Sunday starts the final week of the Madden simulated season on the DraftKings Dream Stream, as we play out the first-ever Week 18 and teams look to put the finishing touches on their full sim season. There are multiple playoff implications in the games on the schedule today, including three important divisional games on the featured classic slate, which gets underway at 6:00 p.m. ET. The Washington Football Team is on the road facing the New York Giants in that first sim, followed by the Jacksonville Jaguars hosting the Indianapolis Colts at 8:00 p.m. ET in primetime. The 10:00 p.m. ET sim is an NFC South battle as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers try to punch their postseason ticket with a win against the Carolina Panthers.
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
Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers, $7,100 — Brady is by far the most expensive QB on this slate, which lacks any top options under center. Brady has been solid throughout Madden 21 and usually posts plenty of yardage, averaging 254.4 passing yards per sim. He is touchdown-reliant since he doesn’t run at all, but that hasn’t been a problem lately with multiple touchdowns in 10 of his past 12 sims. He just had 17.4 DKFP in a loss to Carolina two sims ago and has averaged 17.6 DKFP per sim in his 10 earlier meetings with the Panthers in these Madden 21 sims.
Value
Gardner Minshew II, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Indianapolis Colts, $5,800 — Minshew has been solid for the Jags, who are 7-9 coming into the final week of the sim season. He gets a favorable matchup against the woeful 4-12 Colts and should be the best cheap alternative to paying up for Brady. Minshew has over 17 DKFP in three of his past four games, highlighted by 26.64 DKFP against the Titans and 22.12 DKFP against the Jets. He has averaged 16.9 DKFP in his five previous meetings with the Colts, reaching over 20 DKFP twice against them. He definitely has the potential to go off, although there is also more bust risk with Minshew than with Brady.
Other Option — Teddy Bridgewater ($5,700), Daniel Jones ($5,500)
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Running Back
Stud
Saquon Barkley, New York Giants vs. Washington Football Team, $7,500 — Barkley is low-risk since he has at least 9.9 DKFP in an amazing 32 straight sims and is now averaging 20.2 DKFP on 68.3 rushing yards and 32.8 receiving yards per contest. He has five touchdowns in his four most recent sims and is up to 82 total scores in his 93 Madden 21 sims. He has had success even against a tough Washington defense, averaging 16.2 DKFP in his seven prior matchups with his division rivals. Barkley is very involved as a receiver out of the backfield which makes him even lower risk and also raises his ceiling.
Other Options — Christian McCaffrey ($7,900), Chris Thompson ($6,000).
Value
LeSean McCoy, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers, $4,200 — Shady is still a fantasy factor for this version of the Bucs since he is the third-down back and usually gets a few carries and catches. He has averaged 12.1 DKFP in his 10 previous sims against the Panthers and had at least 8.0 DKFP in all but one of those meetings.
Other Options — Marlon Mack ($4,600)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers, $6,600 — Evans has been a little less consistent than some WR1 options in these sims since Brady spreads the ball around to all his good options. Evans has been hot recently, though, with three touchdowns in his past three sims and at least 11.0 DKFP in 12 of his past 13. He had 17.6 DKFP against the Panthers in one of those contests and is averaging 12.6 DKFP against Carolina in their past Madden 21 meetings.
Other Options — T.Y. Hilton ($6,300), DJ Chark Jr. ($6,000)
Value
Dede Westbrook, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Indianapolis Colts, $5,000 — One of the Colts’ many issues in this simulated season has been that they have let opposing slot WRs put up huge games against them. Westbrook will look to exploit that matchup in this contest and has been rolling lately with at least 11 DKFP and 60 yards in five of his six most recent sims. He averaged 13.3 DKFP in his five earlier games against Indy, highlighted by a monster 26.8-DKFP performance.
Darius Slayton, New York Giants vs. Washington Football Team, $3,500 — Slayton is extremely affordable for the ceiling he brings. Even though he is the WR3 for the Giants, he has put up 18 DKFP or more in four of his past 12 sims. He has over 15 DKFP twice in his seven matchups against the Football Team and is definitely capable of dropping a big number from under $4K.
Other Options — Curtis Samuel ($4,900), Scotty Miller ($4,300), Parris Campbell ($4,000)
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Tight End
Stud
Trey Burton, Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars, $5,800 — Burton has a strong connection with Philip Rivers ($6,300) in simland, and he has averaged 4.9 catches for 53.8 yards per sim since taking over as the Colts’ TE1. He has at least four catches in five straight sims with huge games of 35.4 and 20.8 DKFP during that stretch. He has over 11 DKFP in three of his four matchups against the Jags as TE1, including a ceiling game of 28.4 DKFP.
Other Option — Evan Engram ($5,000)
Value
Jeremy Sprinkle, Washington Football Team at New York Giants, $4,400 — Sprinkle has also been a reliable play despite being in an underwhelming offense. He has at least three catches in eight straight sims and posted 14.2 DKFP against the Giants earlier this sim season, including one of his 32 touchdowns. This is definitely a matchup he can thrive in with over a dozen DKFP in six of their seven previous meetings. He’s actually my favorite play under $4.5K at any position on this slate and should be considered in your flex spot even if you go another direction at TE.
Other Option — Tyler Eifert ($3,800)
DST
Stud
WAS Football Team DST at New York Giants, $3,100 — Washington has 198 sacks and 69 takeaways in 96 sims to average a slate-high 5.9 DKFP per sim. The Football Team had 14 DKFP in their most recent matchup with the Giants and bring great upside to this rematch.
Value
Jaguars DST vs. Indianapolis Colts, $2,800 — The Colts have struggled to put up points all sim season, so the Jaguars are a pretty safe DST option in this matchup. Jacksonville had five sacks and 8.0 DKFP against Indy in their first meeting of the season.
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