The DraftKings Dream Stream is set for Saturday with six games on the schedule throughout the day, including a three-game featured classic slate kicking off at 6:00 p.m. ET. The first game should be a fun matchup between the Arizona Cardinals and New Orleans Saints in the virtual Superdome. At 8:00 p.m. ET in primetime, the Baltimore Ravens host the Buffalo Bills and in the final matchup of the night the Philadelphia Eagles visit the Kansas City Chiefs on Madden After Dark. There are some great players in each of those matchups with lots of fantasy upside, so you’ll need to choose wisely to stay under the salary cap and stock your team with stars.
A key factor to consider is that each roster is not impacted by COVID-19 opt-outs, injuries or illness and the highest-rated options have been placed 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
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles, $8,000 — It’s a rarity that Mahomes isn’t the most expensive QB on the slate, but even with cover-athlete Lamar Jackson ($8,200) in play, Mahomes is still my pick at this spot. Mahomes doesn’t have quite as high a ceiling as Jackson, who recently hung 60-plus DKFP on the Lions three sims ago, but Mahomes has been the more steady option as the only QB with a 99 overall rating in these sims. He has more regularly been over 25 DKFP, including in four of his past five contests with at least three passing TDs scored in each of those four games. He is now up to 68 passing scores in 29 sims while averaging 285.5 yards per contest. He has even added nine rushing scores as well, so he has more than one way to pile up fantasy points. Mahomes has over 20 DKFP in 20 of his past 27 sims (74%) while Jackson has reached that level in 17 of his 25 sims (68%). Both are great options, but I would lean slightly toward Mahomes, who has a favorable matchup against the Eagles.
Other Option — Lamar Jackson ($8,200)
Value
Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints vs. Arizona Cardinals, $6,200 — Brees is the most affordable QB on the slate, which shows how good the rest of the talent in play has been. Brees has been no slouch himself and had 301 yards, three touchdowns and 27.04 DKFP in his earlier matchup against the Cardinals. He led the Saints to a narrow, 28-25 win in that game and has helped New Orleans pick up the victory in five of their past seven sims. He has over 275 yards and 17 DKFP in three straight games coming into this rematch with Arizona and he is a good option to pivot to if you decide to prioritize skill positions over the QB spot on this slate.
Other Option — Carson Wentz ($6,500)
Running Back
Stud
Kenyan Drake, Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints, $6,600 — The Saints have been very good against the run in real life but they have struggled at times in these sims, including allowing Drake to score two touchdowns and produce 29.5 DKFP in their first meeting. In that contest, Drake was very involved as a receiver, catching eight passes for 54 yards in addition to his work on the ground. In addition to being the RB1, he is the third-down back for the Cardinals and is averaging 4.0 catches for 24.3 yards in addition to his 55.5 rushing yards per sim. He has scored 17 touchdowns in 24 games and is one of the few RB1 options that gets all the workload in his team’s backfield. He should be lined up for another busy day against New Orleans and has great upside if he gets as much volume in the passing game.
Other Options — Alvin Kamara ($7,200), Miles Sanders ($6,300)
Value
J.K. Dobbins, Baltimore Ravens vs. Buffalo Bills, $4,900 — Dobbins shares work in Baltimore’s backfield with Mark Ingram II ($4,300). While Ingram is the RB1, Dobbins is both the third-down and power back, which results in plenty of work for him in short-yardage and passing situations. Dobbins has seven scores in his 20 sims in those roles and gets involved as a pass-catcher as well. He had six catches for 50 yards and a touchdown to put up 19.1 DKFP against the Vikings in his most recent sim after a pair of touchdowns and 18.0 DKFP in his previous game against the Eagles. He can be hit or miss as a result of his shifting responsibilities, but he is a solid option under $5K since he does bring legitimate upside as a PPR or touchdown producer.
Other Option — Devin Singletary ($5,700)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles, $7,600 — Pretty much every time the Chiefs are on the slate, Mahomes, Hill and Travis Kelce ($6,600) are worth a look since they are a great stack with a crazy-high ceiling. Hill had 10 catches for 104 yards, two scores and 35.4 DKFP in his most recent sim, which was against the Bengals. He has put up over 24 DKFP in four of his past seven games and now scored 24 touchdowns in his 29 sims in Madden 21. Hill should be able to torch the Eagles’ secondary with his 99 overall speed and continue to post huge numbers with heavy volume. He’s averaging 6.3 catches per sim since the move to Madden 21, and with all that speed, he can score from anywhere on the field.
Other Options — Michael Thomas ($7,400), Stefon Diggs ($5,700)
Value
Alshon Jeffery, Philadelphia Eagles at Kansas City Chiefs, $4,900 — Jeffery is the WR1 for the Eagles, even though he is more affordable than WR2 DeSean Jackson ($6,000). Jeffery has been good lately, though, with at least six catches and over 12 DKFP in three straight games before a letdown in his most recent sim with just 7.3 DKFP. Jeffery has been prone to down games against elite CBs, but I expect the volume to be there in this matchup, especially if the Eagles have to air it out to keep up with the Chiefs.
Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints, $3,700 — Fitzgerald has strong possession WR ratings and has proven to be a solid PPR producer from this bargain salary, even though he usually doesn’t make big, down-field plays in Madden 21. Fitz had six catches for 61 yards and 12.1 DKFP against the Saints in their previous meeting in these sims and has averaged 4.5 catches per contest dating back to that matchup seven sims ago. He has good upside if he finds the end zone or gets enough targets, so give him a look to help balance some of the more expensive plays on this slate.
Other Options — Tre’Quan Smith ($4,700), Marquise Goodwin ($4,200), Demarcus Robinson ($3,200)
Tight End
Stud
Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles at Kansas City Chiefs, $5,500 — Sure, paying up for Travis Kelce is a great option. However, if you do decide to pivot away from one of the Chiefs’ three megastars, Ertz offers some very solid potential against the Chiefs, who have struggled against TEs in these sims and given up some big games recently. Ertz has been a favorite of Wentz throughout these sims and is trending the right way in simland, where he’s fully healthy. Ertz has over 15 DKFP in five of his past six games, highlighted by a 13-catch, 147-yard game against the 49ers that resulted in 36.7 DKFP. He has averaged 5.1 catches for 52.0 yards per sim and has scored 12 touchdowns in 24 games, so he gets plenty of looks on a regular basis and also has a very high ceiling.
Other Options — Travis Kelce ($6,600), Jared Cook ($5,300)
Value
Lee Smith, Buffalo Bills at Baltimore Ravens, $3,100 — Smith is still one of the cheapest TE1 options in all of Madden, even though he actually is pretty regularly involved in the Bills’ passing attack. Josh Allen ($6,900) can get a little wild, especially on downfield throws, so he often checks down to his receivers underneath including Smith. Smith has over 5.0 DKFP in three straight and in eight of his past 10, which is all you really need to justify such a cheap salary. However, he also comes with a decent ceiling since he has reached at least 9.0 DKFP in six of his past 15 games.
Other Option — Maxx Williams ($3,600)
DST
Stud
Ravens DST vs. Buffalo Bills, $2,800 — The Ravens’ DST is stacked with highly-rated players but sometimes struggles to make the big, game-changing plays that pay off in fantasy points. They have averaged 4.2 DKFP with 52 sacks but just nine takeaways in their 25 sims. In their previous game against the Bills, they piled up five sacks for a strong showing even though they lost, 23-17. Allen’s accuracy concerns have led to some turnover issues for the big Buffalo QB, who has seven interceptions and seven fumbles for 14 turnovers in 24 sims. Since Baltimore usually can get pressure on opposing QBs, they should be able to force Allen into mistakes and put together a solid game. Even if they don’t get turnovers, the Bills aren’t typically an offense that piles up a ton of points, so the Ravens are a fairly low-risk play.
Value
Saints DST vs. Arizona Cardinals, $2,700 — Kyler Murray ($7,500) has had some turnover trouble like Allen in these sims with 10 giveaways in his 24 games. The Saints couldn’t contain him in their previous matchup, but did force a fumble and put up the better defensive total with 2.0 DKFP. While they aren’t quite as safe as the Ravens, they do have upside and are the best play if you are only considering the lower half of the options on this slate.
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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.