Friday’s DraftKings Dream Stream is packed with six games on the schedule starting at 12:00 p.m. ET and running throughout the day. The three-game main slate kicks off at 6:00 p.m. ET when the Bears visit the Rams in virtual Los Angeles. At 8:00 p.m. ET in primetime, the Patriots head to virtual Las Vegas to take on the Raiders in a rematch of their real-life Week 3 contest. We close out the day with a potential barn-burner from the NFC as the Saints visit virtual Seattle to take on the Seahawks in a matchup loaded with great fantasy options all over the field.
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.
Check out the daily DraftKings Madden Stream contests lobby with paid contests for real cash prizes now available alongside free contests. Each simulation will be played out computer vs. computer via an online Madden Stream using Madden 21. In this format, you can enjoy watching the game stream on the DraftKings YouTube channel, the DK Live app (download here) or right here in this post.
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Quarterback
Stud
Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks vs. New Orleans Saints, $7,700 — Wilson has been exceptional both in the Madden sims and in real life, as Seattle has thrived by letting Russ cook. He has piled up 23 passing touchdowns and six rushing scores in 13 sims while averaging 61.5 rushing yards and 197.1 passing yards per contest. He has produced over 21 DKFP in each of his past four sims which have all been at home, including a monster 37.28-DKFP performance against the Bengals. Wilson is one of the top playmakers in all of Madden and is head-and-shoulders above the rest of the QB options on this slate. His 23.5 DKFP per game average is over 4.0 DKFP more than any other available QBs, so pay up for his hefty salary if you can make it work under your salary cap.
Other Option — Mitchell Trubisky ($6,800)
Value
Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks, $5,700 — Brees is actually the cheapest QB on the slate despite averaging more passing yards per game than any other QB available. He has racked up 258.3 passing yards per contest and thrown 23 touchdowns and just one interception in his 15 contests. He doesn’t have nearly the ceiling that Russ does due to his rushing potential, but Brees has managed at least 18 DKFP in two of his past four contests and in seven of his 15 sims overall. Even though the Seahawks’ defense forces a ton of turnovers, they do typically give up points and yards as well, and I expect a high-scoring contest in the late game from both teams. Brees is such a huge price break from Wilson that it could make sense to save $2K and pay up at all the other spots if the veteran can even come close to matching Wilson’s total.
Other Option — Derek Carr ($6,400)
Running Back
Stud
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks, $7,500 — One of the keys for the Saints to be able to keep up with Seattle will be getting a big game from Kamara, who has been a little up-and-down lately along with the rest of the Saints’ offense. He was locked in early in the Madden 21 sims with over 18 DKFP in five straight and eight of his first nine games after the update to the new game. However, he has only reached that mark once in his past six sims, and only managed a meager 15 rushing yards in his most recent contest against the Jaguars. He did still save his fantasy day with five catches for 56 yards to end up with 12.1 DKFP but hasn’t hit his ceiling lately. His ratings still give him that extremely high ceiling, and I think he’ll bounce back from his down game with a much better showing in this matchup. It is worth noting that his letdown came with the Saints’ offense struggling in the rain, which has been a recurring issue for New Orleans in weather games. This game will be outdoors in Seattle, but there will be no weather conditions turned on.
Other Option — Chris Carson ($5,700)
Value
Darrell Henderson Jr., Los Angeles Rams vs. Chicago Bears, $4,800 — Don’t worry, not every single pick in this preview is going to come from the late game. Henderson and the Rams host the Bears in the early contest, and the second-year RB will continue to share time with Malcolm Brown ($5,200). Brown is the RB1, but Henderson is the third-down back and has been the much better play lately. In his eight games since moving into that role in the latest roster update, he has averaged a solid 9.7 DKFP per contest with 4.1 catches for 26.9 yards in addition to 15.0 rushing yards per game.
Other Options — Tarik Cohen ($4,600), James White ($4,300)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks, $6,700 — Despite New Orleans’ down game offensively, Thomas came to play in the Saints’ loss to the Jags in their most recent sim. He finished that game with six catches, 165 yards and 31.5 DKFP, his second-highest mark since moving to Madden 21. In his 15 sims since the upgrade, he is averaging 17.4 DKFP per contest on 5.1 catches for 85.7 yards. He is the only WR with a 99 overall rating and should have a distinct advantage against Seattle’s CBs, who each have overall ratings lower than 85. The other elite WRs on this slate have tough matchups against highly-rated CBs, so I really like Thomas at this salary.
Other Options — DK Metcalf ($6,400), Julian Edelman ($6,100)
Value
Henry Ruggs III, Las Vegas Raiders vs. New England Patriots, $4,600 — Ruggs is the second-fastest player in all of Madden with his 98 speed rating, placing him behind only Tyreek Hill. The rookie has a ton of big-play potential as a result and has produced over 9.0 DKFP in four of his past six games. He should be kept out of a matchup with Stephon Gilmore, since the Defensive Player of the Year will likely try to shut down Tyrell Williams ($7,200) on the opposite side from Ruggs. That should leave the speedster in a favorable matchup on the other side even against a solid Patriots secondary. He has at least three catches in six straight games and had back-to-back games with over 15 DKFP before calming down to just 6.3 DKFP in his most recent sim.
Damiere Byrd, New England Patriots at Las Vegas Raiders, $3,800 — On the other side of that matchup, Byrd is the Patriots’ speed option at WR, with his 94 speed rating as the WR3. He has touchdowns in back-to-back games coming into this matchup and has posted over 12 DKFP in four of his past five. He’s an awesome value under $4K and can help make your other salaries work across the board.
Other Options — Emmanuel Sanders ($4,800), Hunter Renfrow ($3,300)
Tight End
Stud
Greg Olsen, Seattle Seahawks vs. New Orleans Saints, $4,700 — There are several really nice TE options to consider on this slate, but none has been hotter than Olsen lately. The veteran former-Panther has put up over 15 DKFP in four of his past five games and has at least four catches in five of his past six. He has been much more involved in Madden than in real life and is a go-to option for virtual Russell Wilson. Since I think the Seattle will get plenty of points against the Saints, Olsen should be in a good spot to produce another good game.
Other Option — Darren Waller ($6,300), Jared Cook ($4,900)
Value
Devin Asiasi, New England Patriots at Las Vegas Raiders, $4,500 — Like Olsen, Asiasi has been much more actively involved in simland than in real life, where the rookie TE is just working his way into the rotation. In Madden 21, though, Asiasi has averaged 4.3 catches for 45 yards per sim while scoring three touchdowns and producing 9.9 DKFP per contest. He has benefited from the Patriots’ playbook which is very TE-friendly and has resulted in least three catches in seven straight contests for Asiasi.
Other Option — Tyler Higbee ($4,200)
DST
Stud
Seahawks DST vs. New Orleans Saints, $3,200 — In its 13 sims, Seattle has an amazing 20 fumble recoveries to go with two interceptions, 31 sacks, a safety and four defensive touchdowns. The Seahawks have been especially effective at home, where they are averaging 9.7 DKFP per contest. With Jamal Adams and Bobby Wagner dealing consistent big hits all over the field, the Seahawks’ DST should remain the elite option in all of Madden. Even if they give up some points to the Saints, their big-play potential still makes them the top option on the slate.
Other Option— Bears ($3,100)
Value
Patriots DST at Las Vegas Raiders, $2,900 — The Patriots have one of the best secondaries in all of Madden 21 and have nine interceptions to go with 10 fumble recoveries in 15 games. They have scored three defensive touchdowns and added 22 sacks for a solid average of 5.7 DKFP per sim. While they haven’t forced the same number of turnovers as the Seahawks, they still have definite upside and can make big plays and put up good fantasy numbers.
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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.