After a pair of shortened slates due to the Fantasy Basketball World Championship, DraftKings is bringing Madden back to primetime with a full slate of six games, including the three-game featured slate that starts at 6:00 p.m. ET when the Browns take on the Seahawks in virtual Seattle. In the 8 p.m. ET contest, the Patriots host the Jaguars in a matchup of AFC division leaders, and the 10 p.m. Madden After Dark matchup features the Chiefs and the Jets from virtual New York. The sims on Wednesday also take place with a weather element involved, so we can expect rain in Seattle and snow for the two later games on this featured slate.
Check out the daily DraftKings Madden Stream contests with paid contests for real cash prizes now available alongside free contests. Along with single-game Showdown contests focused on each individual game, there is an early slate of games that includes Madden Stream games at 12 p.m. ET, 2 p.m. ET and 4 p.m. ET, followed by 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.
All six teams on this slate have some interesting plays to consider, and I’ve highlighted my favorite stud and value play for each roster spot below. For more data, 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.
Set your DraftKings lineups here: Madden Stream $40K Wednesday Throwdown [$10K to 1st] and your FREE lineups here: Madden Stream $1K FREE Contest.
Wild Weather Wednesday Forecast
Curious about when major leagues and events will return? Check out our DraftKings Sports Calendar for the latest updates.
Quarterback
Stud
Russell Wilson, SEA vs CLE, $8,000 — Wilson is one of the few QBs who can keep up with Patrick Mahomes ($8,200) and his elite 99 overall rating. Wilson’s rating isn’t quite that high, but I like his matchup better and think he has a high enough ceiling to use instead of Mahomes. Wilson is averaging 21.3 DKFP per sim over his first 47 contests and has produced over 22 DKFP in eight of his past 15. He gets a very favorable matchup with the Browns, who he had 29.58 DKFP against in their previous meeting. Wilson ran for 79 yards and a touchdown while throwing for 250 more yards and a pair of scores in that contest. His rushing production is what gives him such a high ceiling since he is averaging 47.7 rushing yards per sim and has scored 12 times on the ground in addition to his 73 passing scores.
Other Options — Patrick Mahomes ($8,200), Tom Brady ($7,300)
Value
Gardner Minshew II, JAX at NE, $5,700 — Minshew threw for 303 yards, a touchdown and 19.12 DKFP in his first matchup with New England, and he’ll try to lead his Jags to an upset win in the snow in virtual Foxboro in primetime. He has thrown for just under 11,000 yards in his 46 contests, averaging 238.9 passing yards per sim and has thrown an impressive 79 touchdowns. He can be a little boom-or-bust, but he brings significant upside if you want to save at QB to spend up in other spots.
Other Options — Baker Mayfield ($6,200), Sam Darnold ($5,500)
Running Back
Stud
James White, NE vs. JAX, $5,700 — In real life, White shares the load in the New England backfield rotation, but in Madden he gets almost all the work both as rusher and receiver, making him an RB1 worth paying up for in most instances. He has at least three catches in four straight games and has caught a pair of touchdowns in his past three contests, bringing his total for the sim season to 21 in his 47 sims. He is averaging 61.3 rushing yards and 19.3 receiving yards on 2.8 receptions per contest. White didn’t have a touchdown in his first game against Jacksonville but did run for 125 yards and finish with 18.1 DKFP. He’s a strong play, especially if the Patriots are able to get out to an early lead against Jacksonville.
Other Options — Le’Veon Bell ($6,200), Leonard Fournette ($6,000)
Value
C.J. Prosise, SEA vs. CLE, $3,000 — There aren’t many timeshares on the board in which to find some value, but the Seahawks are definitely a team that shares the load between Chris Carson and Prosise, who serves as the third down back. Prosise has averaged 2.2 catches per contest on the sim season with four receiving touchdowns in addition to his two rushing scores. Five of his six touchdowns have come at home, where he is producing a solid 6.5 DKFP per contest. Prosise does have some bust games from time-to-time as well, but he’s available at the minimum and does come with good upside.
Other Option — Damien Williams ($5,400)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Tyreek Hill, KC at NYJ, $7,900 — No one can keep up with the Chiefs’ speedy WR both in terms of his 99 speed rating and his production as a star WR in these sims. He is averaging about 20 DKFP per sim while only Odell Beckham ($7,300) is even close to him and no other WR on this slate is putting up more than 16 DKFP per sim. Hill has an eye-popping 42 touchdowns in his 47 sims and has a good matchup against the Jets’ secondary that tends to give up big plays. Hill torched them for 137 yards and a touchdown on seven catches for 29.7 DKFP in their first meeting and has over 17 DKFP in five of his past six contests. He has 10 touchdown catches in his past eight games and should keep rolling in this favorable matchup.
Other Options — Odell Beckham Jr. ($7,300), DJ Chark Jr. ($6,800)
Value
DK Metcalf, SEA vs. CLE, $5,200 — Seattle’s WR corps is a speedy group overall and Metcalf is the fastest of the bunch, which is one of the main reasons he has produced 11.8 DKFP per contest through his first 47 sims. He has scored 18 touchdowns and averages 3.5 catches for 55.0 yards per contest. Metcalf has a very high ceiling but can be a little boom-or-bust depending on game script. If the Seahawks rely heavily on Russ running the ball, he can sometimes disappear. However, when he’s involved he has so much big-play potential that he makes sense as a mainstay in GPP lineups.
Marqise Lee, JAX at NE, $3,400 — If you’re paying up in other spots and need an affordable WR, Lee is a nice option to consider since he has been very involved in the Jags’ offense lately despite being their WR3. Lee has at least three catches in seven straight games and has raised his averages to 2.6 catches for 36.9 yards per sim. He had four catches, 42 yards, a touchdown and 14.2 DKFP the first time he faced the Patriots and should be involved enough in the rematch to be a solid value once again.
Other Options — Sammy Watkins ($5,500), Demarcus Robinson ($4,400), Demaryius Thomas ($3,900)
Tight End
Stud
Ben Watson, NE vs. JAX, $5,600 — Watson has been such a solid option throughout these sims and continues to average great numbers. He is producing just under 65 yards per game while hauling in an extremely high volume with 5.3 catches per contest and a total of 20 touchdowns. He had his string of eight straight games with double-digit DKFP stopped in his most recent contest against the Jets but should be able to bounce back against the Jags.
Other Options — Travis Kelce ($7,000), David Njoku ($5,000)
Value
Will Dissly, SEA vs. CLE, $4,500 — Dissly is coming off a six-catch game against the Jags in which he had 11.7 DKFP, which is just slightly over his average for the sims season. He has good upside, but like his teammate Metcalf, he can have inconsistent volume at times due to game script. He had a solid game against the Browns when he faced them before with four catches, 65 yards, a touchdown and 16.5 DKFP. While he isn’t as steady as the top options, Dissly has a high enough ceiling to make him a solid play, especially since the rain may force Wilson to stick to passes that travel less distance in the air.
DST
Stud
Jets DST vs. KC, $3,100 — Despite an awful matchup against Mahomes, Hill and the Chiefs, the Jets’ DST can still be a viable fantasy option since they force so many turnovers. They have 49 takeaways in their 47 sims with 33 fumble recoveries and 16 interceptions while also piling up 92 sacks and seven defensive touchdowns in their 47 sims. Even though they gave up 25 points in their first game against KC, they had 15 DKFP with two fumble recoveries, three sacks and a defensive touchdown. The snow at virtual MetLife Stadium will only help their chances of forcing more turnovers.
Other Option — Patriots ($3,200)
Value
Seahawks DST vs. CLE, $2,600 — Mayfield and the Browns have been turnover prone at times in these sims, and the Seattle defense is a solidly-rated unit even though they don’t have new addition Jamal Adams in this version of the game. Seattle has forced 46 turnovers in 47 games and has at least 8.0 DKFP in three fo their past four contests.
Set your DraftKings lineups here: Madden Stream $40K Wednesday Throwdown [$10K to 1st] and your FREE lineups here: Madden Stream $1K FREE Contest.
Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game.
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.