factor superstar Richard Sherman as a result. He always brings big-play potential and has reached 14 DKFP in two of their previous three matchups and has posted double-digit DKFP in five of his past eight sims.
Kendrick Bourne, San Francisco 49ers vs. Washington Football Team, $4,400 — Bourne is the 49ers’ WR2 and has averaged 3.6 catches for 49.9 yards in his 10 sims. He has experienced success in his previous matchups vs. Washington with 10.9, 14.9 and 24.3 DKFP. Inconsistent QB play makes him risky, but Bourne definitely has nice upside.
Other Options — Christian Kirk ($4,700), Danny Amendola ($4,200)
Tight End
Stud
T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions vs. New England Patriots, $4,900 — The Patriots’ solid secondary often forces opponents to rely more on their TE, which could result in a big sim for Hockenson. He has at least four catches in all five of his previous contests vs. New England and has double-digit DKFP in four of those five matchups, highlighted by a 26.6-DKFP performance.
Other Options — George Kittle ($5,800), Greg Olsen ($4,700)
Value
Jeremy Sprinkle, Washington Football Team at San Francisco 49ers, $3,400 — Sprinkle is an incredible deal at this salary and makes lots of sense as a TE or FLEX option. He has averaged 10.3 DKFP on 3.9 catches for 43.3 yards per sim and has 34 touchdowns in 102 games. He has over 10 DKFP in each of his past two matchups vs. San Francisco, as well.
Other Options — Hunter Henry ($4,500), Lee Smith ($3,100)
DST
Stud
Patriots DST at Detroit Lions, $3,100 — The Patriots have forced an impressive 108 turnovers in their 105 sims while adding 181 sacks and 18 defensive touchdowns. They have averaged 6 DKFP per sim and had an impressive 25-DKFP performance in one of their previous matchups against Detroit’s inconsistent offense.
Value
Seahawks DST at Arizona Cardinals, $2,900 — The Seahawks have been even more productive than the Patriots with 7.3 DKFP per sim, and the Cardinals have also struggled with turnovers. In 111 sims, Seattle has forced 118 turnovers with 224 sacks and an impressive 20 defensive touchdowns.
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