The Conference Championships take center stage on Friday night as the Madden simulated season is just one day away from crowing a champion on the DraftKings Dream Stream. The two-game featured slate starts at 6:00 p.m. ET with the virtual AFC Championship between the surprising Houston Texans and the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the virtual NFC Championship at 8:00 p.m. ET, the Seattle Seahawks host their division rivals, the San Francisco 49ers.
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. San Francisco 49ers, $7,000 — The Seahawks beat the 49ers twice in the regular season on their way to a 14-3 record and the top seed in the NFC. They took care of the Saints on Thursday, and Wilson had 26.14 DKFP with 135 rushing yards. He had 14.22 and 25.78 DKFP against San Francisco in the regular season and over 21 DKFP in three of their four earlier Madden 21 meetings as well. He is averaging 21.4 DKFP in his 102 Madden 21 sims on 190.5 passing yards and 59.5 rushing yards per sim. Even though Deshaun Watson ($7,700) comes in a little hotter, I would rather roll with Russ, take the savings and avoid the matchup against a tough Steelers defense.
Other Option — Deshaun Watson ($7,700)
Value
Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Houston Texans, $6,500 — The biggest surprise in this “Final Four” is the Texans, who have struggled in Madden 21 before this simulated season mostly due to their inconsistent defensive backfield. Roethlisberger gets a good matchup in this contest after throwing for 332 yards and 23.58 DKFP against the Ravens on Thursday. He has been boom-or-bust throughout Madden 21 but has posted over 23 DKFP in four of his past seven sims. He also had 23.52 and 13.04 DKFP in his two earlier matchups with Houston, showing both his upside and his risk.
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Running Back
Stud
Raheem Mostert, San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks, $7,600 — The matchup is far from ideal, but Mostert is the only RB on this slate not involved in a timeshare, making him the default pay-up option. He has been outstanding in Madden 21, scoring 97 touchdowns in 97 sims and averaging 21.6 DKFP on 82.5 rushing yards, 3.5 catches and 29.1 receiving yards. Against Seattle, he had 20.5 and 28.0 DKFP in his two meetings this season and 27.5, 9.6, 22.6 and 11.0 DKFP in three earlier contests in Madden 21. He has over 13 DKFP in nine of his past 10 contests and should be locked into almost every lineup on this limited slate.
Value
Carlos Hyde, Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers, $4,300 — Hyde gets regular work as the Seahawks’ power back and is averaging 14.2 rushing yards, 2.6 catches and 18.6 receiving yards per sim. He had a solid 8.1 DKFP against the Saints on Thursday and had 6.1 and 7.2 DKFP in his two regular-season matchups against the 49ers.
Other Option — Jaylen Samuels ($5,300)
Wide Receiver
Stud
JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Houston Texans, $6,500 — Due to the running QBs featured for the Texans and Seahawks, their WRs can be extremely boom-or-bust. As the Steelers’ WR1, Smith-Schuster has been the most consistent play on this slate and gets a juicy matchup against a struggling Houston secondary. He had six catches, 92 yards, a touchdown and 21.2 DKFP against the Texans in their most recent matchup and is averaging 5.2 catches, 68.5 yards and 15.2 DKFP per sim.
Value
Will Fuller V, Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers, $5,000 — Despite his volatility, Fuller brings enough upside to be a consideration at $5K against the Steelers. He has over 8 DKFP in four straight games, dating back to an eight-catch, 149-yard explosion against the 49ers that resulted in 31.9 DKFP. He had just a single catch in three of his five games before that breakout, though, so remains high-risk. However, on this slate there aren’t many stable options, so grab Fuller and hope for a ceiling game.
Kendrick Bourne, San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks, $4,000 — Bourne has actually outperformed WR1 Deebo Samuel ($5,100) lately and in this specific matchup since Seattle is usually good at limiting opposing slot WRs. Bourne had two touchdowns against the Cowboys in the Wild Card round and 24.3 DKFP but was then totally shut out Thursday against Atlanta. He should get back on the scoresheet in this matchup, though, since he had 10.5 DKFP in his most recent matchup with the Seahawks.
Other Options — DK Metcalf ($5,400), Diontae Johnson ($4,400), Tyler Lockett ($4,100)
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Tight End
Stud
Eric Ebron, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Houston Texans, $6,700 — Ebron has never been priced at $6K or higher, so it’s crazy to see him priced higher than any WR on this slate. A look at his recent production, though, makes it obvious why he’s priced up and shows how red-hot the TE has been. He had two touchdowns and 11 catches for 32.2 DKFP in the Divisional Round and has over 11 DKFP in nine straight sims. His consistent involvement especially compared to the volatile WR group on this slate makes him worth considering even at this inflated price point.
Value
Greg Olsen, Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers, $4,200 — Olsen has been one of Wilson’s favorite targets in Seattle in Madden 21, averaging 4.2 catches for 45.1 yards and 10.6 DKFP per sim. He had 18.5 and 13.8 DKFP in his two regular-season matchups with the 49ers and makes a relatively safe and solid flex option or a cheap alternative to paying up for Ebron.
Other Option — Darren Fells ($3,800)
DST
Stud
Seahawks DST vs. San Francisco 49ers, $3,000 — The Seahawks have 11 DKFP or more in three of their past four games and at least 7.0 DKFP in 14 of their past 15. They had 10 and 14 DKFP in their two meetings with San Francisco during the regular season and are averaging an impressive 7.5 DKFP per sim on 110 takeaways, 214 sacks and 18 defensive touchdowns in 102 sims.
Value
Steelers DST vs. Houston Texans, $2,800 — The only defense that comes close to matching Seattle’s production on this slate is the Steelers. They also have a favorable matchup against the Texans, who can be turnover-prone at times. In 98 sims, the Steelers have 91 takeaways, 192 sacks and 13 defensive touchdowns for 6.1 DKFP per sim.
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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.