After a busy Sunday of Week 8 action from the NFL, the DraftKings Dream Stream keeps the fantasy football action coming your way with a solid three-game slate of Madden sims kicking at 12:00 p.m. ET this Monday. The first game of the day kicks off in virtual Phoenix, where the Arizona Cardinals host the Las Vegas Raiders. At 2:00 p.m. ET, the Dallas Cowboys host the New Orleans Saints and at 4:00 p.m. ET, the slate wraps up with a fun matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Buffalo Bills before “The Sweat” and “Leaderboard Live” take you through the evening along with Monday Night Football.
The roster for each team includes all player movement that occurred prior to Week 1 of this season and you can find the game settings, 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
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys vs. New Orleans Saints, $7,100 — For better or for worse, there won’t be any Ben DiNucci ($5,000) sightings in this game, although he is on the roster as the third-string QB. Instead, it’ll be a healthy virtual Dak leading the charge against the Saints. He has been a solid option in these sims and is coming off a huge game against the Rams when he compiled 33.42 DKFP on 328 passing yards with four touchdowns. He has over 18 DKFP in five of his seven most recent contests and is averaging 19.2 DKFP on 220.9 passing yards and 14.1 rushing yards per game. While he doesn’t run very often, he does use his legs around the end zone and has run for four touchdowns along with his 34 passing scores in 18 sims. The Saints’ defense has been decent holding their opponents to relatively solid totals, but Prescott still has the highest ceiling of the QBs on the slate due to his excellent weapons and multi-faceted performances. Earlier in these sims, Dallas lost to New Orleans, 27-24, but Prescott had a big game with 340 passing yards and 23.6 DKFP.
Other Options — Josh Allen ($6,900), Drew Brees ($6,700)
Value
Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals vs. Las Vegas Raiders, $6,500 — Murray and the Cardinals’ offense hasn’t been as consistent in simland as they have in real life, but he does bring a very high ceiling since he can get lots of work on the ground. He also has a good matchup against the Raiders’ defense, which doesn’t have many highly-rated players. Murray has averaged 60.7 rushing yards per sim and scored five rushing touchdowns to go with his 12 passing scores in 16 games. He is producing 17.8 DKFP and 173.2 passing yards per contest. He had over 15 DKFP in three straight games coming into his most recent sim including a nice 24.82 DKFP performance against the Bucs, but in that game, he struggled on the road against Buffalo and only managed 10.14 DKFP in a low-scoring, 9-7 loss. He’ll try to get the offense more on track at home in this more favorable matchup and he is a nice boom-or-bust option if you can’t pay up for the top options.
Other Options — Tom Brady ($6,100), Derek Carr ($5,900)
Running Back
Stud
Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys vs. New Orleans Saints, $7,400 — Feeding Zeke is a strategy that works out pretty well for the virtual Cowboys, who have their offensive line healthy in addition to Dak in the pocket. Elliott has scored 16 touchdowns in his 18 sims and is averaging 85.3 rushing yards and 18.6 receiving yards per sim. He has a nice safety net with his PPR production since he is averaging 2.5 catches per contest, so he usually isn’t a bust even if things don’t get going on the ground. Zeke showed off his ceiling with 42.9 DKFP against the Bills a few sims ago and has a high floor as well with over 10 DKFP in 17 of his 18 contests in Madden 21.
Kenyan Drake, Arizona Cardinals vs. Las Vegas Raiders, $7,000 — Drake has been red hot coming into this contest against the Raiders’ struggling run defense. Drake has scored six touchdowns over his past six sims with over 15 DKFP in each of those contests and an average of 21.8 DKFP per contest during that span. Since the move to Madden 21, Drake has handled the third-down work as well as the RB1 responsibilities, making him a great option with a high ceiling since he gets almost all the touches in the Cardinals’ backfield.
Other Option — Alvin Kamara ($7,200)
Value
LeSean McCoy, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Buffalo Bills, $4,000 — It’s a virtual revenge game for McCoy as he goes back to Buffalo, where he played for four seasons earlier in his career. McCoy is Tampa Bay’s third-down back while Leonard Fournette ($5,000) gets most of the early-down work. The veteran is still pretty productive, though, with 3.25 catches per game for 21.6 receiving yards and 14.6 rushing yards. He only has one touchdown but has produced 7.2 DKFP per game and has at least 6.9 DKFP in three of his past four contests. He has at least four catches in three straight and seven of his past 14 sims, so his PPR production and regular involvement are enough to make him a very solid cheap play at RB.
Other Option — Devin Singletary ($5,500), Josh Jacobs ($4,600)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Tyrell Williams, Las Vegas Raiders at Arizona Cardinals, $6,700 — Williams has gotten plenty of work in these sims and has hauled in at least five receptions in five straight contests. He has over 11 DKFP in seven in a row, with a high point of 37.5 DKFP against the Seahawks three sims ago. Williams has a 92 speed rating and an 89 spectacular catch rating to support his 82 overall rating, and he is a big-play threat every time he catches the ball. As long as he keeps getting so much volume, he’s a great WR1 option against Arizona.
Other Options — Michael Thomas ($7,300), Chris Godwin ($6,900)
Value
Michael Gallup, Dallas Cowboys vs. New Orleans Saints, $5,200 — Gallup had two touchdowns in his most recent sim for 26.6 DKFP against the Rams and now has 15 scores in his 18 sims. He has only averaged 2.8 catches per sim but has still produced 51.6 yards and 13.3 DKFP per contest due to his red-zone usage. Gallup has four scores in his past three games and had 109 yards, a touchdown and 23.9 DKFP the first time the Cowboys faced the Saints in the Madden 21 sims.
Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals vs. Las Vegas Raiders, $3,800 — Fitz has been up-and-down in these sims since the Cardinals have DeAndre Hopkins ($5,400) and have been inconsistent overall as an offense. However, he’s available at a great price for a WR2 and should be in a good matchup out of the slot. The veteran had a very tough game in his most recent sim with just one catch against Buffalo, but before that, he had seven straight performances with at least three catches including five games with at least 8.0 DKFP, which is a solid return for a player under $4K, who also provides a ton of flexibility to spend up in other spots.
Other Options — Amari Cooper ($5,800), Henry Ruggs III ($5,600), Emmanuel Sanders ($5,000), Hunter Renfrow ($3,100)
Tight End
Stud
Jared Cook, New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys, $5,200 — The Cowboys’ secondary actually is pretty solid in Madden 21, but they have struggled badly against TEs. Cook beat them for a massive 13 catches, 111 yards, a touchdown and 33.1 DKFP in their first meeting in the Madden 21 sims. While he has been volatile, Cook has a very high ceiling as he has shown with three games over 25 DKFP and he has produced an average of 12.0 DKFP per contest. Given Dallas’s struggles against TE in these sims, Cook should be set up for another big game.
Other Option — Darren Waller ($5,400)
Value
Rob Gronkowski, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Buffalo Bills, $3,600 — Gronk still had a very high 92 overall rating in Madden 21 in Week 1, when these rosters are pulled from. He has started to be more involved in real life for Tampa Bay lately and he also has been picking up his play in simland. He is still a volatile play with just one catch in several performances, but he has at least three catches in 13 of his 16 sims in Madden 21 and an average of 36.8 receiving yards per contest. He has only scored two touchdowns, but I like him at this price in this matchup since Brady may rely more heavily on passes over the middle instead of challenging the Bills’ secondary on the outside.
Other Option — Lee Smith ($3,400)
DST
Stud
Cowboys DST vs. New Orleans Saints, $3,100 — In the real world, the Dallas defense is a mess, but they have highly-rated players throughout their formations in Madden 21. They have been able to rack up 47 sacks in 18 sims along with nine takeaways. They haven’t scored a defensive touchdown yet but have still managed 4.8 DKFP per sim. They had three sacks in their first meeting with the Saints and finished with 3.0 DKFP in that game.
Other Option — Bills ($2,900)
Value
Buccaneers DST at Buffalo Bills, $2,700 — The Bucs’ defense has been rounding into form in real life but has only managed three takeaways in 16 sims in Madden 21. They have been able to get pressure on opposing QBs, though, with 43 sacks. If they get pressure on Josh Allen ($6,900), it could result in turnovers since Allen has thrown six picks and lost four fumbles in his 16 sims. Buffalo’s offense has also stalled out often in Madden 21, so Tampa Bay should be able to limit their point production as well.
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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.