Madden Stream: Cowboys vs. Broncos DraftKings Showdown Strategies, Depth Charts and Captain’s Picks

We’re all in need of some entertainment during these times of the unknown. DraftKings is doing its part by offering Madden simulations with a variety of teams going at it. For this piece, we’ll focus on the Cowboys and Broncos on Monday afternoon.

Set your FREE to play lineups here: Madden Stream $1K FREE Contest (DAL vs DEN)

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Madden Stream: Colts at Saints

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LIVE at 10 p.m. ET

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Note: All salaries will be Flex prices unless noted as Captain’s Pick prices

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SHOWDOWN STRATEGY

Dallas Cowboys

Dak Prescott ($11,200) is a classic GPP play in the Madden sims. He’s very expensive, has a tough matchup and can play to a pretty low floor — he has scored less than 5 DKFP in four of his past five sims. Breaking the bank on Dak is a tough decision with just five sims over 25 DKFP.

Amari Cooper ($10,400) had his best sim two outings ago, posting a 5-119-1 line for 25.9 DKFP against the Raiders. While encouraging, it was just his third 20-DKFP sim in 27 contests and his first since back in Week 10. If you’re not rostering Dak, Cooper’s likely an easy fade. If you pay up for Dak, Cooper has to be considered, although cheaper WR plays might be needed with Prescott’s price.

Michael Gallup ($6,600) would ideally be the salary-saving WR we could look to in a Cowboys stack. But he has shown essentially no upside, maxing out at 15.4 DKFP. Until we actually see him break a 30-DKFP game, there’s no reason to roster Gallup. We’ve got a significant sample of sims loaded with duds from Gallup.

Randall Cobb ($4,800) is cheap enough to take a flier on, but he hasn’t had a double-digit DKFP sim in any of his past 15 contests. Denver has very strong corner play though, which could funnel some targets to Cobb out of the slot.

Jason Witten ($7,400) has been Prescott’s go-to-guy, making him a safe play whether you roster Dak or not. Witten’s topped 12 DKFP in five of his past six sims and like Cobb, could have a matchup advantage against the Broncos.

Ezekiel Elliott ($9,800) is the most consistent play on Dallas, averaging over 16 DKFP, and exceeding his average in seven of his past nine contests. If you fade the QB/WR plays on Dallas, it’s nearly impossible not to land on Zeke.

The Cowboys don’t offer much for value, so the Cowboys’ DST ($3,400) is the best cheap consideration. It averages 6.9 DKFP and has scored 15 or more DKFP four times in its past 12 sims.

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Denver Broncos

Drew Lock ($10,800) has been wildly inconsistent lately. One look at his game log can send you in the other direction pretty quickly — 5.8 DKFP or fewer in three of his five most recent sims. But the 25-30 DKFP upside is there, and I’d rather take a shot on him, presumably at lower ownership, than Dak.

Courtland Sutton ($9,600) is the no-brainer stack piece, really coming through as the WR1. The depth chart is thin behind Sutton, who tends to find a deep ball or two each time out. If Lock is a complete bust, it’s tough to count on much production, but Sutton has six sims of 25-plus DKFP.

DaeSean Hamilton ($5,600) is a fine play, only because of his price. He’s much too cheap for a WR2, but with reason. Tim Patrick ($4,200) has the same overall rating as Hamilton, and since the two are pretty comparable plays, I’ll take the discount on Patrick.

Noah Fant ($6,200) is at a similar price point to the WR2/3 plays on Denver and provides much more consistent play. If you can come up with a few hundred extra bucks in salary, Fant is the safer play. But rostering Patrick could help you come up with salary to focus on the RB plays that should be featured on this slate.

Phillip Lindsay ($8,600) is the Broncos’ every-down back, with Royce Freeman ($2,800) working his way into the mix on power formations. Lindsay doesn’t have the consistency of Elliott, but potentially has even more upside to win a GPP. Lindsay can go off for 40 DKFP and has had some of his best games in unsuspecting matchups.

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THE OUTCOME

Final Score: Cowboys 24, Broncos 17

I think the ‘Boys should be able to grind this one out with the extra talent they have on offense. I like rostering both RBs, and trying to use the Captain slot on Ezekiel Elliott ($14,700 CP). You’ll need to round your roster out with some contrarian value, though.

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DEPTH CHARTS

Cowboys

Broncos

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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is jedlow) 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.