DraftKings continues to provide some great sports simulations even with baseball, basketball and hockey resuming. Check out the daily Madden Stream contests with paid contests for real cash prizes now available alongside free contests in both single-game Showdown and three-game Classic formats. Along with contests focused on each individual game, there is an early slate of games that include the Madden Streams at 12 p.m. ET, 2 p.m. ET and 4 p.m. ET, and the featured slate which focuses on the sims at 6 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. ET and 10 p.m. ET. Each simulation will be played out computer vs. computer via an online Madden Stream using Madden 2020 with rosters and ratings from the end of the 2019-20 season. 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.
Saturday’s three-game featured slate kicks off at 6 p.m. ET with a matchup between the Dolphins and the Broncos in virtual Denver. In primetime, the 8 p.m. ET stream will feature the Titans traveling to virtual Baltimore to take on the Ravens, and we close out the day of games with a matchup between the Eagles and the Texans.
All six of those teams have interesting fantasy options to check out. I’ll give you my favorite stud and value play for each roster spot below. For more information, you can always check out the Madden info page for all the data on player ratings, special abilities and what you can look forward to in upcoming matchups.
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Quarterback
Stud
Lamar Jackson, BAL vs. TEN, $7,600 — Both Jackson and Deshaun Watson ($7,000) have been great plays throughout these sims and bring huge upside due to their dynamic dual-threat abilities. I’m going with Jackson on this slate, though, simply because his ceiling is a little bit higher. He has been more volatile than Watson but is averaging slightly more fantasy production with 21.9 DKFP per sim. He is averaging only 160.8 passing yards per sim but has added 69.6 rushing yards per game while scoring 23 rushing touchdowns to go with his 52 passing scores. He had two passing touchdowns and one rushing in his first matchup against the Titans, finishing with a solid 29.28 DKFP. He has over 29 DKFP in three of his past four sims as well and has rushed for over 100 yards in all three of those sims. The Titans defense had no answers for the Madden 2021 cover athlete in their first meeting, and I expect Jackson to carry the day again in this contest.
Other Option — Deshaun Watson ($7,000)
Value
Drew Lock, DEN vs. MIA, $5,400 — Lock led the Broncos to a huge upset win over the division-rival Chargers in his most recent sim and he finished with 16.3 DKFP on 210 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He has over 14 DKFP in seven of his past eight sims and has been relatively consistent even though he has nowhere near the same level of upside as Jackson. Lock did have a few ceiling games but has averaged 14.5 DKFP with 61 touchdowns and an average of 209.4 passing yards per contest. Lock and the Broncos beat Miami in the teams’ last matchup about 10 sims ago and the rookie threw for 259 yards, two touchdowns and 18.26 DKFP. If you’re paying up everywhere else and going cheap at QB, Lock offers solid production despite being the cheapest option on the board.
Other Options — Ryan Tannehill ($6,400), Ryan Fitzpatrick ($6,000)
Running Back
Stud
Phillip Lindsay, DEN vs. MIA, $6,200 — Lindsay has been very solid throughout his 41 sims for the Broncos and has produced 13.6 DKFP per sim. He serves as the team’s third-down back as well as the RB1, so he gets almost all the work in the backfield. He has averaged 60.6 rushing yards and 15.9 receiving yards on 2.5 catches per contest while scoring a total of 20 touchdowns. We have seen his breakaway speed and he can take any touch to the end zone. In his first meeting with Miami, he had 137 yards on the ground and 26.7 DKFP. The Dolphins have struggled to stop opposing RBs all sim season long, so Lindsay is a great play in this spot.
Other Options — Derrick Henry ($6,800), Mark Ingram II ($6,300)
Value
Miles Sanders, PHI at HOU, $5,400— Sanders has been very reliable as the Eagles’ No. 1 RB and has gotten almost all the work in the backfield in Philadelphia as Lindsay has in Denver. Sanders is averaging 71.3 rushing yards and 16.7 receiving yards on 2.3 catches per sim with 23 total touchdowns. He had three of those scores in his first meeting with the Texans while running for 129 yards and catching two passes for 22 yards on his way to a massive 38.1 DKFP. Like Miami, the Houston defense has been vulnerable on the ground, so Sanders should be in a good spot to have another big game even if he doesn’t quite reach his ceiling like he did in that previous matchup.
Other Option — Dion Lewis ($3,700)
Wide Receiver
Stud
DeAndre Hopkins, HOU vs. PHI, $7,800 — Hopkins hasn’t had any massive games lately, and he seems due to go off, especially against a beatable Eagles secondary. He has averaged 4.1 catches for 64.5 yards per sim and has scored 25 touchdowns across 41 contests. Hopkins had a huge game against Philadelphia with seven catches for 136 yards, a touchdown and 29.6 DKFP in the teams’ first meeting and has over 20 DKFP in eight sims (20%) but hasn’t hit that ceiling in any of his 10 most recent matchups. This matchup is a juicy one and his ceiling is high, so pay up for Hopkins if you can make his hefty salary work under your cap.
Other Options — DeVante Parker ($6,600), Courtland Sutton ($6,200)
Value
Corey Davis, TEN at BAL, $4,300 — Davis is a solid and affordable WR2 to check out in this matchup. He is averaging over 50 yards on 3.7 catches per contest and has found the end zone 14 times. He has posted double-digit DFKP in six of his past nine contests and also crossed that plateau against the Ravens in the teams’ last meeting. He can go off if he gets big volume but is also a little bit volatile depending on game script and matchup.
Keke Coutee, HOU vs. PHI, $3,300 — Coutee is always very affordable since he is the Texans’ WR4, but he is also very involved as a result of his role as the slot receiver for Watson and the Houston offense. He has averaged 2.7 catches for 32.9 yards per sim along with finding the end zone five times. He has multiple catches in 16 of his past 18 contests but was shut out in his first meeting with the Eagles. Based on his overall performance, that bust looks like an outlier and I think he’ll bounce back just fine in this contest.
Other Options — A.J. Brown ($5,600), Albert Wilson ($4,000)
Tight End
Stud
Zach Ertz, PHI at HOU, $5,800 — Ertz always gets high volume in the Eagles’ passing attack and has averaged 15.0 DKFP per sim as a result. He has totaled 213 catches in his 41 sims averaging 64.8 yards on 5.2 catches per contest and scoring 19 touchdowns. He has at least five catches in four straight games and has over 22 DKFP in three of those contests. He was relatively quiet in the Eagles’ 28-20 win over Houston in the teams’ first meeting, but his usage has surged since the switch to Arcade Mode, which has helped him average 15.0 DKFP per sim. If you can afford him, he’s clearly the best TE on the board.
Other Options — Delanie Walker ($5,200), Mark Andrews ($5,000)
Value
Noah Fant, DEN vs. MIA, $3,600 — Fant is loaded with big-play potential as the second-fastest TE in all of Madden and has been very productive when given volume. He hasn’t gotten consistent targets like Ertz but he did have seven catches for 71 yards against the Chargers in his most recent sim and also had seven catches for 65 yards and 13.4 DKFP in his first matchup with the Dolphins. That game against Miami was part of a nice run for Fant in which he posted over 10 DKFP in seven of eight. He had cooled off since then, though, until bouncing back with that strong game against Los Angeles. He’s a very affordable option at TE or in your flex spot but still comes with a high ceiling.
Other Options — Mike Gesicki ($4,200), Darren Fells ($3,800)
DST
Stud
Broncos DST vs. MIA, $3,000 — Denver’s defense has piled up 90 sacks in 41 games while forcing 23 turnovers and scoring seven defensive touchdowns for an average of 5.1 DKFP per contest. The Broncos make the big plays that you want from a fantasy defense and have a good matchup against Miami, which can be one-dimensional or even totally flat offensively.
Other Options — Eagles ($2,900), Texans ($2,800)
Value
Titans DST at BAL, $2,700 — The Titans definitely do not have a good matchup since Tennessee has to try to slow down Jackson but the Titans’ defense has been productive in these sims with 5.0 DKFP per contest. The unit has 91 sacks in 41 contests with three defensive touchdowns and four safeties. Tennessee only has 13 takeaways but is still the best of the value group among the DST 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.