The first full 17-game Madden Simulated Season wraps up on Saturday night with a surprising Championship Game on the DraftKings Dream Stream between the Houston Texans and the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks also captured the Madden Bracket Tourney title, so it isn’t surprising that they’re representing the NFC, but the Texans have made a great run from their surprise Wild Card spot through the Titans, Chargers and Steelers to post their best showing in any simulated tournament or season so far. Can they finish their Cinderella run and claim the title? Let’s break down the matchup from a showdown perspective and took a look at what to expect in this championship matchup.
You can find gameplay details and the schedule for upcoming matchups on the Madden Streams Information Page, since even after this sim season ends the contests will keep right on rolling. As you fill out your roster, make sure you also take a look at the depth charts for each team.
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Captain’s Picks
Russell Wilson ($16,500 CP) — Wilson and Deshaun Watson ($17,100 CP) are clearly the focus of everything their teams do on offense and produce a ton of fantasy points as a result. Both QBs have the ability to pile up yardage on the ground and can also pass for more yards and touchdowns. Wilson is actually a little cheaper and has a much easier matchup in this one against the Houston defense. He has produced over 25 DKFP in three of his past four sims and had 115 rushing yards and two rushing scores for 34.34 DKFP against the 49ers in Friday night’s virtual NFC Championship.
The Seahawks and Texans have met five times in Madden 21, and in each of those five contests, Wilson has outscored Watson. Wilson has averaged 18.31 DKFP in those meetings while Watson has been held to an average of just 11.88 DKFP and has been held under 15 DKFP in all but one of those contests. Both have the potential to go off, but Wilson’s matchup makes him the better option of the two QBs if you make one your Captain’s Pick.
Darren Fells ($7,500 CP) — If you think both dynamic QBs will end up putting together good stat lines, there is definitely a way to build your lineup around a much cheaper Captain’s Pick and playing both stars as flex options. One player who allows you to take that strategy is Fells, who has been a very reliable PPR contributor with a high ceiling throughout Madden 21. The hulking TE is averaging 4.1 catches for 41.1 yards and 9.4 DKFP per sim. He had a touchdown in the virtual AFC Championship game and finished with 14.1 DKFP. Fells has had double-digit DKFP in three of his five games against Seattle, highlighted by a monster 26.2-DKFP performance in one of those games while averaging 13.68 DKFP over those five meetings. He has a pretty high ceiling and is a very stable option for a Captain’s Pick that is so affordable.
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Value Plays
Carlos Hyde ($5,800) — Hyde is not only the Seahawks’ power back while Chris Carson ($8,800) is the starter, but Seattle relies heavily on many of the power formations that feature Hyde. He had 52 rushing yards, a touchdown and 14.2 DKFP against the 49ers on Friday and has over 7.0 DKFP in four of his past five. In his 97 sims, he is averaging 2.5 catches for 18.5 yards while also rushing for 14.6 yards per sim and totaling 27 touchdowns.
Seahawks DST ($4,800) — The Seahawks DST has been the most productive defense in all of Madden thanks to the hard-hitting duo of Jamal Adams and Bobby Wagner, who each have the X-factor Superstar ability of “Avalanche,” which helps them cause plenty of fumbles. In their 103 Madden 21 sims, Seattle has forced 111 turnovers while stacking up an impressive 214 sacks and 18 defensive touchdowns. The Texans have been turnover-prone and the Seahawks have averaged 10.2 DKFP against them in their five previous meetings. In one of those games, the Seahawks recovered an incredible five fumbles and finished with 26 DKFP.
Fades
Brandin Cooks ($9,600) — Cooks is the Texans’ WR1 but has been extremely boom-or-bust. He has been totally shut out twice against the Seahawks and had one catch and two catches in two of their other meetings. He has also produced under 10 DKFP in four of his past five games. With Watson running for a lot of Houston’s yardage and relying heavily on checkdowns, Cooks and Will Fuller V ($7,600) both seem very overpriced given that both are such volatile options with a high chance of busting. Seahawks WRs DK Metcalf ($8,200) and Tyler Lockett ($6,200) have also been inconsistent but they’re in a much better matchup and are more reasonably priced.
The Outcome
The Texans have had a magical run and lived a little bit of a charmed life to this point in the Madden Simulated season. The defense has held their opponents to 14 points or fewer in five straight, dating back to the regular-season finale against the 49ers. However, I don’t think they’ll be able to contain Wilson, who should have a big game and get some help from the Seahawks’ defense forcing turnovers. I think the Texans have a couple of costly mistakes and ultimately the clock strikes midnight on their Cinderella run.
Final Score: Seattle 28, Houston 10
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