Check out the DraftKings Dream Stream this Friday night for another three-game set of Madden sims to get a fantasy football fix headed into the weekend. The first game of the featured classic slate is an NFC East matchup between the Washington Football Team and the New York Giants, kicking off at 6:00 p.m. ET. At 8:00 p.m. ET in the primetime contest, the Baltimore Ravens host the Los Angeles Rams, and the final sim of the day kicks off at 10:00 p.m. ET when the Houston Texans visit the virtual Big Easy to take on the New Orleans Saints.
Check out all the gameplay details on the Madden Streams Information Page and dive into the full depth chart for each team. Check out my favorite fantasy plays for this Friday night listed below.
Quarterback
Stud
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens vs. Los Angeles Rams, $7,700 — Jackson has been one of the top QB plays in all of Madden 21 mostly due to his rushing production. In his 77 games, Jackson has averaged 105.8 rushing yards and 146.5 passing yards per sim while scoring 65 rushing touchdowns and 76 passing touchdowns. He has 10 touchdowns in his past five games with over 19 DKFP in four of those contests, highlighted by 37.08 DKFP against the Lions. This will be his first matchup with the Rams in Madden 21.
Other Option — Deshaun Watson ($7,300)
Value
Dwayne Haskins Jr., Washington Football Team vs. New York Giants, $5,400 — Haskins has faced the Giants five times in Madden 21. He has averaged 15.8 DKFP in those five meetings with over 18 DKFP in three of those contests. Haskins has had a few big games but is extremely boom-or-bust. However, if you’re going to fade Jackson and Watson, Haskins is a complete pivot that saves a ton of salary, still comes with upside, and leaves you able to stack top players in other spots.
Other Option — Drew Brees ($6,600)
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Running Back
Stud
J.D. McKissic, Washington Football Team vs. New York Giants, $7,200 — McKissic is the RB1, third-down back and power back for Washington, and has been in those roles for the past three meetings between these two teams. He had a touchdown in each of those three sims with over 25 DKFP in two of them. He is averaging 4.3 catches per sim after posting at least four receptions in nine of his past 10 games and has over 11 DKFP in eight straight.
Other Option — Alvin Kamara ($8,000), Saquon Barkley ($7,700)
Value
Duke Johnson, Houston Texans at New Orleans Saints, $4,300 — Duke Johnson splits time with David Johnson ($5,200) in Houston’s backfield, with Duke getting most of the PPR work. He has multiple receptions in seven straight and 10 of his past 11 sims, and he makes a very solid cheap option. He could get even more work if the Texans have to go pass-heavy playing from behind.
Other Option — J.K. Dobbins ($4,900)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints vs. Houston Texans, $7,200 — The Texans’ secondary has been a great matchup for WR1, and Thomas is the only WR with a perfect 99 overall rating in Madden 21. He had seven catches, 120 yards, two touchdowns and 36.0 DKFP in their first meeting. He just had a great run of seven straight games with over 12 DKFP during which he averaged 23.6 DKFP, but that streak came to an end against the Jets in the snow. In this matchup, he should be able to bounce back with a big game.
Other Options — Robert Woods ($6,300), Emmanuel Sanders ($5,500)
Value
Darius Slayton, New York Giants at Washington Football Team, $4,600 — Slayton has scored four touchdowns in his four most recent sims to bring his total to 24 in 67 sims to go with his 2.7 catches for 45.7 yards per contest. He had one big game with over 100 yards and 25.6 DKFP in one prior matchup against Washington and brings solid boom-or-bust production from under $5K.
Tre’Quan Smith, New Orleans Saints vs. Houston Texans, $4,300 — Smith is the Saints’ WR3 but usually gets enough targets to take advantage of favorable matchups like this one. He had six catches and 13.4 DKFP against the Jets and has posted over 6.0 DKFP with multiple catches in six of his past nine games.
Other Options — Josh Reynolds ($5,200), Terry McLaurin ($5,100), Marquise Brown ($3,900)
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Tight End
Stud
Jared Cook, New Orleans Saints vs. Houston Texans, $5,200 — Cook is another Saints pass-catcher to consider against the Texans. He has exactly 400 catches in his 80 sims while averaging 52.6 yards and 12.0 DKFP per sim. He has over 10 DKFP in seven of his past eight and has been one of the most consistent TEs in all of Madden 21.
Other Option — Jeremy Sprinkle ($4,400)
Value
Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams at Baltimore Ravens, $3,800 — Higbee has been boom-or-bust but does come with a nice ceiling for such a cheap play. He had a massive 36.1 DKFP against the Titans in a recent sim but has been held under 10 DKFP in each of his three most recent games. If you’re looking to go cheap and keep your ceiling high, Higbee makes sense.
Other Option — Darren Fells ($3,900)
DST
Stud
Washington Football Team DST vs. New York Giants, $3,000 — The Football Team’s defense has posted double-digit DKFP in three of its past four sims despite facing Tom Brady twice and Josh Allen. A matchup with Daniel Jones ($6,000) sets up another good game for the defense, which features a great pass rush that has totaled 161 sacks in 74 sims and also forced 53 turnovers.
Value
Saints DST vs. Houston Texans, $2,700 — The Saints have forced only 28 turnovers in their 80 sims but have managed 163 sacks and six defensive touchdowns. One of those scores did come against the Texans in their previous meeting, when the Saints’ DST finished with 9.0 DKFP. Watson has been turnover prone at times, making the Saints the best cheap DST available.
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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.