Monday starts another busy week on the sports calendar with baseball, basketball, hockey and golf all at important points in their respective seasons. There’s also still fantasy football in the mix thanks to six more sims ready to come your way on the DraftKings Dream Stream. The featured three-game classic slate kicks off at 6:00 p.m. ET with an AFC South matchup between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Tennessee Titans. At 8:00 p.m. ET, there’s another nice AFC showdown in primetime, when the Los Angeles Chargers host Lamar Jackson ($8,500) and the Baltimore Ravens. The final sim of the day will be a matchup between the Miami Dolphins and the Philadelphia Eagles from virtual Hard Rock Stadium on Madden After Dark at 10:00 p.m. ET.
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 on the Madden Stream info page, where you can also find links to 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
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens at Los Angeles Chargers, $8,500 — The man is on the cover of the game for a reason, and the dynamic athlete has shown an immensely high ceiling as an incredibly entertaining dual-threat throughout his 66 Madden sims. He has run for 50 touchdowns while averaging 106.7 rushing yards per sim, which is a better per-game average than not only every other QB but also every single RB in these sims. He adds 153.9 passing yards per sim as well and has thrown 69 touchdowns compared to only six interceptions. Jackson is a strong play regardless of matchup, but this is an especially good spot for him since he has beaten the Chargers’ defense for 27.1, 22.36 and 27.18 DKFP in their three previous Madden 21 meetings. His results against the Chargers are in line with his impressive average of 26.8 DKFP per sim overall, and his upside makes him worth paying up for as a centerpiece of your Monday night lineup.
Other Option — Carson Wentz ($7,000)
Value
Gardner Minshew II, Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans, $5,300 — If you’re looking to pivot from Jackson, it makes sense to go all the way to the other end of the salary spectrum and roll with Minshew, who is the cheapest starting QB on this slate but still brings very nice upside. He has faced the Titans three times in Madden 21 and produced over 21 DKFP in each matchup, highlighted by 28.88 DKFP on 332 passing yards with three touchdowns in one of those meetings. Minshew has been very boom-or-bust in these sims but does have multiple passing scores and over 16 DKFP in each of his two most recent sims coming into this matchup. He saves a ton of salary compared to Jackson and going with him at QB leaves you plenty of room under the cap for the rest of your roster. If he hits for over 21 again in this matchup he represents a return of about 4 DKFP per $1,000 of his salary, which Jackson would have to reach about 34 DKFP to match from a per-dollar perspective.
Other Option — Justin Herbert ($6,100)
Running Back
Stud
Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, $7,700 — Henry is the focal point of the Titans’ offense and has scored 56 touchdowns in his 63 sims while carrying a huge workload as both a rusher and a receiver. He is producing 20.2 DKFP per sim on 80.2 rushing yards and 3.6 catches for 24.6 receiving yards per game. He is coming into this matchup off a very disappointing showing against the Rams with just 3.5 DKFP in his most recent sim. He should be in a good bounce-back spot, though, since he has thrived against the Jaguars, posting 29.1 and 22.2 DKFP in his two most recent sims against his divisional rivals.
Other Options — Austin Ekeler ($8,100), Miles Sanders ($7,000)
Value
J.K. Dobbins, Baltimore Ravens at Los Angeles Chargers, $4,300 — Of the six teams in action, the only one that uses a timeshare in the backfield is the Ravens, who rotate Dobbins in as their third-down back and power back while Mark Ingram II ($5,000) serves as the RB1. Dobbins has been a solid producer when given opportunities, scoring 14 touchdowns and averaging 2.2 catches for 17.0 yards per sim. He has gone off for a few monster games, like when he had 20.6 DKFP three sims ago, but he usually checks in with 5-to-10 DKFP. He hasn’t been great in his previous matchups against the Chargers, but he is still by far the best play under $5K if you can’t afford to get Jackson and two full-time RBs under your salary cap.
Wide Receiver
Stud
DJ Chark Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans, $5,700 — If you’re tight on salary cap space by the time you hit WR, the good news is that there are no options on this slate over $6K. Chark is one of the higher-priced plays coming in at $5.7K and is definitely worth a look given his matchup and usage. Chark has been heavily targeted as the Jaguars’ WR1 in these sims and has produced 12.9 DKFP on 3.6 catches for 59.0 yards per sim and a total of 32 touchdowns in 63 sims. He has been a little volatile at times but has also torn apart the Titans’ secondary with 31.6 and 28.0 DKFP in two of their past three meetings. Chark snapped a five-game stretch without a touchdown in his most recent sim against the Colts, and I think he should be lined up for a big game in this contest. If you’re in on Minshew Mania, Chark is a WR stack to pair with the mustachioed QB since they’ve had many big games together in these sims
Other Options — DeSean Jackson ($5,900), Keenan Allen ($5,800)
Value
Marquise Goodwin, Philadelphia Eagles at Miami Dolphins, $5,000 — Only Tyreek Hill and Harry Ruggs have a higher speed rating in all of Madden 21 than Goodwin’s 97 speed rating. That speed has given him a ton of big-play upside as the Eagles’ WR3, and he has flashed with some huge performances as a result. He had four catches for 45 yards in his first meeting with Miami in these sims and is always a threat for a big play when he gets that much volume. He has two games with over 27 DKFP in his past six sims and has averaged 14.0 DKFP per game over that stretch. He is a volatile option since he relies on big plays, but brings a great ceiling in this matchup at only $5K.
Willie Snead IV, Baltimore Ravens at Los Angeles Chargers, $3,800 — Snead had exactly three catches in each of his three earlier matchups with the Chargers in Madden 21 and is a great value option to help balance out Jackson’s salary while also providing a way to stack the Ravens offense. Snead had 5.3 and 5.4 DKFP in two of those earlier games against the Chargers while reaching 10.0 DKFP since he had a touchdown in the other meeting. He has 14 touchdowns in his 64 Madden 21 appearances and has averaged 3.0 catches for 30.6 yards per sim. At this salary, he brings solid upside and relatively low risk due to his consistent involvement as the Ravens’ slot receiver.
Other Options — Chris Conley ($4,200), Jakeem Grant ($3,600), Joe Reed ($3,300)
Tight End
Stud
Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins vs. Philadelphia Eagles, $5,500 — Gesicki has been one of the most heavily utilized TEs in Madden 21 and is averaging 4.5 catches per sim for 49.9 yards and 12.1 DKFP per game. He had his streak of consecutive games with a touchdown snapped at four in his most recent sim but has found the end zone 25 times in 63 sims. He has become the entire focus of the Dolphins’ offense in several recent matchups and has scored double-digit DKFP in seven of his past eight sims while averaging 15.4 DKFP per contest over that stretch.
Other Options — Zach Ertz ($5,700), Hunter Henry ($4,900)
Value
Tyler Eifert, Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans, $4,200 — Eifert had 22.2 DKFP on seven catches, 92 yards and a touchdown in his most recent matchup with the Titans and posted 10.2 DKFP against them in an earlier meeting in Madden 21 as well. He has averaged 4.6 catches for 41.9 yards in his 62 appearances overall and has been a PPR beast and has also found the end zone 22 times. The veteran is a free agent at this point in the offseason in real life, but he’s still posting good numbers with the Jags in these sims.
Other Option — Jonnu Smith ($4,300)
DST
Stud
Jaguars DST at Tennessee Titans, $2,900 — The Jaguars have averaged 6.0 DKFP in their first three matchups with the Titans and will be a solid play at this price if they reach around that number again in this rematch. The Chargers DST ($3,100) does have a higher ceiling, but facing Lamar Jackson is also a big risk. Instead, the Jaguars make a safer play and have managed to produce 111 sacks and 35 takeaways in their 63 sims and have averaged 4.0 DKFP overall despite only scoring two defensive touchdowns.
Value
Eagles DST at Miami Dolphins, $2,600 — The Eagles have been able to stack up 112 sacks in their 63 sims but have only managed to force 22 turnovers, which is why they’re the cheapest play on this slate. They do have a decent matchup against the Dolphins, though, and were able to sack rookie QB Tua Tagovailoa ($5,600) twice in their previous Madden 21 meeting on their way to 3.0 DKFP. They’ll try to get to Tua even more in this rematch and force him into poor decisions.
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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.