It’s time for some Thursday Night Football with three more Madden 21 sims on the featured classic slate on the DraftKings Dream Stream. The first game of this slate is loaded with fantasy football potential as the Green Bay Packers roll into virtual Foxboro to take on the New England Patriots. At 8:00 p.m. ET, the Denver Broncos visit the Atlanta Falcons, and we close out the night with the Dallas Cowboys taking their chances against the Las Vegas Raiders on Madden After Dark.
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
Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons vs. Denver Broncos, $6,300 — Ryan is surprisingly affordable since the Broncos’ secondary is one of the most beatable in all of Madden 21. Ryan has faced them three times and put up two ceiling games of 29.28 and 22.64 DKFP. He has also produced at least 19 DKFP on over 300 yards passing in two of his past three games. He’s averaging a healthy 265.8 passing yards per contest and has thrown 210 touchdowns in 104 sims. He doesn’t have the upside of the elite scrambling QBs but has been one of the best pure passers in the game and makes a ton of sense at this salary in this matchup.
Other Option — Aaron Rodgers ($6,900)
Value
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys at Las Vegas Raiders, $6,200 — Prescott brings a little more rushing potential than Matty Ice, but he hasn’t had quite as much success throwing the ball. He’s a more volatile play with a higher ceiling against the Raiders, who he posted over 17 DKFP in two of their three previous sims. Prescott has over 16 DKFP in each of his past three sims, dating back to a monster 31.92-DKFP performance against the Eagles, which shows off how high his ceiling can be if he really gets the offense clicking.
Other Options — Derek Carr ($5,900)
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: Madden Stream $4K Thursday Night Special [$1K to 1st] and your FREE fantasy football lineups here: Madden $100 FREE Contest
Running Back
Stud
Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers at New England Patriots, $7,500 — A tough matchup against the Patriots’ secondary makes Aaron Rodgers ($6,900) a risky play, but it sets up more work for Jones, who has been excellent in these sims. He has totaled 102 touchdowns in 102 sims, averaging 65.1 rushing yards and 22.5 receiving yards per game. He had 26.4 DKFP in his most recent sim against New England and has posted over 18 DKFP in five of his past six games.
Other Options — Ezekiel Elliott ($7,300), Todd Gurley ($6,800)
Value
Jalen Richard, Las Vegas Raiders vs. Dallas Cowboys, $4,100 — If you choose to save salary at an RB spot, Richard is a great play to consider since he usually catches a few passes out of the backfield and finds a way to contribute. He had 8.8, 6.6 and 3.6 DKFP in his three earlier sims against Dallas and has over 6.0 DKFP in seven of his past nine. In his 98 sims, he is averaging 3.1 catches for 22.6 receiving yards per sim and has scored 22 touchdowns.
Other Options — Phillip Lindsay ($4,900), James White ($4,500)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons vs. Denver Broncos, $6,400 — The Broncos’ secondary has been especially vulnerable to big, fast WR1s like Jones. He had 35.9 DKFP with two touchdowns in their most recent meeting and an almost-identical 35.8 DKFP in an earlier Madden 21 matchup. Despite coming off a down game with just two catches against the Saints, he should be in a prime position to bounce back with a big number. Stacking him with his QB Matt Ryan is a great play due to their premium matchup.
Other Option — Davante Adams ($6,300), Amari Cooper ($6,000)
Value
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Green Bay Packers at New England Patriots, $4,300 — In his 99 Madden 21 sims, Valdes-Scantling has been a nice value play as the Packers’ WR3 and primary slot receiver. He has averaged 3.5 catches for 45.0 yards per sim and scored 34 touchdowns. He could get a little more work than usual if the Patriots use Stephon Gilmore to shut down Davante Adams and force Rodgers to use his secondary receiving options like MVS.
Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos at Atlanta Falcons, $3,600 — Jeudy can be boom or bust at times in these sims since Drew Lock ($5,200) is one of the lowest-rated regular QBs. The rookie WR has overcome that in some matchups, though, and offers a very nice ceiling at well under $4K. He had one of his best Madden 21 performances in an earlier meeting with the Falcons, producing 31.4 DKFP on 144 yards receiving. He also had at least three catches in each of his other games against Atlanta, posting 7.0 and 7.9 DKFP. At such a low salary, he brings a ton of upside.
Other Options — Henry Ruggs III ($5,400), Calvin Ridley ($5,100), Michael Gallup ($4,500), Russell Gage ($3,700)
Refer a friend and get $20 DK Dollars! Head to the DraftKings Playbook Promo page for more details!
Tight End
Stud
Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders vs. Dallas Cowboys, $5,800 — Waller is one of the highest-rated TEs in all of Madden 21 and has been an elite contributor, averaging 12.4 DKFP on 4.6 catches for 55.9 yards per game. He typically gets a very steady workload which makes him low-risk, and he brings great speed and vertical play-making potential which gives him high upside.
Other Options — Devin Asiasi ($5,600), Hayden Hurst ($5,100)
Value
Blake Jarwin, Dallas Cowboys at Las Vegas Raiders, $4,200 — Jarwin has at least three catches in six of his past seven sims, highlighted by a 30.2-DKFP performance against the Eagles. He has averaged 4.1 catches for 48.3 yards per sim while scoring 26 touchdowns, and his numbers aren’t a huge dropoff from Waller’s, even though he’s over $1,500 cheaper.
Other Option — Marcedes Lewis ($3,700)
DST
Stud
Patriots DST vs. Green Bay Packers, $3,100 — The matchup is less than ideal, to be sure, but the Patriots still have the most upside of any defense since they are so good at creating big plays. In their 100 sims, they have averaged 6.0 DKFP per sim by creating 104 turnovers while piling up 170 sacks to go with 18 defensive touchdowns. Against Green Bay in earlier matchups, the Patriots produced 5.0, -1.0 and 11.0 DKFP.
Value
Cowboys DST at Las Vegas Raiders, $2,800 — The Cowboys have a solid matchup against the Raiders on Madden After Dark and have averaged 6.7 DKFP per sim in their three previous meetings with Las Vegas. Dallas has more sacks than New England, with 208 in 102 sims, but has only forced 44 turnovers and scored six touchdowns. The Cowboys are lower-risk than the Patriots due to matchup but also come with a lower ceiling.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: Madden Stream $4K Thursday Night Special [$1K to 1st] and your FREE fantasy football lineups here: Madden $100 FREE Contest
Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game.
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.