Due to the debut of the American Ultimate Disc League on the DraftKings Dream Stream this Friday, there will be four Madden sim games on the adjusted schedule, and all four will be part of the featured classic contest, which kicks off at 12:00 p.m. ET. The nooner between the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers puts a bow on Week 4 of the Madden simulated season, and the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks start Week 5 at 2:00 p.m. ET. The New York Jets visit the Atlanta Falcons at 4:00 p.m. ET, and in the final sim of the day, the New England Patriots visit the Houston Texans at 6:00 p.m. ET.
You can keep up with the standings as the season continues and check out 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
Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans vs. New England Patriots, $7,000 — Despite Houston’s overall struggles in Madden 21, Watson had been a factory of fantasy goodness, averaging 23.2 DKFP on 191.8 passing yards and 72.0 rushing yards per sim with a total of 113 passing scores and 36 more on the ground. He has faced the Patriots four times in Madden 21, posting 25.0, 33.52, 10.86 and 24.76 DKFP. He also has over 16 DKFP in nine of his past 10 games, including at least 25.0 DKFP in half of those contests. He’s the third-most expensive QB on this slate but comes with the highest average and the highest ceiling.
Other Option — Russell Wilson ($7,500)
Value
Sam Darnold, New York Jets at Atlanta Falcons, $5,800 — The Jets have started the season strong, going 3-1 behind some big games from Darnold, who has over 20 DKFP in three of four contests. Despite the hot start, he is still the cheapest starting QB available and allows you to stack stars in other spots. He gets a good matchup vs. the Falcons, who have been very beatable. Darnold posted 23.74 DKFP in one of his previous meetings vs. the Falcons and should be in a good spot to stay hot.
Other Option — Cam Newton ($6,300), Justin Herbert ($5,900)
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Running Back
Stud
Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers vs. Las Vegas Raiders, $7,000 — Ekeler carries a huge workload for the Bolts in the backfield as both the RB1 and the third-down back. He has averaged 3.7 catches for 29 receiving yards to supplement his 70.5 rushing yards per sim and has scored a total of 73 touchdowns in 85 contests. He gets a great matchup in this one against the Raiders’ struggling defense, who he has posted over 12 DKFP against in five straight meetings, highlighted by two games with over 20 DKFP.
Other Option — Le’Veon Bell ($7,400), Todd Gurley II ($7,200)
Value
Carlos Hyde, Seattle Seahawks vs. Los Angeles Rams, $4,100 — Hyde is in a timeshare with Chris Carson ($5,100) but gets plenty of work as Seattle’s power back. Hyde has over 6.0 DKFP in three of his four games this season, making him a relatively reliable play at this affordable price. He had 10.8 DKFP in the only sim matchup vs. the Rams, in which he was in this current role, so he also brings nice upside in this divisional matchup.
Other Options — Jalen Richard ($4,700), Darrell Henderson Jr. ($4,600), James White ($4,200)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons vs. New York Jets, $7,600 — Jones has been the second-best WR in all of Madden 21 behind only Tyreek Hill, who isn’t on this slate. Jones has averaged an impressive 19.1 DKFP and scored 60 touchdowns in 83 sims, averaging 5.3 catches for 84.2 yards per game. He has specifically dominated the Jets’ secondary, producing 20.6, 33.2 and 24.4 DKFP in three earlier contests vs. New York.
Other Options — Robert Woods ($6,300), Keenan Allen ($5,800)
Value
Julian Edelman, New England Patriots at Houston Texans, $5,400 — Edelman gets a great matchup as the Patriots’ WR1 against the Texans’ secondary, which has been one of the worst in all of Madden 21. In his last game vs. Houston, Edelman had 28.1 DKFP, eight catches, 111 yards and a touchdown after posting 10.7 DKFP on seven catches in their previous contest. He had a multi-touchdown game vs. the Saints in Week 3, posting 18.3 DKFP, which gave him at least 11 DKFP in six of his past seven games coming into last game against the Bucs.
Jamison Crowder, New York Jets at Atlanta Falcons, $4,500 — Crowder is very involved as both the Jets’ WR1 and primary slot option. He had 11.8, 12.5 and 22.4 DKFP in his three prior meetings vs. the Falcons with three of his 24 total touchdowns coming in those contests. He has multiple catches in 28 straight sims and is a relatively low-risk play at this price.
Other Options — Mike Williams ($5,000), Breshad Perriman ($4,400), Russell Gage ($3,900)
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Tight End
Stud
Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers, $5,600 — There’s a lot of top TE talent on the board this slate, led by Waller, who averages 12.1 DKFP per sim on 4.6 catches for 54.7 yards per contest. He has found the end zone 24 times in 80 sims and has double-digit DKFP in each of his past five matchups vs. the Chargers. He also has started the season strong with 15.3 and 14.5 DKFP in the Raiders’ two most recent contests.
Other Options — Greg Olsen ($5,100), Tyler Higbee ($4,800)
Value
Darren Fells, Houston Texans vs. New England Patriots, $3,500 — Fells doesn’t have the big-play upside of the options listed above but usually gets great volume, averaging 4.1 catches per sim. He should be especially busy vs. New England, who tends to shut down opposing’ WRs and give up more passes to TEs.
Other Option — Devin Asiasi ($4,400)
DST
Stud
Patriots DST at Houston Texans, $3,100 — The Patriots forced 83 turnovers in 83 sims coming into their last matchup vs. the Bucs, and they also added 14 defensive touchdowns and 136 sacks to average 5.8 DKFP per contest. They should be in a good matchup against Watson, who can sometimes turn the ball over when trying to do too much.
Value
Chargers DST vs. Las Vegas Raiders, $2,700 — The Chargers have also been a very effective unit overall and have a great matchup against the struggling Raiders. In their 85 sims, L.A. has forced 78 turnovers to go with 185 sacks and six defensive scores. They have at least 7.0 DKFP in three of their six previous Madden 21 contests vs. the Raiders.
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