Tuesday brings another full day of six Madden 21 sims to the DraftKings Dream Stream with plenty of ways for everyone to get involved in free or paid fantasy football contests. The featured classic slate includes the three later games on the schedule, getting underway at 6:00 p.m. ET with a matchup between the Washington Football Team and the Miami Dolphins. At 8:00 p.m. ET in primetime, the Arizona Cardinals welcome the Indianapolis Colts to the desert, and the final game of the day is a Madden After Dark matchup between the Detroit Lions and the Cincinnati Bengals from Ford Field in the virtual Motor City.
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 the 2020-21 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
Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals vs. Indianapolis Colts, $7,600 — Murray is the highest-priced QB on this slate by a wide margin, but he is still worth considering since he is the only QB available that brings a consistent running threat in addition to his passing skills. Kyler has run for nine touchdowns in his past eight games, bringing his total to 27 rushing scores to go with his 66 passing touchdowns in 59 sims. He is averaging 178.5 passing yards and 68.4 rushing yards per game and has posted over 20 DKFP in 10 of his 11 most recent sims. In his earlier matchup with Indianapolis, Murray finished with “just” 16.2 DKFP but still helped the Cardinals beat the Colts, 16-13. I think he’ll be able to outperform that total and keep on rolling in this rematch, so see if you can make the rest of your lineup work while absorbing his salary, especially since there is such a steep drop off to the rest of the options available.
Value
Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions vs. Cincinnati Bengals, $6,300 — While everyone is excited to see the new-look Rams with Stafford at QB, he continues to be a solid option in Madden 21 with the Lions. He has not been nearly as consistent as Murray since he doesn’t add any rushing, but he has had over 26 DKFP in two of his three previous games against the Bengals, so there is upside to consider, especially if this game gets high-scoring. Both defenses have struggled throughout Madden 21, so there could be plenty of points available. Stafford is averaging 249.0 passing yards over his 58 sims and has thrown exactly 100 touchdowns with multiple touchdown tosses in 14 of his 15 most recent sims. If he throws multiple scores again, he has a good chance of being the best non-Kyler QB on this slate.
Other Option — Joe Burrow ($6,700), Dwayne Haskins Jr. ($5,500)
Running Back
Stud
Matt Breida, Miami Dolphins vs. Washington Football Team, $7,300 — Breida is the Dolphins’ RB1 and third-down back in these sims, giving him a full workload and plenty of chances to produce both as a rusher and receiver. He had 121 rushing yards and three catches for 29 more yards in his first matchup with Washington, posting 21.0 DKFP despite not scoring a touchdown in a low-scoring 10-7 Miami victory. In this rematch, he should again find some running room and always has the potential to go for a big play or two. Breida has been hot lately with over 18 DKFP in four straight sims, including a 40.2-DKFP contest in his most recent game when he scored three touchdowns against the Titans.
Other Options — Kenyan Drake ($7,100), J.D. McKissic ($6,900)
Value
D’Andre Swift, Detroit Lions vs. Cincinnati Bengals, $5,300 — The three RBs listed above are each the full-time option at RB, but there are some solid value plays from the three timeshares on the slate as well. Swift is the Lions’ third-down back while Kerryon Johnson ($3,700) takes care of the early-down RB1 work. Swift has been the better fantasy option, though, since he has averaged 3.5 receptions for 23.8 yards per sim and scored a total of 14 touchdowns in 58 contests. The rookie RB has scored in each of his two most recent contests and put up over 11 DKFP in three of his past four. He is a little less reliable than the three full-time options over $6K, but he typically gets plenty of involvement in the Lions’ offense and a favorable matchup against the Bengals, who he produced 24.4 DKFP against during their most recent meeting.
Other Options — Giovani Bernard ($6,000), Joe Mixon ($4,600)
Wide Receiver
Stud
A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals at Detroit Lions, $5,700 — While Kenny Golladay ($6,100) and Marvin Jones Jr. ($6,300) do have good upside on the other side of this matchup, they also can siphon work from each other and also have to share work with Swift and TE T.J. Hockenson ($5,800) in Detroit’s passing game. Since both those Lions WRs can be volatile, I actually think the better play comes from the other side of the late game with Bengals WR1 A.J. Green. Green has been up and down in these sims at times as well, but he has thrived in each of his three matchups with Detroit’s low-rated secondary. Green had 31.3 DKFP against the Lions in their first Madden 21 meeting with five catches, two touchdowns and 113 yards. He followed that up with 17.0 and 20.6 DKFP in their two meetings since then. In his most recent five sims, Green has scored four touchdowns and averaged 13.0 DKFP. He’ll be a very solid play under $6K if he is around those numbers again and brings a much higher ceiling to this slate based on matchup.
Other Option — Kenny Golladay ($6,100), DeVante Parker ($5,400)
Value
T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts at Arizona Cardinals, $5,100 — Another veteran WR with a solid ceiling on this slate is Hilton, who beat the Cardinals for 106 yards and 20.6 DKFP in their first Madden 21 meeting. Hilton has averaged 3.8 catches for 57.5 yards per game as the Colts’ WR1 in his 59 contests and scored 24 touchdowns. His level of connection with Philip Rivers ($6,000) can vary depending on the defensive scheme they are facing, but they were in sync when they faced the Cardinals for the first time. Hilton brings a very high ceiling if he can once again be the focus of the passing game. Hilton’s average of 12.5 DKFP is the third-highest of any WR on the slate so getting him as the ninth-most expensive WR seems like a bit of a bargain.
Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals vs. Indianapolis Colts, $4,300 — Fitz has been a solid possession receiver for the Cardinals in these sims, piling up PPR points even though he doesn’t pose as much of a downfield threat as he did earlier in his career. The veteran WR has at least three catches in eight straight contests and recently had 10 catches in a sim against Seattle. In that game, he finished with 17.5 DKFP, and he has produced over 9.0 DKFP in five of his past 10 sims. He was heavily involved with seven catches for 88 yards and 15.8 DKFP in his first meeting with the Colts, and he’s a relatively low-risk value play in this rematch with Indy.
Other Options — Danny Amendola ($4,500), Zach Pascal ($4,100), Jakeem Grant ($3,500)
Tight End
Stud
Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins vs. Washington Football Team, $5,600 — Gesicki comes into this matchup on a three-game scoring streak that has raised his total to 23 touchdowns in 60 Madden 21 sims. He has averaged 4.4 catches for 49.3 yards per sim overall and has been especially effective at home, where he has produced 12.7 DKFP. He’s also coming off a monster game against the Titans in which he caught eight passes for 89 yards, a touchdown and 22.9 DKFP. That performance is part of a run of double-digit DKFP in nine of his past 10 contests with an impressive average of 15.4 DKFP over that span.
Other Option — T.J. Hockenson ($5,800)
Value
C.J. Uzomah, Cincinnati Bengals at Detroit Lions, $4,400 — Uzomah has his season cut short in real life due to an injury, but he has flourished as the Bengals’ TE1 in simland in Madden 21. He has averaged 4.1 catches for 42.1 yards per contest while scoring 13 times in 58 games. He had 21.5 DKFP in his first matchup with the Lions and followed that with lower outputs of 8.9 and 7.6 DKFP in the two rematches since then. The one constant, though, has been that he has at least four catches in each of those three sims, and he also has at least that many receptions in four of his five most recent contests. If he continues seeing that kind of volume, he’s a solid play at just over $4K.
Other Option — Trey Burton ($4,800)
DST
Stud
Washington Football Team DST at Miami Dolphins, $3,200 — While the Dolphins do have some good individual matchups, the Football Team’s defense has been the best of the six available on this slate by a wide margin, so pay up for them if you can. Washington’s elite pass-rush has produced 129 sacks in 59 sims, and the defense has forced 41 turnovers while scoring seven touchdowns. Washington had 7.0 DKFP in their first meeting with rookie QB Tua Tagovailoa ($5,800), which is slightly above their average of 6.1 DKFP per sim. No other DST on this slate has an average over 4.1 DKFP, so there is a significant drop off if you decide to look elsewhere.
Value
Colts DST at Arizona Cardinals, $2,900 — If you do pivot from Washington, I don’t think you should go any lower than the Colts, who are the third-most-expensive option in play. Murray has had some fumbling issues since he does run so much in these sims, and the Colts have reached at least their average of 4.0 DKFP in four of their past seven sims. While they don’t have the playmakers that Washington offers, they are a solid unit overall and do have the potential for a few takeaways in this matchup.
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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.