With the 2020 NFL season still more than a month away, why not fill that football-sized void in your heart with DraftKings’ Madden streams? We’ll be running a featured three-game Classic slate each and every night at 6:00 p.m. ET, with Friday’s matchups consisting of Cowboys-Packers, Bears-49ers and Steelers-Ravens.
Here’s who you should be targeting this evening.
Set your DraftKings lineups here: Madden Steam $3K Friday Night Special [$1K to 1st]
Curious about when major leagues and events will return? Check out our DraftKings Sports Calendar for the latest updates.
Quarterback
Stud
Lamar Jackson, BAL vs. PIT, $7,600 - Aside from Patrick Mahomes, there is no quarterback in these Madden streams with a higher upside than Jackson. Need proof? Well, on Wednesday evening against the Rams, the reigning NFL MVP racked up 158 yards and two touchdowns. Does that seem mundane for a QB? Oh, I guess I should mention that those were his rushing stats. Jackson is also impossible to stack with, making him a much easier DFS option in Classic than in Showdown.
Value
Mitchell Trubisky, CHI at SF, $6,300 - It’s hard to compare Trubisky to Jackson even in a virtual reality without sounding insane, but the former second-overall pick is the exact archetype of QB that you have to target in these simulations. Scrambling quarterbacks tend to be the lynchpin of these fantasy slates and it’s not hard to see why when you juxtapose Trubisky’s ratings with his production. Despite nothing really leaping off the page in terms of skill, Trubisky’s averaged 23.7 DKFP in his past six starts due to the fact that he’s produced 401 rushing yards and a touchdown. He’s also likely to get his fair share of drop backs on Friday, as the 49ers are rarely trailing in streams.
Running Back
Stud
Tevin Coleman, SF vs. CHI, $6,300 - While I’m tempted to suggest pivoting off of Coleman for the more expensive Ezekiel Elliott ($7,000), I know better than to fade San Francisco’s RB with 43 simulations worth of production under his belt. Coleman has 10 total touchdowns in the 49ers’ past seven games. It’s a span where he’s averaged 26.3 DKFP and exceeded the 30.0 DKFP threshold three different times. None of this is new, either. In fact, Coleman’s now cleared the 20.0 DKFP plateau on 16 occasions. He’s been the best running back in these streams. Without question.
Value
Tarik Cohen, CHI at SF, $3,900 - With so many bell cow RBs on this three-game slate, we don’t really have our usual glut of viable and cheap third-down backs. However, Cohen does fit that billing. With an average of 8.6 DKFP per simulation, Cohen is almost doubling the fantasy production of “starting” RB David Montgomery ($5,000). If that’s not enough to entice you, know that the 25-year-old’s 17 total touchdowns are only four fewer than Allen Robinson ($6,400) - Chicago’s team-leader among skill-position players.
Wide Receiver
Stud
Davante Adams, GB vs. DAL, $7,600 - Generally speaking, rostering Adams turns out to be a good idea. In 20 of Green Bay’s 43 streams, the wideout has managed to bring back at least 17.0 DKFP, which is a level of consistency that can be reached when you’ve scored an eye-popping 28 touchdowns. Heck, Adams was even able to go off for six catches and 94 yards against this very same Dallas defense back before the switch to eight-minute quarters and Arcade Mode. That’s like hitting a home run in the dead-ball era.
Value
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, GB vs. DAL, $3,000 - Believe me, I didn’t come into this thinking I was going to recommend stacking the Packers’ receiving corps, but that was before I knew Valdes-Scantling was going to be priced at the minimum. I have many questions. First and foremost: Who did this? Why did the person who did this do this? Who let the person who did this do this? MVS is averaging 12.1 DKFP per game - the sixth-most of any WR on this slate. His 18 receiving TDs are also tied for the sixth-most. To be blunt, this price is off and must be taken advantage of.
Tight End
Stud
George Kittle, SF vs. CHI, $6,200 - I’ll be honest, while Kittle is deserving of being the most expensive tight end on this slate, I tend to pay down at TE as opposed to spending big money on the All-Pro. His ceiling just isn’t really high enough to justify forking over the extra thousand dollars in most situations. Consider that Kittle ranks fourth on his own team in touchdown receptions (15) and that’s before we factor in how much of the red zone opportunities are going to the aforementioned Coleman. If you can afford him, feel free to roster him; but don’t do it at the expense of a top-end asset at another position.
Value
Vance McDonald, PIT at BAL, $4,000 - McDonald just catches passes. While it’s usually JuJu Smith-Schuster ($7,200) finding the end zone, McDonald has registered 66 receptions in Pittsburgh’s past 13 simulations and that somehow includes a game where he was held without a single catch. Outliers aside, you can generally rely on the veteran to haul in at least five passes. In a PPR setting, there’s obvious value in that.
Defense/Special Teams
Stud
Packers, GB vs. DAL, $3,000 - This is a pretty easy call. Not only have the Cowboys often had their issue scoring points in these streams, but Green Bay comes into Friday leading all six of these units in interceptions (19) and sacks (106). Yes. You read that correctly. 106 sacks. No other team comes close to the Packers’ ability to apply pressure to opposing QBs.
Value
49ers, SF vs. CHI, $2,500 - There’s a few things to note with this play. First, with how inconsistent DST scoring tends to be on these slates, you can almost never go wrong utilizing the cheapest option available; especially if said option is as talented as San Francisco’s unit. Second, Trubisky has lost 12 fumbles in sim-land. That’s as many as Aaron Rodgers ($7,000), Dak Prescott ($6,700) and Ben Roethlisberger ($6,600) combined.
Set your DraftKings lineups here: Madden Steam $3K Friday Night Special [$1K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is theglt13) 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.