With one game left in Week 5 and just the second Tuesday Night Football game in the past 50 years, the DraftKings Dream Stream will have a limited three-game slate of Madden contests on Tuesday. The action starts at 12:00 p.m. ET with the Cardinals heading on the road to virtual Minnesota to take on the Vikings. In the 2:00 p.m. ET matchup, the Jets are facing the Colts, and we close out the short slate with the Packers visiting the West Coast to take on the Rams in Los Angeles at 4:00 p.m. ET.
The roster for each team includes all player movement that occurred prior to Week 1 of this season and you can find the depth charts, abilities and X-factors for Madden 21 along with the upcoming schedule on the Madden Stream info page. The rosters have also been adjusted to get the best players on the field and will not be impacted by any COVID-19 opt-outs or injuries.
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Quarterback
Stud
Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals at Minnesota Vikings, $6,900 — This definitely isn’t a slate that is well-stocked with QB options, so Murray actually is the high-priced option that I think makes the most sense even though he is sometimes inconsistent, especially with his accuracy. The reason I like him, though, is that he is a reliable source of rushing production. In his 11 Madden 21 sims, he has averaged 63.2 rushing yards per contest with four rushing touchdowns and eight passing touchdowns, helping him to produce 18.6 DKFP per sim. He ran for one of those scores in his most recent contest and posted over 20 DKFP on the road against the Steelers, giving him over 18 DKFP in five of his past six games. Kyler’s ability to run the ball makes him the top QB on this slate by a very narrow margin over Aaron Rodgers ($7,300), who costs more but has a tougher matchup and more volatility.
Other Option — Aaron Rodgers ($7,300)
Value
Philip Rivers, Indianapolis Colts vs. New York Jets, $5,500 — If you’re going to pay up in other spots and just go with the cheapest QB, you can actually get some solid upside since Rivers will be taking on the Jets, whose secondary has given up many big plays both in real life and in the sims. Rivers has thrown 15 touchdowns in his 11 sims and averaged 13.7 DKFP per contest. He has very nice weapons to work with and a favorable matchup, so rolling with Rivers may be the way to go if you are stacking top-shelf options at the other skill positions.
Other Option — Kirk Cousins ($5,800)
Running Back
Stud
Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings vs. Arizona Cardinals, $8,500 — Cook has been outstanding in these sims both in Madden 2020 and Madden 21. He has scored 10 touchdowns and averaged 81.2 rushing yards and 32.5 receiving yards in his 11 sims in Madden 21 while hauling in an average of four catches per game. His heavy involvement as both rusher and receiver give him a lot of upside against an Arizona defense that has struggled to slow down opposing RBs. Cook has a very high ceiling, which he showed with 140 yards, three touchdowns and 39.8 DKFP two sims ago against the Steelers, and he also has been very consistent with over 15 DKFP in eight of his 11 sims.
Other Options — Aaron Jones ($7,200), Le’Veon Bell ($6,700)
Value
Darrell Henderson Jr., Los Angeles Rams vs. Green Bay Packers, $4,700 — There are only a few timeshares on the slate, so value at RB is a little tricky to pinpoint. However, one situation that has given value plays a chance to step up is the Rams’ timeshare between Malcolm Brown ($5,300) and Henderson. Henderson is the third-down option and has averaged 8.0 DKFP in his seven games in that role. He had 15.9 DKFP and a pair of touchdowns in his first game as the third-down back and has posted over 8.0 DKFP in four of his past five games including an 18.9-DKFP performance against the Browns in which he caught 11 passes and was a PPR monster. Henderson comes with a nice ceiling and usually is involved enough to be a reliable option as well, even though the Packers have been good against the run.
Other Option — Marlon Mack ($4,200)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings vs. Arizona Cardinals, $6,800 — Thielen’s volume sometimes fluctuates depending on game script and how often the Vikings choose to throw the ball. He had a little bit of a slow start in Madden 21 but has stepped up lately with at least 10 DKFP in nine of his past 10 sims. He has hauled in either four or five catches in five straight contests and should continue to find space to work out of the slot over the middle of the field, where the Cardinals’ defense has been very beatable for big plays.
Other Option — Davante Adams ($6,300), DeAndre Hopkins ($6,100)
Value
Devin Funchess, Green Bay Packers at Los Angeles Rams, $5,900 — Since the COVID-19 opt outs were added back into the depth charts, Funchess has been an outstanding option as the Packers’ WR2. In fact, no WR on this slate has averaged more DKFP than Funchess in the games in which they have a catch. Funchess hadn’t played at all until seven games ago but has been making up for lost time. In those seven sims, he has averaged 5.6 catches per game for 70 yards and 17.3 DKFP. That total is inflated by five touchdowns in those contests, showing the converted-TE is a favorite option near the goal line. Funchess has over 21 DKFP in four of his past six games and is a great option under $6K.
Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals at Minnesota Vikings, $3,700 — Even with the addition of DeAndre Hopkins to the offense, Fitz has remained involved in simland as Kyler Murray’s possession option. He has at least four catches in three straight sims and four of his past five. Since the move to Madden 21, he has caught 3.3 passes for 29.0 yards per sim while scoring a pair of touchdowns as well. He’s extremely affordable and will need to be involved for the Cardinals to keep up with Minnesota. His volume makes him a PPR producer even though his chances of getting 100 yards are slim. I wouldn’t pay way up for him as a result, but this is such an affordable salary that he seems too good of an option to totally pass on.
Other Options — T.Y. Hilton ($5,100), Parris Campbell ($4,300), Marquez Valdes-Scantling ($3,800)
Tight End
Stud
Chris Herndon, New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts, $5,400 — Herndon is the only TE on this slate with an average of over 10 double-digit DKFP, and he has been very good with at least seven catches in three of his past four to go with three touchdowns. As a result, he has double-digit DKFP in six straight and eight of his past nine sims and even reached the 20-DKFP plateau in two of his past four games to bring his average up to 12.3 DKFP per contest. The Colts struggle to defend opposing passing games, and the virtual version of Sam Darnold ($5,700) has definitely locked in to Herndon as one of his primary targets. He should be able to find space and keep putting up big games in this contest in Indy.
Other Option— Tyler Higbee ($4,700)
Value
Trey Burton, Indianapolis Colts vs. New York Jets, $3,700 — Burton is a solid cost-saving option on the other side of that same matchup. He stepped in as TE1 seven sims ago and has been a very volatile option with upside. He posted three games over 12 DKFP in his past five outings but has been held under five DKFP in the other two games and sometimes seems to be the forgotten man in Philip Rivers’ offense. When they do go to him, he has been fairly productive, although he is still looking for his first touchdown in Madden 21. He hasn’t been nearly as steady as Herndon, but he can give you extra salary for other spots and still bring solid potential.
Other Options— Kyle Rudolph ($3,900), Maxx Williams ($3,400)
DST
Stud
Colts DST vs. New York Jets, $3,000 — The Colts’ DST has been the most productive of the six in action on this slate, producing 6.0 DKFP per contest in their 11 sims. They have 25 sacks, six takeaways, a safety and two defensive touchdowns. They have been especially good at home, where they’ll be in a favorable matchup against the Jets. Indy’s defense has averaged 7.2 DKFP in five home games compared to just 5.0 DKFP in six road games. The front-seven can usually generate solid pressure on the QB, which is exactly the scenario in which Darnold becomes turnover prone.
Other Option— Rams ($3,100)
Value
Packers DST at Los Angeles Rams, $2,700 — The Packers have Superstar players at key positions on their defense and even have one X-factor superstar in Jaire Alexander at CB. They have 19 sacks in their 13 games along with five fumble recoveries and a pair of defensive touchdowns. Unlike the Colts, they have actually been much better on the road, where they have produced 5.8 DKFP per contest in their four sims. The Rams’ offense can be boom-or-bust, so Green Bay could be a good play if they catch Los Angeles on a down day.
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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.