If you can’t wait for the NFL to take over Sundays in just a few weeks, the DraftKings Dream Stream can help you get warmed up with a six-game schedule of Madden sims this Sunday to get the fantasy football action flowing. The featured classic slate kicks off at 6:00 p.m. ET, as usual, and the first matchup on Sunday’s slate is the Carolina Panthers visiting the New England Patriots. At 8:00 p.m. ET, the primetime matchup features the Kansas City Chiefs and their high-powered offense against the Indianapolis Colts. The final sim of the night is a playoff rematch from last season as the Washington Football Team takes on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 10:00 p.m. ET.
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
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Indianapolis Colts, $8,400 — Mahomes has been outstanding in Madden 21 as the only QB in the Week 1 ratings used for these sims with a perfect 99 overall rating. He has thrown an insane 275 touchdowns in 114 sims with an average of 292.3 passing yards and 24.9 DKFP per sim. The Colts have a very thin secondary and are a good matchup for any QB, but especially for Mahomes, who has beaten them for 18.32, 26.16, 21.28 and 32.42 DKFP in their previous four matchups in Madden 21. As long as the game doesn’t turn non-competitive too early, Mahomes should be in for another big game. He has at least 33 DKFP in four of his past five coming into this rematch.
Other Option — Tom Brady ($7,500)
Value
Dwayne Haskins Jr., Washington Football Team at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, $5,300 — If you decide to pass on Mahomes, which is a high-risk strategy at best, one way that it can work is to go to the other extreme and go ultra-cheap at QB and stack every other spot on your roster. Haskins’ bargain-basement salary would allow you to do that, and he has actually flashed a little upside with 18.78 and 27.64 DKFP in two of his four earlier matchups with Tampa Bay in Madden 21. He’s very boom-or-bust but has enough potential to be a dramatic contrarian pivot.
Other Options — Philip Rivers ($6,000)
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Running Back
Stud
Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers at New England Patriots, $7,700 — McCaffrey is another alternative to a Chiefs super-stack which has often been successful but could be fairly chalky as well. CMC has produced over 16 DKFP in six of his past seven sims and is averaging 19.9 DKFP on 64.2 rushing yards and 36.5 receiving yards per sim. He has 79 touchdowns in 101 sims and has produced 19.0 and 21.4 DKFP in his two meetings with the Patriots in Madden 21.
Other Options — Clyde Edwards-Helaire ($6,900), Nyheim Hines ($6,300)
Value
LeSean McCoy, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Washington Football Team, $4,700 — McCoy has been very involved as the Bucs’ third-down running back and is averaging 8.3 DKFP per sim. He has reached double-digit DKFP in four straight sims, although he hasn’t found success in this specific matchup against Washington, who has a very strong front-seven.
Other Option — James White ($4,200)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Indianapolis Colts, $8,400 — Hill has been the best WR in Madden 21 by a wide margin, averaging 22.8 DKFP on 6.3 catches for 95.6 yards per sim. In his 114 sims, Hill has scored 104 touchdowns, and he had 11 catches and 38.5 DKFP in his most recent sim against the Saints. He has over 30 DKFP in three straight sims, and the Colts’ secondary has no one that can match up with Hill, who has beaten them for 13.0, 36.5, 34.0 and 32.1 in their four prior meetings.
Other Options — Chris Godwin ($6,600), T.Y. Hilton ($5,700)
Value
Terry McLaurin, Washington Football Team at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, $5,300 — McLaurin is a speed option out of the slot who is also a WR1, much like Hill is for the Chiefs. McLaurin’s workload is sometimes spotty with Haskins’ inconsistency, but he has hauled in at least four catches in eight of his past 10 contests. He had double-digit DKFP in all three of his earlier meetings with Tampa Bay, which has given up big play to opposing slot WR in Madden 21.
Parris Campbell, Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs, $3,500 — Another way to get lots of speed and a high ceiling at WR is to go with Campbell as a cheap play for the Colts. He has averaged 3.5 catches for 41.1 yards per sim, but he always has a high ceiling if he can get in space with his 94 speed rating. Campbell has at least four catches in three of his previous four matchups with the Chiefs, and he should be involved again if the Colts have to go pass-heavy to try to keep up with Kansas City.
Other Options — Sammy Watkins ($5,000), Curtis Samuel ($4,700), Demarcus Robinson ($3,900)
Tight End
Stud
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Indianapolis Colts, $5,700 — Despite Hill’s dominant production, there has still been enough work for Kelce to also be an elite play. In his 114 sims, Kelce is averaging 5.6 catches and 15.8 DKFP per sim while scoring 56 touchdowns. He has posted 22.1 and 37.9 DKFP in two of his four games against the Colts and has at least 18 DKFP in three of his four most recent sims.
Other Option — Trey Burton ($5,500)
Value
Jeremy Sprinkle, Washington Football Team at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, $3,700 — Sprinkle is a great cheap option at TE or in FLEX since he is under $4K but has averaged 10.3 DKFP per sim. He has scored 34 touchdowns in 101 sims but most of his value comes from his PPR production. He has averaged 3.9 catches for 43.6 yards per sim and had a ceiling game with 10 catches and 26.5 DKFP in one of his four earlier meetings with the Bucs.
Other Options — Rob Gronkowski ($4,000)
DST
Stud
Patriots DST vs. Carolina Panthers, $2,900 — The Patriots have scored more defensive touchdowns than any other team in Madden with 18 defensive touchdowns coming off of 42 fumble recoveries and 65 interceptions for a total of 107 takeaways in 104 sims. Carolina’s offense hasn’t been great in Madden 21, so the Patriots are a low-risk play in this matchup and always come with a high ceiling due to their big-play potential.
Value
Washington DST at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, $2,700 — Washington’s secondary isn’t great, but it has an outstanding pass rush that has produced 215 sacks in 104 sims. They had 10 and 12 DKFP in two of their four games against the Bucs, and they have that kind of potential again in the rematch as well.
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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.