With the American Ultimate Disc League returning to the DraftKings Dream Stream on Friday night, there will be four Madden 21 sims on the schedule as the Madden simulated season continues. All four of those games are on the featured classic slate, which kicks off at 12:00 p.m. ET when the Minnesota Vikings roll into the virtual Motor City to take on the Detroit Lions. At 2:00 p.m. ET, the New York Jets host the Philadelphia Eagles, followed at 4:00 p.m. ET by the Kansas City Chiefs welcoming in the Denver Broncos in an AFC West contest. The final Madden game of the day features the Arizona Cardinals traveling north to take on the Chicago Bears at 6:00 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
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos, $8,200 — There are four QBs on this slate that average over 20 DKFP per sim, but Mahomes is worth paying up for since he has produced 24.7 DKFP per sim and gets a beautiful matchup vs. the Broncos. Mahomes has beaten the Broncos for 20.16, 23.36, 36.16 and 35.48 DKFP in his four previous contests against them, and he has over 28 DKFP in five of his seven most recent matchups. Mahomes has thrown an incredible 241 touchdowns while averaging 288.5 yards per game in his 100 Madden 21 sims.
Other Options — Kyler Murray ($7,000), Carson Wentz ($6,900)
Value
Sam Darnold, New York Jets vs. Philadelphia Eagles, $5,600 — Of the four cheaper QBs, Darnold has the most upside and a pretty decent matchup against the Eagles’ thin secondary. Darnold threw three touchdowns and had 20.92 DKFP vs. the Dolphins in his most recent sim, and he posted 22.4 DKFP in his most recent matchup vs. the Eagles. Darnold can be boom or bust, but he has put up over 20 DKFP in five of his past eight sims, making him an interesting pivot under $6K.
Other Option — Matthew Stafford ($6,200)
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: Madden Stream $6K Friday Special [$2K to 1st] and your FREE fantasy football lineups here: Madden $250 FREE Contest
Running Back
Stud
Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions, $7,900 — Cook has been one of the best RBs in Madden 21, and the Lions have one of the worst run defenses, giving Cook an extremely high ceiling. Cook has scored 97 touchdowns in his 88 sims, and six of those touchdowns have come in his three previous matchups vs. the Lions, finishing with 34.8, 24.6 and 26.7 DKFP. He’s had a couple of down games in his two most recent sims, but this is a great bounce-back spot for Cook.
Other Option — Le’Veon Bell ($7,100), Clyde Edwards-Helaire ($6,400)
Value
Phillip Lindsay, Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs, $4,600 — Lindsay is the Broncos’ third-down back and could get more work than usual in this sim if the Broncos have to throw more to keep up with KC. Lindsay had 25.3 DKFP in one of his earlier matchups vs. the Chiefs and also had at least three catches in each of his four previous contests vs. KC. His steady workload and high ceiling make him a nice sub-$5K RB option.
Other Options — Tarik Cohen ($5,500), D’Andre Swift ($4,900)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos, $7,600 — Hill has been the top WR in Madden 21 and is producing 22.8 DKFP per sim while no other WR on this slate is averaging over 15 DKFP. Hill has hauled in 627 catches for 9,410 yards in his 100 Madden 21 sims while scoring 95 touchdowns. The Broncos have been giving up huge games to WR1s throughout these sims, and Hill beat them for 19.4, 21.5, 23.3 and a jaw-dropping 42.6 DKFP in their previous meetings.
Other Options — DeSean Jackson ($5,900), Allen Robinson II ($5,200)
Value
Marquise Goodwin, Philadelphia Eagles at New York Jets, $4,600 — Goodwin always has a super-high ceiling due to his 97 speed rating. The Jets are prone to giving up big plays deep, and Goodwin beat them for 31.2 DKFP in one of his three previous games against them, posting 13.6 and 3.9 DKFP in their other two prior matchups.
Danny Amendola, Detroit Lions vs. Minnesota Vikings, $4,400 — The Lions use Amendola as their primary slot WR, and the veteran gets a steady diet of targets, posting three catches or more in seven straight sims coming into this matchup. He had four catches, 29 yards and 12.9 DKFP vs. the Vikings in their meeting earlier this season. He’s averaging 3.7 catches for 41.8 yards per contest and has totaled 25 touchdowns in his 86 sims.
Other Options — Marvin Jones Jr. ($5,800), Courtland Sutton ($4,800), Demarcus Robinson ($4,000), Chris Hogan ($3,700)
Refer a friend and get $20 DK Dollars! Head to the DraftKings Playbook Promo page for more details!
Tight End
Stud
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos, $5,300 — Kelce isn’t the most expensive TE on this slate, but he has been the most productive with an average of 15.8 DKFP in his 100 sims. Against the Broncos, he posted over 15 DKFP four times in four previous meetings. This matchup with Denver is a great spot for him to bounce back after a couple of down games.
Other Options — Zach Ertz ($5,600), T.J. Hockenson ($5,100)
Value
Chris Herndon, New York Jets vs. Philadelphia Eagles, $4,200 — Herndon has been the most reliable Jets pass-catcher in these sims, averaging 4.7 catches for 48.2 yards per sim and scoring a total of 20 touchdowns. He has at least three catches in 26 straight sims, and his steady workload makes him very low risk for a player with a salary just over $4K.
Other Options — Jimmy Graham ($4,400), Noah Fant ($3,600)
DST
Stud
Bears DST vs. Arizona Cardinals, $3,100 — The Bears defense has been solid in these sims and gets a good matchup against Kyler Murray ($7,000), who can be prone to turnovers. In their most recent meeting, the Bears had 17 DKFP vs. Arizona. Chicago will look to get pressure and force turnovers once again in this rematch.
Value
Vikings DST at Detroit Lions, $2,700 — The Vikings DST has produced 4.6 DKFP per sim, the second-highest mark of the eight teams in play, but they are the sixth-most expensive and a very viable punt play in a good spot against the struggling Lions. Minnesota had 3, 16 and 3 DKFP in its three earlier Madden 21 matchups vs. Detroit.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: Madden Stream $6K Friday Special [$2K to 1st] and your FREE fantasy football lineups here: Madden $250 FREE Contest
Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game.
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.