After an exciting Wild Card Wednesday, we’re on to the Divisional Round of the playoffs for the Madden simulated season on the DraftKings Dream Stream. The two-game featured slate on Thursday night includes the 8:00 p.m. ET and the 10:00 p.m. ET contests which are the NFC Divisional matchups. In the first of those games, the New Orleans Saints will travel to the virtual Pacific Northwest to take on the Seattle Seahawks, and the Atlanta Falcons host the San Francisco 49ers in the nightcap.
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
Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks vs. New Orleans Saints, $7,000 — Wilson is an elite play due to his dual-threat abilities and extremely high ceiling. He has averaged 190.8 passing yards and 58.7 rushing yards per sim in his 101 Madden 21 contests and led the Seahawks to a first-round bye with a 14-3 regular season. One of those games was against the Saints, and Wilson had 16.66 DKFP in a 27-24 win. He averaged 18.9 DKFP in their five earlier meetings in Madden 21, which is slightly below his overall average of 21.4 DKFP per sim. His ceiling is higher than the other options on this slate, though, due to his rushing potential.
Other Option — Matt Ryan ($6,800)
Value
Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks, $6,400 — Brees threw three touchdowns and totaled 319 yards for 27.16 DKFP in the Saints’ road win over the Packers in the Wild Card round. He has over 300 yards and 27 DKFP in three straight sims and had 18.56 DKFP in the regular-season meeting between these teams. He doesn’t bring the rushing production that Wilson offers, so his ceiling isn’t quite as high, but he does come in hot, making him the best cheap QB play.
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Running Back
Stud
Raheem Mostert, San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons, $7,500 — Mostert has been one of the best RBs in all of Madden 21 and gets a ton of work as both the RB1 and third-down back in the 49ers’ run-heavy game plan. He has 96 touchdowns in 96 sims and averaged 3.5 catches for 29.3 receiving yards in addition to his 82.5 rushing yards per sim. Mostert finished the regular season with a flourish, dropping 35.9 DKFP on the Rams. He was a little quieter in the Wild Card Round but should be set up for a good game against the Falcons, who he ran for 103 yards against in Week 15 on his way to 20.4 DKFP and has posted over 20 DKFP against in each of their three most recent matchups.
Other Options — Alvin Kamara ($6,900), Todd Gurley II ($6,700)
Value
Carlos Hyde, Seattle Seahawks vs. New Orleans Saints, $4,100 — Hyde is by far the best cheap option since he’s really the only player under $5K who gets any regular work. He is the Seahawks’ power back and averages 14.0 rushing yards, 2.5 catches and 18.6 receiving yards per sim. He has scored 26 touchdowns in 95 sims as well, giving him a solid value average of 7.5 DKFP per contest.
Wide Receiver
Stud
Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks, $6,500 — Although Julio Jones ($6,700) has slightly better numbers overall, I prefer the matchup for Thomas and like him a little more than Jones as a result. He is the only WR with a 99 rating in the ratings used for these sims and has racked up 67 touchdowns in 104 sims, averaging 5.5 catches for 80.9 yards per sim. He had over 16 DKFP in three of his previous five contests against Seattle with a high point of 27.7 DKFP in the one contest where he went over 100 receiving yards.
Other Option — Julio Jones ($6,700)
Value
Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons, $4,700 — Samuel is a solid play under $5K since he is the 49ers’ WR1 and usually gets involved out of the slot, where the Falcons have been particularly beatable. Samuel had five catches for 49 yards and 9.9 DKFP in their regular-season matchup, and he has multiple catches in each of their previous sims with 8.9 DKFP or more in four of their six previous meetings.
Tre’Quan Smith, New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks, $3,800 — Smith has found the end zone in three of his past four sims and posted double-digit DKFP in four straight after pulling in four catches for 62 yards, a touchdown and 16.2 DKFP in the Saints’ Wild Card win in Green Bay. He has at least three catches in 10 straight sims and is actually a little lower risk than Samuel since he is part of a more consistent passing game.
Other Options — DK Metcalf ($5,200), Emmanuel Sanders ($5,100), Russell Gage ($3,400)
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Tight End
Stud
Hayden Hurst, Atlanta Falcons vs. San Francisco 49ers, $4,600 — Hurst has found the end zone in three straight sims and is in a matchup where the 49ers’ elite CBs can often force opponents to rely on their TE a little bit more. If that’s the case in this contest, Hurst should be busy after averaging 4.5 catches for 49.1 yards per sim with a total of 29 touchdowns over his first 100 Madden 21 contests.
Other Option — Greg Olsen ($4,400)
Value
Jared Cook, New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks, $4,100 — It seems a little crazy that Cook is the cheapest starting TE on this slate, but it’s a great opportunity to save a little salary and still get a player with elite upside. Cook has over 12 DKFP in six of his past 11 sims and had 5.1, 12.6, 16.6, 7.2, 10.1 and 6.3 DKFP in his earlier matchups with the Seahawks. He’s reliably involved in the Saints’ offense and a great play with a salary barely over $4K.
DST
Stud
Seahawks DST vs. New Orleans Saints, $2,900 — The Seahawks have been one of the best DSTs in Madden 21, forcing 108 turnovers in 101 sims and totaling 211 sacks and 18 touchdowns. They had 14.0 DKFP against the Saints in the regular season and are often an elite fantasy option. They always seem to come up with a big play or two that impacts the outcome of a game.
Value
49ers DST at Atlanta Falcons, $2,700 — If you do pivot from Seattle, their divisional rival the 49ers make a good option as well since they are loaded with highly-rated playmakers and usually limit opponents scoring. They don’t have quite as many splash plays with only 44 takeaways and four defensive touchdowns in 96 sims, but their strong pass rush and excellent coverage should make things hard on Matt Ryan ($6,800) and the Falcons.
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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.