It’s the start of another full week of simulated football on the DraftKings Dream Stream, giving everyone a chance to get in some fantasy football with six Madden 21 sims each day. Monday’s three-game featured classic slate is a star-studded one featuring some of the very best options at each position in the entire game. The action kicks off at 6:00 p.m. ET with a matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and the Buffalo Bills. At 8:00 p.m. ET, the primetime game has the Madden 21 cover athlete in action, as Lamar Jackson ($9,200) and the Baltimore Ravens welcome in the Chicago Bears. Another star QB is in action in the 10:00 p.m. ET Madden After Dark contest when Patrick Mahomes ($7,600) and the Kansas City Chiefs host the New Orleans Saints.
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
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens vs. Chicago Bears, $9,200 — Jackson is extremely expensive at over $9K, but he has been so productive that it’s hard to fade him even though he stretches your salary thin in other spots. Jackson has averaged 27.3 DKFP on 152.2 passing yards and 105.7 rushing yards per sim while running for 93 touchdowns and throwing for 110 scores in 106 sims. He has an extremely high ceiling which he regularly reaches, going off for over 35 DKFP in three of his past five games and in each of his previous contests against the Bears with 37.28 and 37.6 DKFP in their two prior Madden 21 meetings.
Other Option — Patrick Mahomes ($7,600)
Value
Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints at Kansas City Chiefs, $6,700 — With an unretired Brees and a healthy Michael Thomas ($6,500), this Madden 21 version of the Saints has a solid offense, providing decent pivot plays. Brees doesn’t add the rushing potential of the other available QBs, but he has averaged a solid 264.1 passing yards over his 109 sims with 184 touchdowns. He has had to air it out to keep up with the Chiefs in their past meetings and produced 34.04, 13.34 and 28.84 DKFP as a result. He has enough upside to be worth considering, although he brings more risk than the more expensive QBs available.
Other Options — Mitchell Trubisky ($7,000)
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Running Back
Stud
Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings at Buffalo Bills, $8,300 — Cook has been a touchdown machine in these sims, scoring 105 times in 96 contests while averaging 81.2 rushing yards and 33.1 receiving yards per game. He averaged 23.4 DKFP in his three earlier matchups with the Bills and has over 17 DKFP in three straight coming into this rematch. Cook can go off with a huge game on the ground, through the air or both, so he’s worth paying up for if possible.
Other Options — Alvin Kamara ($7,500), Devin Singletary ($5,700)
Value
J.K. Dobbins, Baltimore Ravens vs. Chicago Bears, $4,200 — With so many high-priced studs to consider, the value plays on this slate will have to be extremely cheap. Dobbins makes a lot of sense at barely over $4K since he is both the power back and the receiving back for the Ravens. He can be boom-or-bust but has over 7.0 DKFP in five of his past seven sims, highlighted by an outstanding 25.0-DKFP performance against the Steelers.
Other Option — Tarik Cohen ($5,100)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs vs. New Orleans Saints, $8,000 — Hill’s salary is finally starting to go up enough to match his incredible production, but he still is actually a value at $8K based on his track record. He’s averaging 22.3 DKFP on 6.2 catches for 92.9 yards per sim and has scored 99 touchdowns in 109 sims. He had an amazing 56.3 DKFP on eight catches for 213 yards and four touchdowns in his most recent sim against the Saints, so this is obviously a matchup where he has a distinct advantage with his perfect 99 speed rating. He should be able to celebrate touchdown No. 100 in this sim and put up another big game against New Orleans.
Other Option —Michael Thomas ($6,500)
Value
Emmanuel Sanders, New Orleans Saints at Kansas City Chiefs, $4,700 — In that same game Hill went off, Sanders had two touchdowns and produced a very solid 33.5 DKFP. He has averaged 5.0 catches for 53.3 yards and 15.3 DKFP in his three games against the Chiefs and has at least three catches in 13 straight sims coming into this rematch.
Ted Ginn Jr., Chicago Bears vs. Baltimore Ravens, $3,800 — Ginn brings a high ceiling as the Bears’ WR3 and had a touchdown in each of his two earlier sims against the Ravens, finishing with 13.7 and 19.3 DKFP in those two contests with a total of seven catches. He has multiple catches in eight of his past nine sims and usually does enough to be a great sub-$4K value play.
Other Options — Allen Robinson II ($5,300), Tre’Quan Smith ($4,800), Demarcus Robinson ($4,400), Justin Jefferson ($4,200), Tajae Sharpe ($3,900)
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Tight End
Stud
Jared Cook, New Orleans Saints at Kansas City Chiefs, $4,600 — While Travis Kelce ($6,000) has been outstanding, I think it’s more important to prioritize spending for top options at other roster spots since Cook is a solid alternative that comes over $1K cheaper. Cook has averaged 5.0 catches for 51.2 yards per sim and has scored 24 times for the Saints. He had exactly seven catches in two of his three earlier Madden 21 matchups with the Chiefs for 19.0 and 13.5 DKFP. He also has at least three catches in nine straight sims.
Other Options — Travis Kelce ($6,000)
Value
Lee Smith, Buffalo Bills vs. Minnesota Vikings, $3,900 — Smith brings solid production under $4K at TE and also makes sense as a cheap pivot at FLEX if you need to save salary. He has averaged 3.5 catches for 34.2 yards per sim since taking over as Buffalo’s TE1 and put up 10.2 DKFP in one of his two prior meetings with the Vikings.
Other Option — Jimmy Graham ($4,000)
DST
Stud
Bills DST vs. Minnesota Vikings, $3,000 — Dealing with Cook will be tough for Buffalo, but the Bills DST features a great secondary that should be able to make big plays against Kirk Cousins ($5,800). In their three past meetings, the Bills have averaged 4.0 DKFP against the Vikings, and they have averaged a slate-high 5.4 DKFP overall on 79 takeaways and 187 sacks in 99 sims.
Value
Chiefs DST vs. New Orleans Saints, $2,900 — Since teams have to air it out against the Chiefs, they usually give up big plays but also have the opportunity to make big plays. In their 109 sims, they have 68 takeaways and 183 sacks along with nine defensive touchdowns. They are very boom-or-bust but offer a higher ceiling than the other value DST options available.
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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.