The NFL Season is well underway, and fantasy players are always looking for new ways to predict the performance of players on their fantasy rosters —at least, serious fantasy players and DFS guys and gals. So, what about using Madden NFL 21 to help you decide who sits and who plays?
It’s a puzzle that we often run into as fantasy players. You have a couple of guys at the same position who have eerily similar projections during any given week. So, who do you play?
The first thing I would do is check the player props sports picks for each of the athletes in question to see who the Las Vegas bookmakers are listing with a higher OVER/UNDER on total yards, TDs, Etc. But after that, why not use simulations?
Using Madden 21 to predict Fantasy Football projections
First things first. You have to set Madden 21 to All-Pro Mode and adjust the sliders for realism. Under default Franchise mode setting, matchups tend to be a bit watered down, almost like each game is just predetermined. I’ve run several season simulations with 90 or so percent of my players rated above 90 and still missed the playoffs. This occurred a mind-numbing amount of times. So, this all has to be taken with a grain of salt.
Simulate a game between the two teams that player X on your roster will be involved in. There is no need to sit there and watch, set it to full-length play, and then ‘auto sim’ it. Do this a few times and track the results. And come up with a mean average of stats for that player. Next, do the same thing for player Y, then track and add up all of his stats and divide those numbers by the number of simulations you ran. Whoever has better average numbers is the winner.
It’s also important to adjust the weather to the real-life expected forecast. The same goes for any other settings adjustments needed. Make sure you are using live rosters so defensive players and other offensive players who may get touches or targets are not factored into the simulations.
But can you trust the simulations?
Lakers are really up 3-1 in the Finals and they've been up late playing Madden before every game 😂
🎥: @QCook323 pic.twitter.com/EYTYMilq7o
— Lakers Outsiders (@LakersOutsiders) October 9, 2020
Likely not really. But hey, if you are on the fence about which player to start and can’t decide, this might end up being the final factor that helps you decide. Given my own experience, I find that the player props betting lines are a much better indicator of performance than any video game.
Betting stats go deep when it comes to historical data. So, another thing you can do is look at situational betting stats to help you figure it out. For example, if you can’t decide who to start and who to bench, you can look into situational stats like offensive performance coming off a loss of 6 points or greater. Whether a team covers the number at home against non-conference opponents, etc. It won’t give you exact player numbers, but it can help give you a better overall picture of how the offense might perform in general and how the opposing defense might perform against the run or pass. In other words, it can help you determine which player might have more opportunities to make plays.
Other Fantasy Things You Can Do With Madden
Madden 21 has a cool new feature that allows players to build their own fantasy teams with Fantasy Draft.
You can use the feature while online or offline. If you are online, the feature is meant to update player stats. This means you can see real-time statistics on players, allowing you to build the perfect fantasy squad.
1. Go to Active Roster
2. Select a Team to for Your Uniform
3. Go to ‘Starting Point’
4. Change the Settings to Fantasy Draft.
You can build your dream team starting with drafting a fantasy team while thinking about the future. Do you want older, established players that will set you up for a championship run right now, or do you want a team that will get better over the next couple of seasons and perhaps be built for multiple runs in the near future? Either way, Madden is fun, and so is fantasy football. So, why not marry the two?
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