Settle in for another great Simday on Saturday with the DraftKings Dream Stream ready to roll with six more great Madden 21 sims scheduled throughout the afternoon and evening. The later three games on the schedule are part of the featured classic slate, which gets underway at 6:00 p.m. ET when the Miami Dolphins welcome the Green Bay Packers to South Beach. At 8:00 p.m. ET, the Atlanta Falcons visit the Philadelphia Eagles in a battle of the birds, and we close out the night with a Madden After Dark matchup featuring the Tennessee Titans taking on the Washington Football Team.
As in all of these Madden 21 sims, it’s important to know that each roster is not impacted by COVID-19 opt-outs, injuries, suspensions or illness 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.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: Madden Stream $4K Saturday Night Special [$1K to 1st] and your FREE fantasy football lineups here: Madden Stream $250 FREE Contest
Quarterback
Stud
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers at Miami Dolphins, $6,400 — Rodgers has been a very effective passer in these sims, but he isn’t an elite QB play since there are QBs that add much more production on the ground. While he hasn’t been a “must-play” every time he’s on the slate, I love him in this matchup and think he’s a good option compared to the other QBs available on this slate. Rodgers has faced the Dolphins five times already in these Madden 21 sims and has gone off in his two most recent games against them, producing 34.26 DKFP on 329 yards and three touchdowns in their most recent sim and 22.22 DKFP on 248 yards and three touchdowns in his previous contest. In his earlier meetings with Miami, he only managed 17.0, 14.58 and 11.72 DKFP, but he has shown lately that he brings a high ceiling if he can find the mismatches to attack. In his 56 sims, Rodgers has totaled 111 total touchdowns and averaged 248.1 passing yards per sim.
Other Option — Matt Ryan ($6,500)
Value
Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans at Washington Football Team, $5,900 — Tannehill has the most upside of the three QBs priced under $6K, and he just had a solid game against Washington in their recent meeting, posting 18.3 DKFP on 250 passing yards and two passing touchdowns in a 24-3 Titans victory. Tannehill has been inconsistent overall in these contests and sometimes plays a supporting role when the Titans’ offense becomes the Derrick Henry ($8,300) show. Tannehill has also had some turnover issues lately, but if he can take care of the football and get the ball to his playmakers on the outside, he should find favorable matchups for big gains against Washington.
Other Option — Tua Tagovailoa ($5,700)
Running Back
Stud
Miles Sanders, Philadephia Eagles vs. Atlanta Falcons, $7,500 — It’s always a very scary proposition to fade Henry, who has an immensely high ceiling and always brings the potential to break the slate. However, Henry’s matchup with Washington is a tough one and they’ve been more vulnerable through the air than on the ground. Sanders makes a very intriguing pivot in a favorable matchup against the Falcons. Sanders has scored 48 touchdowns in 54 sims and adds 3.3 receptions for 22.1 yards per game on top of his 68.1 rushing yards per sim. He has posted over 30 DKFP in two of his past three games with multiple touchdowns in each of those contests against the Broncos and the Panthers. He only had one touchdown and 11.0 DKFP in his past matchup with the Falcons, but I think he’ll have a better game in this rematch and has a good chance of coming close to matching Henry’s production at a more affordable rate.
Other Option — Derrick Henry ($8,300)
Value
Matt Breida, Miami Dolphins vs. Green Bay Packers, $6,200 — The way RB sets up on this slate, you’re either going to have to pay over $6K for each of your roster spots or punt a position. There are no timeshares on the slate as each RB1 also serves as the team’s third-down back. You could take a dart throw on Jordan Howard ($3,500) or Peyton Barber ($3,000) as a power back, but each of them has very minimal involvement and may end up being a total waste. There are solid bargain options at other positions, so it’s probably best to stock up with a pair of top RBs. Of the three options between $6K and $7K, Breida is my favorite play since he has been solid for the Dolphins, averaging 3.4 catches, 28.6 receiving yards and 56.2 rushing yards per contest. He has scored 30 touchdowns in his 54 contests and averaged 17.94 DKFP per game in his five previous Madden 21 sims against these Packers. Breida hit for over 20 DKFP in two of those matchups, and he has solid potential to deliver that number again in this rematch, making him a nice play at this price.
Other Option — Aaron Jones ($6,800)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles, $6,500 — The Eagles’ secondary has given up plenty of big plays through the air to opposing WR1 options in Madden 21, although they did manage to hold the Falcons to just six points in their recent meeting. I don’t think they have the matchup advantage to do that again, though, and expect Julio to get loose for some big gains. In his 56 sims, Jones has averaged 4.6 catches for 73.4 yards per game and has found the end zone 33 times. Jones just had 30.4 DKFP in his most recent sim, despite a tough matchup with the Rams, and he should be able to create space against the Eagles as well. If you are paying up at WR, he’s a safer play than Davante Adams ($6,300) or Devin Funchess ($5,300) since each of the two Packers’ WR can sometimes lose workload to the other WR having a big game.
Other Options — DeVante Parker ($5,800), DeSean Jackson ($5,600)
Value
Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans at Washington Football Team, $4,800 — Davis has slightly outproduced his teammate A.J. Brown ($5,000) in these sims and had five catches for 85 yards, a touchdown and 18.5 DKFP in his previous matchup with Washington. Davis should have a nice ratings advantage on the outside once again and makes a nice value stack with Tannehill if you spend up in other spots. Davis has scored 18 times in his 54 sims and had at least 40 yards in six straight sims before a letdown against the Bengals in his most recent contest. I think he’s in a good spot to bounce back and present nice value under $5K on this slate.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Green Bay Packers at Miami Dolphins, $4,600 — The Packers’ WR3 and slot option has regularly produced good games against the Dolphins, putting up over 15 DKFP in three of his five contests against Miami and finishing with multiple receptions in each of those five meetings. Overall, he is averaging 3.2 catches for 42.3 yards per sim and has found the end zone 19 times. He has a high ceiling and has regularly delivered in this specific matchup against Miami.
Other Options — Terry McLaurin ($5,100), Marquise Goodwin ($4,700), Jakeem Grant ($3,600), Adam Humphries ($3,500)
Tight End
Stud
Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles vs. Atlanta Falcons, $5,600 — Ertz has been a good play in these sims mostly due to his high volume. He has averaged 5.5 catches for 57.9 yards per contest and has scored 21 touchdowns in 53 sims. He had six catches in his first contest against the Falcons and has at least three catches in 10 straight sims coming into this rematch. Ertz has a high ceiling as well, which he showcased with two games of at least 120 yards during that stretch, which resulted in 24.4 and 38.0 DKFP.
Other Options — Mike Gesicki ($5,200), Jonnu Smith ($4,700)
Value
Jeremy Sprinkle, Washington Football Team vs. Tennessee Titans, $4,200 — “The Sprinkler” has gone off for over 14 DKFP in three of his past four sims and is averaging 4.0 catches per contest. While he hasn’t been quite as regularly involved as Ertz, he does still offer good PPR production and can put up big points if he gets a lot of attention from Dwayne Haskins Jr. ($5,800).
Other Option — Marcedes Lewis ($3,500)
DST
Stud
Titans DST at Washington Football Team, $3,000 — The Titans limited Dwayne Haskins ($5,800) and the Football Team to just three points in their previous meeting and picked up three sacks as well on their way to 10.0 DKFP. In this same matchup, they should have another successful day and have a high ceiling as a result of the matchup. In their 54 sims, the Titans have produced 38 turnovers to go with 115 sacks and six defensive touchdowns. They had 7.0 DKFP and a pair of fumble recoveries in their most recent sim against the Bengals.
Value
Falcons DST at Philadelphia Eagles, $2,700 — The Falcons’ defense has been much better in these sims than it was in real life this past season. In 56 sims, the Falcons have forced 29 turnovers to go with 112 sacks. They had four sacks in their first game against Philly, and they are a solid value play based on their pass rush in this rematch. On the other side of the primetime matchup, the Eagles DST ($2,600) is also worth a look, but I prefer Atlanta’s defense since the Eagles don’t match up well against Jones and Calvin Ridley ($5,200) on the outside.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: Madden Stream $4K Saturday Night Special [$1K to 1st] and your FREE fantasy football lineups here: Madden Stream $250 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.