After an abbreviated schedule Friday, the Madden simulated season has a full schedule of six games on tap for Saturday on the DraftKings Dream Stream. At 6:00 p.m. ET, the featured classic slate gets underway with a fun Super Bowl rematch between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons. In primetime at 8:00 p.m. ET, the Philadelphia Eagles host the New Orleans Saints, and we close out the night with an AFC East matchup between the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets on Madden After Dark at 10:00 p.m. ET.
As you build your lineups, be sure to consider the depth charts for each team. If you’re looking for gameplay details for these sims along with the upcoming schedule, head over to the Madden Streams Information Page.
Quarterback
Stud
Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints at Philadelphia Eagles, $6,400 — Brees was a solid play in the Saints’ game on Thursday, throwing three touchdowns and putting up 21.04 DKFP despite losing to the Titans. He now has multiple touchdowns in four of his past five games with over 17 DKFP in each of those contests. He had 23.86 DKFP in his most recent matchup with the Eagles, who have a thin secondary that should leave mismatches for Brees to take advantage of in this rematch.
Other Option — Carson Wentz ($6,800)
Value
Cam Newton, New England Patriots at Atlanta Falcons, $6,300 — Newton is the best option of the three cheaper QBs since the Jets-Dolphins games have been extremely low-scoring in the past. Newton brings a little bit of rushing potential and has posted over 14 DKFP in five of his past seven sims. His ceiling isn’t quite as high as Brees’ ceiling since Cam is averaging 1.48 passing touchdowns per game compared to Brees’ average of 1.64, but he does add that rushing element and gets a good matchup against the Falcons, making him a solid pivot consideration.
Other Option — Tua Tagovailoa ($5,800)
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Running Back
Stud
Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles vs. New Orleans Saints, $6,500 — Sanders and the Eagles picked up a narrow victory over the Broncos late Friday night, and the Eagles’ workhorse RB totaled 27.8 DKFP on 91 rushing yards, a touchdown and seven catches for 57 receiving yards. He now has a rushing touchdown in six straight games and is averaging 19.75 DKFP per sim over that stretch. He had 12.3 and 24.0 DKFP in his first two meetings with the Saints in simland and should be set up for success in this primetime showdown.
Other Options — Todd Gurley II ($7,000), Alvin Kamara ($6,300)
Value
James White, New England Patriots at Atlanta Falcons, $3,800 — With five teams using a workhorse RB, it’s probably best to pay up for two of the top options on this slate, but if you do decide to go cheap, White provides a ton of salary relief. He is the Patriots’ third-down back and has averaged 8.1 DKFP on 19.3 rushing yards and 3.0 receptions for 20.4 receiving yards per game. He has also found the end zone 17 times, including once in his previous contest against Atlanta.
Other Option — Sony Michel ($4,300)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints at Philadelphia Eagles, $6,900 — The Eagles’ secondary has been very generous to opposing WR1 plays, including Courtland Sutton on Friday night. Thomas should be able to take advantage of the matchup and stay hot, building on his six touchdowns over his past five sims with over 16 DKFP in four of those matchups, highlighted by a 36.5-DKFP performance against the Titans. He’s the only WR in the Week 1 ratings used for these sims with a perfect 99 overall rating, so he should be in a mismatch everywhere on the field, giving him a high ceiling.
Other Options — Julio Jones ($7,400), DeSean Jackson ($6,000)
Value
DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins at New York Jets, $5,700 — Parker has found the end zone in two of his three previous matchups with the Jets and has four touchdowns over his past four sims. The Dolphins WR1 has posted 11 DKFP or more in four of his past five contests and has the kind of big-play potential to deliver the kind of long touchdown the Jets have been prone to surrender in Madden 21.
Marquise Goodwin, Philadelphia Eagles vs. New Orleans Saints, $4,600 — Goodwin’s 97 speed rating always makes him a threat for big plays when he’s involved as the Eagles’ WR3. He has at least three catches in six straight sims as well, so the targets are coming his way as he works out of the slot. He also had three catches for 48 yards in his most recent matchup with the Saints, so he should get the opportunities he needs to return solid value.
Other Options — Tre’Quan Smith ($4,700), Jakeem Grant ($4,500), Chris Hogan ($4,200), Russell Gage ($4,000)
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Tight End
Stud
Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles vs. New Orleans Saints, $5,100 — Ertz has been one of the busiest TEs in Madden 21, averaging a robust 5.4 catches for 57.4 yards per sim. He has also scored 38 touchdowns, including two in his three most recent sims. New Orleans has given up some big games to TEs and Ertz totaled 10 catches in their two previous matchups, meaning he should get the workload he needs to remain a relatively safe play.
Other Options — Jared Cook ($4,900)
Value
Chris Herndon, New York Jets vs. Miami Dolphins, $4,200 — Herndon is the cheapest starting TE on the slate but has been a big part of the Jets’ offense, averaging 4.8 catches for 48.3 yards per sim with 19 touchdowns. He was on a very nice roll with double-digit DKFP in five straight earlier this season before a couple of down games against the Bengals and Colts. He should bounce back against Miami, against whom he posted 11.2, 7.2 and 10.3 DKFP in prior meetings.
Other Option — Devin Asiasi ($4,700)
DST
Stud
Patriots DST at Atlanta Falcons, $3,200 — The Patriots have been one of the top DSTs in Madden 21 since all their COVID-19 opt-outs are back on the roster. They have finished with double-digit DKFP in three of their previous five sims and had 11.0 DKFP against the Falcons in their first Madden 21 meeting. Overall, they have 90 takeaways, 153 sacks and 16 defensive scores in their 89 sims.
Value
Dolphins DST at New York Jets, $3,000 — The Dolphins shut out the Jets in their most recent meeting and finished with 15.0 DKFP. They were run all over by the Ravens in their most recent contest but should be able to rebound nicely against a struggling Sam Darnold ($5,500) in what will likely be the lowest-scoring game on the slate.
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