After a great day of Conference Championships on Sunday, the DraftKings Dream Stream is ready to help you start the work week with a six-game schedule of sims this Monday, including a nice three-game classic slate to give you your Monday night football fix. The main slate kicks off with the Chicago Bears welcoming in the Los Angeles Chargers at 6:00 p.m. ET. At 8:00 p.m. ET in the primetime spotlight, the New York Giants will take their talents to virtual South Beach to face the Miami Dolphins, and we close out the night with a matchup between the Steelers and the Saints on “Madden After Dark.”
As usual, it’s important to note that each roster is not impacted by COVID-19 opt-outs, injuries, suspensions or illness in these sims and that 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 uses the Madden 21 ratings from Week 1 of this season.
For more details, 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. There were a few tweaks to the X-factors and Superstars in the latest December update, so be sure to check the depth charts of each team.
Check out the daily DraftKings Madden Stream contests lobby with paid contests for real cash prizes now available alongside free contests. Each simulation will be played out computer vs. computer via an online Madden Stream using Madden 21. 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.
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Quarterback
Stud
Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago Bears vs. Los Angeles Chargers, $7,400 — The Bears have one of the most interesting QB situations to watch this offseason, during what looks to be a year with lots of QB turnover. Trubisky is a free agent in real life but still leading the Chicago offense in these sims and doing a good job of it, averaging over 21 DKFP per contest, which is almost 4.0 DKFP more per game than any of the other QBs on this slate. Trubisky does a lot of his damage on the ground, averaging 67.4 rushing yards per sim and scoring 13 rushing touchdowns to go with his 45 passing scores in 36 sims. He has over 20 DKFP in six of his past seven sims, and his rushing potential makes him a relatively low-risk option while also raising his ceiling at home against the Chargers.
Other Option — Drew Brees ($6,700)
Value
Daniel Jones, New York Giants at Miami Dolphins, $6,300 — Jones hasn’t had as much long-term success as Trubisky, but he can match his ceiling and has been playing very well in his more recent sims. Jones has over 25 DKFP in four of his past five contests and just led the Giants to a 31-28 upset over the Chiefs with 370 passing yards and 27.7 DKFP. He gets a much easier matchup in this contest against Miami, who he hasn’t faced yet in these Madden 21 sims. In his 35 sims overall, he is averaging 232.4 passing yards per contest and has thrown a total of 50 touchdown passes. He has multiple touchdowns in five of his past six contests and will look to keep rolling in what should be a favorable matchup on Monday.
Other Options — Tua Tagovailoa ($5,900)
Running Back
Stud
Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers at Chicago Bears, $7,500 — The Bears’ defense is a tough matchup for Ekeler and the Chargers, but he’s available at a discount because of it and has been very productive throughout these Madden 21 sims as both a rusher and a receiver out of the backfield. Ekeler has averaged 4.1 catches for 32.3 receiving yards per game in addition to his 70.9 rushing yards per sim. He had a pair of receiving touchdowns against the Bears in their previous meeting and finished with 19.0 DKFP in that contest despite only totaling 21 rushing yards. He has at least 17.0 DKFP in five straight sims and has posted good games against the Ravens and Bucs during that stretch, showing he can overcome difficult matchups. I think he’ll do that again in this contest and actually offers a nice lower-cost alternative to Saquon Barkley ($8,500).
Other Options — Saquon Barkley ($8,500) Alvin Kamara ($8,000)
Value
Tarik Cohen, Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Chargers, $4,700 — While Ekeler does all the RB1 and third-down work for the Chargers, the Bears split that workload between Cohen and David Montgomery ($5,000). While both have been productive at times, Cohen is my preferred play due to his PPR production as the primary back in passing formations. Cohen is averaging 3.0 catches for 21.8 yards per sim and adding 23.6 rushing yards as well. He had five catches in his first game against the Chargers and always brings a high ceiling due to his big-play potential if he can get into space.
Other Options — Matt Breida ($6,400), Jaylen Samuels ($5,200)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, $7,300 — Thomas went off for 32.6 DKFP in the first game of this home-and-home set, and now he’ll come home to the virtual Superdome for this Monday night matchup. He had six catches, 116 yards and two touchdowns on Friday and scored touchdowns No. 21 and 22 of his 42 sims. As the only WR in the 99 club in the Week 1 ratings used for these sims, he has averaged 5.0 catches for 81.1 yards per contest and found the end zone four times over his past three games. He did have a stretch of down performances while Drew Brees ($6,700) struggled a bit, but he has bounced back lately and posted double-digit DKFP in six straight and eight of his past nine.
Other Options — Allen Robinson II ($6,100), DeVante Parker ($5,700)
Value
Darius Slayton, New York Giants at Miami Dolphins, $4,700 — The speedy Slayton has proven that he doesn’t need much of an opening to create big plays for the Giants in these sims and needed only four catches to rack up 126 yards and 19.6 DKFP in his most recent sim. He also had at least five catches and double-digit DKFP in two of his previous four sims, showing big-time upside with a three-touchdown performance against the Cowboys, which resulted in 38.7 DKFP. He can be boom or bust depending on volume, but against the Dolphins he should be able to get loose for a big play or two.
Albert Wilson, Miami Dolphins vs. New York Giants, $3,300 — Wilson remains ridiculously cheap for a WR2 who is almost always involved in his team’s passing offense. He was a COVID-19 opt-out in real life but has been putting up good numbers for Miami in simland. He has averaged 2.7 catches for 36.6 yards over his 29 sims since the latest roster update and has produced at least 7.0 DKFP in four of his past six contests. While those numbers aren’t staggering, they are a nice return on investment for a play so cheap. His consistency at this price is unmatched on this slate, and he should have a solid matchup against the Giants.
Other Options — Sterling Shepard ($5,100), Tre’Quan Smith ($4,900), Golden Tate ($4,300), Jakeem Grant ($3,500)
Tight End
Stud
Evan Engram, New York Giants at Miami Dolphins, $5,200 — Engram has a high ceiling as one of the fastest TE in Madden, and he has been heavily involved in the Giants’ passing game success lately with Jones. Engram has at least five catches in four straight sims and double-digit DKFP in seven of his past eight. He found the end zone against the Chiefs in his most recent sim on his way to 21.9 DKFP and now has 11 touchdowns in his 35 sims in Madden 21. Miami has been beatable all over the field in these sims, but they have been especially susceptible to TEs down the middle of the field, which is typically an area where Engram excels.
Other Options — Eric Ebron ($5,700), Mike Gesicki ($4,800)
Value
Jimmy Graham, Chicago Bears vs. Los Angeles Chargers, $3,500 — Graham has been a little quiet lately with under 10 DKFP in eight straight sims, but he still is catching multiple passes and getting decent PPR points. One of his busiest games in Madden 21 came in his earlier matchup against the Chargers, who he hauled in seven catches against for 32 yards, a touchdown and 16.2 DKFP. If he gets that kind of volume from Trubisky in this rematch, he could end up being one of the best value plays on the slate since his salary is so affordable.
Other Option — Jared Cook ($3,800)
DST
Stud
Chargers DST at Chicago Bears, $3,000 — Even though Trubisky has been good for the Bears in these sims, he remains prone to turnovers. He has 25 turnovers in his 36 sims, including six in his five most recent contests. The Chargers have forced 28 turnovers in their 38 sims and have also piled up an impressive 91 sacks. In their first matchup with Mitchell, they had two sacks, three fumble recoveries and an interception on their way to 11.0 DKFP. Even if they don’t get to that ceiling in this rematch, they should be a solid source of production at $3K.
Value
Dolphins DST vs. New York Giants, $2,700 — Miami’s defense has been beatable and has surrendered plenty of points in these sims, but it has also come up with enough big plays to be worth a look in case Danny Dimes is off the mark in this Miami matchup. The Dolphins have multiple sacks in five of their past six games, highlighted by a 15-DKFP showing against the Jets and 14 DKFP in their most recent sim, which was against the Broncos. They’re a boom-or-bust unit, but they do have enough upside to be my favorite cheap DST play.
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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.