It’s another full Friday of Madden sims on the DraftKings Dream Stream with six games lined up throughout the afternoon and evening. The final three games of the schedule make up the featured late classic slate, which kicks of at 6:00 p.m. ET, when the Cleveland Browns visit the Atlanta Falcons. At 8:00 p.m. ET in primetime, the Minnesota Vikings take on Lamar Jackson ($7,900) and the Baltimore Ravens, and we wrap up the slate at 10:00 p.m. ET with a meeting of the Seattle Seahawks and the Tennessee Titans. Each of those contests has some intriguing fantasy potential to consider as you get together your squad for this Friday night.
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
Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks at Tennessee Titans, $7,300 — Wilson has been one of the best QBs in Madden 21 and has been a dynamic force both passing and rushing. He is averaging 201.3 passing yards and 62.4 rushing yards per sim and has thrown 26 touchdowns while adding seven more touchdowns on the ground in his 15 contests. His 23.6 DKFP average is just behind Lamar Jackson’s ($7,900) average of 23.8 DKFP, but Wilson has been a little more reliable while Jackson has had a few bust games. Wilson has over 15 DKFP in every one of his sims and over 23 DKFP in four of his past five.
Other Options — Lamar Jackson ($7,900)
Value
Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons vs. Cleveland Browns, $6,500 — The Falcons have already played 18 Madden 21 sims due to their deep run in the Madden 21 tournament before the season, and Ryan has piled up 37 touchdown passes while averaging 268.9 yards per sim. He has great options as pass-catchers and has been able to average 19.7 DKFP without any rushing production. Ryan has over 18 DKFP in seven of his past nine sims, and he is a steady performer even though he is one dimensional. The Browns’ secondary has been very beatable in these sims and they have given up at least 35 points in each of their past two games. If the Falcons go off for a big total in this matchup, look for Ryan to be a great pivot play at QB, saving salary but still bringing upside.
Other Option — Baker Mayfield ($5,600)
Running Back
Stud
Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans vs. Seattle Seahawks, $7,800 — There are two top-tier RBs in play on this slate with Henry and Dalvin Cook ($8,100) both dominant forces in their teams’ offenses. Cook has a tougher matchup against the excellent Ravens’ run defense, so I’ll go with Henry, who also has a less than ideal matchup against Seattle, but the Seahawks have been prone to giving up plenty of points and yards in addition to forcing turnovers (which we’ll discuss below). Henry has found the end zone in three straight games with over 20 points in each contest and has over 17 DKFP in 11 straight sims. He has served as the Titans’ third-down back in Madden 21 as well, resulting in an average of 4.6 catches for 32.1 yards per sim in addition to his 86.9 rushing yards per contest. He has an extremely high ceiling and has been very reliable as well, and his matchup gives him a slight edge as the top RB on the slate.
Other Options — Dalvin Cook ($8,100), Todd Gurley II ($6,900)
Value
J.K. Dobbins, Baltimore Ravens vs. Minnesota Vikings, $4,200 — Dobbins has been both the third-down and power back for the Ravens since the latest roster update, and he has found solid success, producing 8.0 DKFP per sim in his 10 contests since the promotion. They rookie had his third touchdown in his most recent sim on his way to 8.0 DKFP against the Jaguars and has now posted at least 7.0 DKFP in six straight contests. While his ceiling is limited since he’s locked into a timeshare with Mark Ingram II ($4,900), Dobbins usually finds a way to make an impact either as rusher or receiver, making him a solid cheap option at RB.
Other Option — Nick Chubb ($5,500), Mark Ingram II ($4,900)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons vs. Cleveland Browns, $7,500 — In Madden 2020, Jones had one of the best single-game performances by any WR when he faced off with the Browns, catching nine passes for 251 yards, two touchdowns and 49.1 DKFP. While he hasn’t had a game to that level yet in Madden 21, he has been a consistently excellent option, averaging 100.5 yards per contest and hitting the 100-yard bonus in 10 of his 17 sims. He has also found the end zone with regularity, scoring 14 touchdowns in those 17 games to help him average 22.6 DKFP per contest. He has posted over 19 DKFP in seven of his past eight sims and should have a significant advantage based on ratings no matter which CB the Browns match up with him.
Other Options — DK Metcalf ($6,600), Adam Thielen ($6,100)
Value
Russell Gage, Atlanta Falcons vs. Cleveland Browns, $4,800 — While Calvin Ridley ($5,400) has been a little inconsistent, Gage has been more involved lately and should get a mismatch for the Falcons out of the slot in this contest. Gage has at least six catches in four straight sims and has put up over 15 DKFP in three of four contests. He is still only averaging 8.3 DKFP per sim on the season, but he has been much better than that lately and should be able to continue to find success in this contest.
Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks at Tennessee Titans, $3,900 — Lockett hasn’t been nearly as involved as most WR1s and has put up a few stinkers lately, dropping his salary to under $4K. He still has an outstanding 88 overall rating, 93 catch rating, 93 speed rating and 95 change of direction rating, and I think the ratings will eventually result in a big game for him. He has hit double-digits in six of his past 14 sims but is coming off three of four sims under 6.0 DKFP. While the results lately have been letdowns, it’s hard to pass on all the upside at under $4K with a matchup he could destroy.
Other Options — Marquise Brown ($5,100), A.J. Brown ($4,600), Adam Humphries ($3,300)
Tight End
Stud
Greg Olsen, Seattle Seahawks at Tennessee Titans, $4,600 — Olsen has been the most productive TE on this slate with an average of 11.7 DKFP per contest. He has over 13 DKFP in six of his past seven games and has four touchdowns during that span, bringing his total to seven in his 15 sims with the Seahawks in Madden 21. The veteran TE makes a solid play at TE due to his high volume, averaging 4.4 receptions per game and growing into a favorite target of virtual Russell Wilson in the red zone.
Other Options — Mark Andrews ($4,800), Hayden Hurst ($4,700)
Value
Jonnu Smith, Tennessee Titans vs. Seattle Seahawks, $4,400 — On the other side of that late matchup, Smith has also been a solid producer for the Titans, who tend to rely on short passes to supplement the heavy workload of Derrick Henry. Smith has scored a touchdown in three of his past four games and is now up to five scores in 14 contests. In those games, he has produced 10.4 DKFP on 39.4 yards and 4.1 catches per sim. The Seahawks have given up some big games to TE, so he should be in a good spot to produce another solid stat line.
Other Option — Austin Hooper ($4,100)
DST
Stud
Seahawks DST at Tennessee Titans, $3,300 — With Bobby Wagner and Jamal Adams leading the way, the Seahawks’ defense has been a turnover machine in Madden 21, recovering 20 fumbles in 15 games to go with two interceptions and 34 sacks. They have returned four of those turnovers for defensive touchdowns, giving them a very high ceiling in every matchup. They had a down game against the Raiders with -1.0 DKFP in their most recent sim, and they’ll be looking to bounce back and shut down the Titans on the road. Even if they do give up points and yards, they should be able to contribute a big play or two to make them a good fantasy option.
Other Option — Titans ($3,200)
Value
Vikings DST at Baltimore Ravens, $2,900 — The Vikings’ defense is stacked with playmakers in Madden 21, and they still have Yannick Ngakoue on their roster in simland. Ngakoue will face his current team in real life as the Vikings visit Baltimore in this sim. In its 14 games, Minnesota has forced 14 turnovers while adding 29 sacks and three defensive touchdowns to average 6.3 DKFP per contest.
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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.