Start the work week right with some Monday night action on the DraftKings Dream Stream as part of another full six games of Madden on the schedule. The later three games on Monday’s schedule make up the featured three-game classic slate, which gets underway at 6:00 p.m. ET when the Tennessee Titans host the Cincinnati Bengals. In primetime at 8:00 p.m. ET, the Jacksonville Jaguars are in action taking on the Atlanta Falcons, and we close out the night with the Buffalo Bills heading West to circle the wagons against the San Francisco 49ers on Madden After Dark.
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.
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Quarterback
Stud
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills at San Francisco 49ers, $7,300 — Allen is the only QB on this slate averaging over 20 DKFP per sim, and he comes with a very high ceiling due to his regular rushing production. He has run for over 80 yards in three straight sims, leading Buffalo to wins over the Falcons, Steelers and Titans with 22.1, 30.28 and 27.38 DKFP, respectively. He has multiple touchdowns in five straight contests and has been significantly better since getting Superstar traits added to his profile in the December update from EA Sports. He had a rushing touchdown and a passing touchdown in his first matchup with the 49ers in these sims, producing 18.58 DKFP in a 21-13 Buffalo win. With his regular rushing production, he has both the highest ceiling and the lowest risk of any QB on the slate.
Other Option — Matt Ryan ($6,500)
Value
Gardner Minshew II, Jacksonville Jaguars at Atlanta Falcons, $6,000 — While Minshew hasn’t been as reliable in these sims as Allen has been, he does bring a high ceiling to this matchup with Atlanta. Minshew Mania produced 31.82 DKFP in his most recent matchup with the Falcons and had 16.18 DKFP in the teams’ first Madden 21 meeting. He had three touchdowns and over 25 DKFP in a recent sim against the Jets but then settled down with under 15 DKFP in each of his two most recent contests. He is definitely boom-or-bust, but he’s in a favorable matchup and brings much more potential upside than the other cheap QBs available on this slate.
Other Option — Ryan Tannehill ($5,900)
Running Back
Stud
Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans vs. Cincinnati Bengals, $8,000 — While the QB talent is a little light on this slate, there are several elite options at RB. Henry leads the way with the highest salary on the board and is the only RB available in this contest that has produced over 20 DKFP per contest. He has scored 49 touchdowns in his 52 sims while averaging 84.3 rushing yards and 26.1 receiving yards per game. He has hauled in 3.7 catches per contest and has multiple receptions in each of his past six games to help prop up his value with regular PPR production as well. Henry hardly ever busts and gets a great matchup against the Bengals’ run defense that has given up some of the biggest RB performances we have seen in Madden 21. This will be the first time King Henry tries to rule over Cincinnati in these sims, and he’s in a great spot for a monster performance.
Other Options — Raheem Mostert ($7,900), Todd Gurley II ($7,400)
Value
Devin Singletary, Buffalo Bills at San Francisco 49ers, $5,000 — This is a very nice salary for “Motor,” who is both the RB1 and third-down back for the Bills in these sims. He does lose some occasional work to Zack Moss ($3,200) as the power back, but most of the time, it’s Singletary lined up with Allen in the backfield. He has averaged 2.6 catches for 17.4 yards in addition to his 54.0 yards per sim and has scored 15 touchdowns in his 52 contests. While those numbers are nowhere close to Henry’s, Singletary is a very safe play at this price since he should definitely get enough of the workload in his rematch with the 49ers. The first time he faced San Francisco in these sims, he had a solid 11.5 DKFP, and he has over 9.0 DKFP in 14 of his past 17 sims, including that contest. Singletary does lose some goal-line carries to Allen, but he still makes sense at this salary, which is actually lower than both of the two RBs sharing time in the Bengals’ backfield.
Other Option — Giovani Bernard ($5,400)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, $6,500 — Jones is the highest-rated WR on this slate and has also been the most productive, putting up 16.8 DKFP per sim on 4.7 catches for 75.4 yards per game to go with his 32 touchdowns. He went off for 33.1 DKFP on six catches for 181 yards in his most recent matchup with the Jaguars after a quiet game against them in their first Madden 21 matchup. While he does disappear at times against elite CBs, he has reached double-digit DKFP in four of his past five games and should be able to once again take advantage of his clear ratings advantage in this matchup with Jacksonville’s secondary.
Other Options — Stefon Diggs ($6,900), DJ Chark Jr. ($5,900)
Value
Dede Westbrook, Jacksonville Jaguars at Atlanta Falcons, $4,900 — Although he fell out of favor in Jacksonville this season before suffering a major injury, Westbrook is still the WR2 for the Jags in these sims and works as their primary slot receiver. He had seven catches for 77 yards and 20.7 DKFP in his most recent matchup with the Falcons, who regularly struggle to cover opposing slot receivers. Westbrook has a very high ceiling, which he showed off with a 46.0-DKFP game against the Giants, and he had reeled off eight straight multi-catch performances before being held to just one reception for three yards in his most recent sim, which was against the Rams. He should be able to bounce back from that letdown with a much better showing against the Falcons, and he has a great ceiling for a play under $5K.
Adam Humphries, Tennessee Titans vs. Cincinnati Bengals, $3,700 — Humphries has had success for the Titans out of the slot and usually has good PPR numbers in soft matchups like this one against the Bengals. He is averaging 2.7 catches for 32.9 yards per sim over his 52 contests and has multiple catches in 44 of those 52 games (85%). He has at least three catches and over 7.5 DKFP in four of his past five sims, and he should be able to produce nice value again in this contest as he faces the Bengals’ so-so secondary.
Other Options — John Ross III ($5,700), A.J. Brown ($5,000), Tyler Boyd ($4,500), Russell Gage ($3,800)
Tight End
Stud
Jonnu Smith, Tennessee Titans vs. Cincinnati Bengals, $4,900 — The Bengals are also a favorable matchup for Smith, who has at least seven catches, at least 80 yards and at least 15 DKFP in three straight sims coming into this matchup. He has raised his average to 11.6 DKFP per sim on 4.6 receptions for 48.7 yards per game. He has also never been shut out in any contest while getting to the end zone 15 times. Smith is expected to be one of the top free-agent TEs available this offseason, and he’ll continue to be a nice option for the Titans in Madden 21.
Other Options — George Kittle ($5,700), Hayden Hurst ($4,800)
Value
C.J. Uzomah, Cincinnati Bengals at Tennessee Titans, $4,000 — On the other side of that matchup, Uzomah makes a lot of sense as well since he gets lots of volume from Joe Burrow ($6,700), who has connected with his TE on 12 touchdown passes while helping Uzomah to average 3.9 catches for 40.9 yards per sim. Uzomah has at least four catches in seven straight sims making him a relatively low-risk play due to his PPR volume, especially in this matchup against the Titans, who have been very beatable by opposing TEs in these sims.
Other Option — Lee Smith ($3,500)
DST
Stud
Titans DST vs. Cincinnati Bengals, $2,800 — The Titans have been the top DST on this slate, producing 5.6 DKFP per contest, and they get a great matchup against the Bengals in this contest. Burrow has been good overall in these sims, but he has had some turnover issues, throwing 16 interceptions and losing 17 fumbles, including three lost fumbles in his three most recent sims. The Titans have forced 36 turnovers in their 52 sims while adding 111 sacks and six defensive touchdowns. They have been especially good about getting to the QB when playing at home, where they are averaging 2.5 sacks and 5.8 DKFP per sim.
Value
Falcons DST vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, $2,600 — The Falcons’ DST failed to live up to expectations this year and ultimately coach Dan Quinn was let go as a result. In simland, though, they have actually been pretty decent with 29 takeaways and 109 sacks in 54 contests. They only had 3.0 and 1.0 DKFP in their previous matchups with the Jaguars in Madden 21, but they have shown a good ceiling in a few of their recent matchups, including a 15.0-DKFP performance against the Rams and an 8.0-DKFP performance against the Raiders.
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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.