Start the new work week and the new month off with some fantasy football fun on the DraftKings Dream Stream, which has a full six-game schedule of Madden sims on Monday. The featured three-game classic slate kicks off at 6 p.m. ET when the Green Bay Packers head to virtual NRG Stadium to take on the Houston Texans. At 8 p.m. ET, the primetime matchup features an AFC West matchup between the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs in the virtual Mile High City. The day wraps up with what should be another good matchup on “Madden After Dark” as the New England Patriots take on the Seattle Seahawks in another matchup stacked with solid fantasy options.
As always, 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
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos, $8,500 — You could definitely make a case for Deshaun Watson ($7,800) or Russell Wilson ($7,400) on this slate since they both bring great rushing potential and high ceilings at significantly less salary than Mahomes. However, Mahomes has been so consistent throughout these sims and has absolutely owned the Broncos’ secondary in his two previous sims against Denver. When he faced them in the Madden 21 preseason tournament, he went off for 35.48 DKFP, but he was even better in the Madden Holiday Season when he blasted them for 429 yards, four touchdowns and 36.16 DKFP. Mahomes has thrown 112 touchdowns in his 46 sims while adding 11 more scores on the ground. He is coming off a rare bad game against Dallas in his most recent sim, but he had over 28 DKFP in three straight before that letdown and should be in a prime spot to bounce back with a big game in this divisional contest. The good part about there being other strong alternatives is that his ownership may be a little lower than normal since Watson and Wilson do have that attractive ceiling as well.
Other Options — Deshaun Watson ($7,800), Russell Wilson ($7,400)
Value
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers at Houston Texans, $7,000 — The Packers and Texans will be meeting for the first time in these Madden 21 sims, but the Houston secondary should be a great matchup for Rodgers to pick apart. While he doesn’t usually take off and run like Watson or Wilson, he has thrown 68 touchdowns in 41 sims while averaging 241 yards per contest. He does have seven rushing scores as well and has averaged 18.8 DKFP per contest. His past two sims against the Saints and Browns weren’t great, but before that, he was on a nice roll with over 18 DKFP in seven straight and an average of 24.5 DKFP over that stretch. If he can get back to that form in this favorable matchup, he could be a sneaky pivot play at $7K.
Other Option — Drew Lock ($5,400)
Running Back
Stud
Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers at Houston Texans, $6,700 — Part of the reason that Rodgers hasn’t been quite as elite as some of the other QBs on this slate is that he gets a lot of help from Jones, who has scored an impressive total of 42 touchdowns in his 41 Madden 21 sims. He had four rushing scores and 182 yards against the Browns in his most recent game on his way to a massive 48.5 DKFP. He has over 14 DKFP in five of his past six and regularly returns good value due to his volume as both a rusher and a receiver out of the backfield. He is averaging 2.9 catches for 20.4 yards in addition to his 70.1 rushing yards per contest. He should be able to run wild against the Texans' struggling defense.
Other Option — Clyde Edwards-Helaire ($5,900)
Value
Carlos Hyde, Seattle Seahawks vs. New England Patriots, $3,500 — Hyde shares work with Chris Carson ($5,200) in the Seattle backfield and has been consistently involved since Seattle relies on the formations that he is a part of as the team’s power back. Hyde has scored nine touchdowns in his 35 sims — seven on the ground and two as a receiver. He had eight catches for 104 yards, a touchdown and 27.4 DKFP in his most recent sim against the Patriots and three catches, 14 yards and 5.0 DKFP in their first meeting. Due to his timeshare, he can be boom-or-bust, but Hyde can be a star once again in this rematch if the Seahawks have to check down more often due to the Patriots’ strong secondary. He comes remarkably cheap for a player with his level of involvement, so save some salary with Hyde and you should be able to pay up for other stars at other roster spots.
Other Options — Phillip Lindsay ($5,600), James White ($4,800), Duke Johnson ($3,700)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos, $8,400 — Hill has been the top WR in all of Madden 21, averaging 22.6 DKFP per contest since literally no one in the game can match his 99 speed rating. Like Mahomes, he is coming off a rare pedestrian performance, posting just 10.3 DKFP against the Cowboys in his most recent sim. Before that, though, the Cheetah had been running wild, going off for over 100 yards in five of his previous six and posting at least seven catches in six straight. He should be able to get back on track in this game against the Broncos, who don’t have much CB depth. In their Madden Holiday Season meeting, Hill had 11 catches for 166 yards, two touchdowns and 42.6 DKFP against Denver and also beat them for 23.3 DKFP in their other meeting in these Madden 21 sims.
Other Options — Devin Funchess ($6,500), Courtland Sutton ($5,700)
Value
N’Keal Harry, New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks, $4,300 — Harry has been boom-or-bust as the Patriots’ WR1 in these sims. His extremes can be seen even in just his two earlier sim matchups with the Seahawks. In his first contest against Seattle, Harry had 10 catches, 116 yards, two touchdowns and 35.6 DKFP, but he managed just one catch for 3.5 DKFP in the rematch. Harry has been a little more boom than bust lately, with double-digit DKFP in two straight games and in six of his past 11. Harry comes at a great salary, though, given his ceiling, so he’s worth a look at barely over $4K.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Green Bay Packers at Houston Texans, $3,900 — The Packers have gotten good production from MVS as their WR3 and slot option. He has had a few monster games to show off his high ceiling and big-play potential, and he has also been regularly involved with an average of 3.0 catches for 39.3 yards per contest. The Texans have been very beatable by speedy slot plays, so Valdes-Scantling is poised for success in this contest against Houston.
Other Options — Jerry Jeudy ($5,100), Demarcus Robinson ($4,100), Damiere Byrd ($3,600)
Tight End
Stud
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos, $6,600 — Kelce is averaging over 7.0 DKFP more than any other TE on this slate, producing 17.6 DKFP per contest. He has produced 6.2 catches for 73.8 yards per sim and scored 25 touchdowns in 46 contests. He has over 12 DKFP in four straight games and in eight of his past 11. He comes with a hefty salary, but Kelce has shown he can definitely be worth it, especially when facing Denver, whom he posted 21.4 DKFP and 18.4 DKFP against in his earlier matchups.
Value
Darren Fells, Houston Texans at Philadelphia Eagles, $4,000 — Before yesterday’s sim against the Eagles I wrote, “Fells has had no lack of volume in his sims with the Texans, but he doesn’t get enough touchdowns.” Well, apparently the sim tried to fix that problem all in one game as Fells hauled in three scores against Philadelphia and totaled 31.3 DKFP. He now has double-digit DKFP in seven of his past 10 sims and continues to get tons of volume. As I said yesterday, he has the abilities needed to be a red zone success, he just needs more looks in that part of the field. He got them yesterday, and he should stay involved to be a solid value option whether he continues to get touchdowns or just racks up PPR volume.
Other Option — Noah Fant ($4,200)
DST
Stud
Seahawks DST vs. New England Patriots, $3,200 — The Seahawks’ defense has continued to be a turnover machine in these sims. In 40 sims, Seattle has forced 45 turnovers and picked up 94 sacks, eight defensive touchdowns and a safety. The ’Hawks have gotten great play from Jamal Adams and Bobby Wagner, who cause fumbles in flurries. They had a massive five fumble recoveries in one of their earlier matchups with the Patriots, on their way to 11.0 DKFP even without a defensive touchdown. They have at least 5.0 DKFP in seven straight sims, averaging 11.4 DKFP over that span.
Other Option — Patriots ($3,000)
Value
Packers DST at Houston Texans, $2,600 — The Packers’ DST has some star players on it led by X-factor Superstar CB Jaire Alexander. The Packers have limited their opponents well, but have only 11 takeaways in 41 sims to go with their 77 sacks. Houston has been turnover-prone despite great play from Watson, so the Packers should have a decent ceiling in this matchup even though they’re the cheapest DST on the board.
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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.