Start your fantasy football weekend off with a great Friday of Madden simulated football on the DraftKings Dream Stream. A full schedule of six games is ready to roll this Friday, including the three-game featured classic slate, beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET. The first game in the main contest is a preview of Sunday’s matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and the New York Jets, although this game is in virtual New York while the real-life game will take place in Los Angeles. At 8:00 p.m. ET, the Houston Texans host the Carolina Panthers, and we wrap up the slate with a contest between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Tennessee Titans on Madden After Dark.
An important note to remember is that each roster is not impacted by COVID-19 opt-outs or injuries, and the highest-rated options are at the top of the depth charts. 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 each team in Madden 21 along with the upcoming schedule on the Madden Stream info page.
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Quarterback
Stud
Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans vs. Carolina Panthers, $8,000 — Watson has had great success in these sims as a dual-threat QB and has averaged 23.3 DKFP on 193.3 passing yards and 77.2 running yards per sim. He has also rushed for nine touchdowns in addition to throwing for 29 scores over his 22 sims. He has a little more bust potential than some of the extremely elite plays not on this slate, but his ceiling definitely makes him the QB to pay up for in this contest. He has over 29 DKFP in three of his past four games and posted 30.86 DKFP in his earlier sim against these Panthers, running for 147 yards and passing for 229 yards and a touchdown in Houston’s 35-12 victory.
Other Option — Teddy Bridgewater ($6,400)
Value
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers at New York Jets, $6,200 — Herbert has matched Watson’s 29 passing touchdowns but has only needed 17 games as the Chargers’ starter to reach that number while averaging 223.6 passing yards and producing 18.3 DKFP per sim. While he doesn’t offer the rushing potential that Watson brings, he does have a good matchup against the Jets, who he will be facing for the first time in these sims. Herbert is coming off a pair of nice road games against the 49ers and Titans, throwing for over 250 yards and multiple touchdowns in each contest. He’ll look to keep rolling on the road for this matchup in New York.
Other Option — Ryan Tannehill ($5,900)
Running Back
Stud
Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans vs. Philadelphia Eagles, $8,800 — The top three RBs on this slate are all elite options with Henry, Christian McCaffrey ($8,400) and Austin Ekeler ($7,500) all doing almost all the work for their respective teams. However, Henry stands out above the rest and is averaging an impressive 23.3 DKFP per sim and has actually surpassed that average in four straight sims and in six of his past eight. Henry has found the end zone 24 times in 21 sims including eight touchdowns over his past four contests. He only had one score against the Eagles in their meeting earlier in the Madden 21 sims, but he still had 21.1 DKFP since he hauled in five catches for 33 yards in addition to his 68 rushing yards. Since the change to Madden 21, Henry has stepped up as the Titans’ third-down back, which makes him even more reliable since he has hauled in an average of 4.0 catches for 27.2 receiving yards per sim in addition to his great work on the ground.
Other Options — Christian McCaffrey ($8,400), Austin Ekeler ($7,500)
Value
Duke Johnson, Houston Texans vs. Carolina Panthers, $4,200 — Duke Johnson and David Johnson ($4,500) make up the only timeshare on the slate, so if you’re looking for value at RB, Duke is the safest way to go. He has actually been fairly involved lately as the team’s third-down back and has even ran for a touchdown in each of his past two sims. Duke Johnson is averaging 18.6 rushing yards and 11.2 receiving yards in his 17 games since stepping into the third-down role, and he has scored seven touchdowns over that span. While he comes with more risk than some options since he doesn’t get all the work in the backfield, he is the only cheap RB who regularly gets enough work to be a decent option.
Other Option — Miles Sanders ($5,800)
Wide Receiver
Stud
DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia Eagles at Tennessee Titans, $6,300 — The Eagles have plenty of speed at receiver with Jackson’s 95 speed rating and WR3 Marquise Goodwin’s ($5,000) 98 speed rating. While injury has derailed him in real life, Jackson has been a pretty reliable play in the Madden 21 sims. He is the WR2 on the Eagles’ depth chart but has posted a solid average of 4.7 catches for 65.9 yards and 16.0 DKFP per sim. He has also scored 14 touchdowns, including one in each of his past three contests. DJax had a big game when he took on the Titans before as well, hauling in eight catches for 136 yards, a touchdown and 30.6 DKFP. While he may not reach that ceiling in the rematch, his speed and upside make him my favorite expensive WR to target.
Other Option — Mike Williams ($6,000), Brandin Cooks ($5,600)
Value
Chris Hogan, New York Jets vs. Los Angeles Chargers, $4,500 — Another player who has been sidelined in real life but is still a factor in these sims is Hogan, who is the Jets’ WR2 on their Madden depth chart. Hogan has averaged 3.1 catches for 48.4 yards per sim and has multiple catches in all but two of his 20 contests. He had found the end zone in three straight games before finishing with a disappointing 4.2 DKFP in his most recent sim, which was against the Raiders. He had a big game prior to that with six catches for 111 yards, two touchdowns and 32.1 DKFP against the Bucs. His production is usually between those two extremes, and his regular volume is enough to make him a strong play under $5K with solid upside.
Robby Anderson, Carolina Panthers at Houston Texans, $4,100 — Anderson hasn’t been as reliable in these sims as he has in real life, but he does offer upside as the Panthers’ WR2 with his 94 speed rating. Anderson has multiple catches in 10 straight sims and is averaging 3.0 catches for 36.0 yards per game over his 21 sims in Madden 21. He has scored six touchdowns over that span and did have five catches for 81 yards and 13.1 DKFP in the Panthers’ earlier contests against the Texans. If he gets around that same volume in the rematch, he has a chance to go off for a big game.
Other Options — Marquise Goodwin ($5,000), A.J. Brown ($4,600), Alshon Jeffery ($3,600), Adam Humphries ($3,100)
Tight End
Stud
Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles at Tennessee Titans, $5,700 — Ertz has been a volume beast in these sims, averaging 5.1 catches for 52.3 yards per contest and scoring 10 touchdowns in 21 sims. He had nine catches for 105 yards and 22.5 DKFP against the Browns in his most recent sim and a massive 13-catch, 36.7-DKFP performance in his game before that. Ertz has a very high ceiling if Carson Wentz ($6,700) locks onto him early and often, as he did in that huge game against the 49ers. In his previous sim against the Titans, he only had three catches but did have a touchdown to still post a solid 13.8 DKFP. He’s one of the most reliable TEs in all of Madden and comes with a high ceiling as well.
Other Options — Chris Herndon ($5,600), Hunter Henry ($4,100)
Value
Ian Thomas, Carolina Panthers at Houston Texans, $3,700 — The Texans’ secondary has been a good matchup to attack, so Thomas is a nice value play along with many of the affordable Panthers pass-catchers. Thomas hasn’t been very involved in real life but has at least three catches in ten straight sims in Madden 21, including three catches for 34 yards, a touchdown and 12.4 DKFP in his previous game against the Texans. He has only found the end zone five times in 21 games but his consistent PPR production is enough to make him the top cheap TE to consider and one of the best plays on this slate at any position for under $4K.
Other Option — Darren Fells ($3,800)
DST
Stud
Titans DST vs. Philadelphia Eagles, $2,900 — The Titans have been a strong defense in these sims, especially at home where they average 6.4 DKFP. In their 13 home contests, Tennessee has forced nine turnovers and produced 35 sacks while scoring three defensive touchdowns as well. The Titans’ DST finished with 10 DKFP in their most recent sim, as they upset the Falcons, 30-24, by forcing two turnovers and scoring a defensive touchdown. They should be able to get pressure on Wentz and have the opportunity for some big plays in this sim as well.
Other Options — Jets ($3,200)
Value
Panthers DST at Houston Texans, $2,800 — While the Texans’ offense has upside and Watson can be special, he has also had a tendency to turn the ball over, which makes the Panthers’ DST worth a look in the primetime matchup. Watson has 21 turnovers in his 22 sims so far, and Carolina has forced 12 turnovers in 21 sims, returning four of those for defensive touchdowns. The Panthers’ DST also has 34 sacks and a safety for an average of 4.6 DKFP per contest. They aren’t quite as steady as the Titans or even the Jets, but I do like their upside in this matchup based on Watson’s tendency to give the ball away.
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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.