I’ll be posting NFL DraftKings picks here. I cannot post lineups anymore, but I will list some players I like each week.
Rather than just breaking down some players by category like I usually do for showdowns, I will discuss each player and give them a rating based on how much I like them on this slate. It’s the Super Bowl, after all, and there’s a million dollars to first place on DraftKings.
Saquon Barkley, $12,000: Saquon Barkley was owned in 87 percent of lineups in the conference round, and yet he was still underowned. Barkley should be 100-percent owned and strongly considered at captain despite the $18,000 price tag. The Chiefs have been gashed against the run in the playoffs, and they haven’t battled this sort of caliber of offensive line yet. Barkley should have a huge game. He’ll be in all of my lineups. Rating: 10/10.
Jalen Hurts, $10,400: The only argument you can make against Barkley is that Jalen Hurts can steal some touchdowns via the tush push. Barkley just has too good of a matchup, however. Normally, playing a quarterback and running back together is not advised unless the running back is a major receiving threat. However, Barkley and Hurts account for so much of the Philadelphia offense that the negative correlation isn’t very prevalent. Hurts, likely 100 percent by Sunday, is a great play. Rating: 8/10.
Patrick Mahomes, $10,000: Patrick Mahomes has largely been a disappointment this season from a fantasy perspective. However, he has eclipsed 23 DK points in three of the four games since Marquise Brown returned from injury. The problem here is that Mahomes will be going up against the league’s No. 1 defense. The Eagles will be able to generate plenty of pressure on him, so we could see a repeat of Super Bowl LV when Tampa Bay dismantled Kansas City’s offense. I still think Mahomes is a good play, but I’d rather use Hurts for just $400 more. Rating: 7/10.
A.J. Brown, $9,600: A.J. Brown is capable of making some big plays, so he’s a way to get contrarian. However, the Chiefs have an excellent secondary and generally do a great job of limiting No. 1 receivers. Rating: 5/10.
Travis Kelce, $9,000: The Eagles have struggled against tight ends lately. Both Tyler Higbee and Zach Ertz burned them badly. Higbee, Ertz and Colby Parkinson all scored touchdowns the past two weeks. Kelce is a great play, and that’s not even considering the conspiracy theory narrative that he’ll win MVP and then propose to Taylor Swift after the game in what is likely to be a sham marriage. Rating: 8/10.
Xavier Worthy, $8,000: Xavier Worthy was terrific in the AFC Championship, but that’ll pump up his ownership for this game. Worthy has a much more difficult matchup this time, and I imagine that most of the aerial production will funnel through Kelce. Rating: 4/10.
DeVonta Smith, $7,400: The Chiefs have been weaker to No. 2 receivers than No. 1 receivers, so there’s some merit to playing DeVonta Smith. I don’t expect him to be highly owned, so I like the play. Rating: 6/10.
Kareem Hunt, $6,400: The Eagles are the No. 1 defense when it comes to stopping the run, but I wouldn’t consider Kareem Hunt to be an awful play because he’s a threat to score a touchdown or two as Kansas City’s goal-line hammer. Rating: 4/10.
Dallas Goedert, $5,800: The best value on the slate. Dallas Goedert just had a big game, and this is an even easier matchup for him. Kansas City has been utterly atrocious against tight ends all year, dating back to Week 1 when they had no answer for Isaiah Likely. Rating: 9/10.
Marquise Brown, $5,400: Marquise Brown has yet to hit double-digit DK points in any game as a Chief, but the potential is certainly there. I don’t think he’ll be highly owned, so he makes sense as a contrarian play. He could get there if Mahomes needs to throw a lot in the second half. Rating: 4/10.
Isiah Pacheco, $5,200: This would be my player to avoid. Isiah Pacheco hasn’t looked the same since returning from injury, and the coaching staff knows it. He hasn’t gotten more than six carries in a game since Week 16. Even if he’s owned at 1 percent, he’ll be over-owned. Rating: 0/10.
Harrison Butker, $5,000: There tends to be a kicker or a defense in the winning lineup of showdown slates. That kicker or defense is usually on the winning team, so if you believe the Chiefs will prevail, use Harrison Butker. Rating: 4/10.
Jake Elliott, $4,800: Jake Elliott has struggled recently, but he’ll be playing indoors in this game. If you believe the Eagles will win, it makes sense to use Elliott in your lineup. Rating: 5/10.
DeAndre Hopkins, $4,400: DeAndre Hopkins has vanished from this offense ever since Marquise Brown returned to action. You can’t count him out from scoring a touchdown, but he’s someone who has gotten one or two targets, and he’s not running very many routes. It’s possible he gets there, but I’m not playing him. Rating: 1/10.
Eagles Defense, $4,200: As mentioned earlier, a defense or a kicker is often in the winning showdown lineup. Given Kansas City’s poor tackle play, it’s possible that Philadelphia’s defense just dominates this game by sacking Mahomes a bunch of times, forcing a couple of turnovers, and maybe even scoring a touchdown. Rating: 5/10.
Chiefs Defense, $4,000: I don’t like Kansas City’s defense because the Eagles don’t turn the ball over very much. Some fluky things could happen, but I’m not playing this unit. Rating: 2/10.
Kenneth Gainwell, $3,400: Kenneth Gainwell is coming off a concussion, so he may not play. He also hasn’t hit double-digit DK points all year. The only way he gets there is in the event of a Barkley injury. Rating: 1/10.
Noah Gray, $2,800: Noah Gray would fall under the top punt play category. As mentioned, the Eagles have had issues against tight ends lately, and we even saw Parkinson score a touchdown. Gray could there with a score. Rating: 4/10.
Will Shipley, $2,400: Will Shipley can only be considered if Gainwell is out. Shipley is a better runner than Gainwell, and he would make a lot of sense as a punt play in an Eagles onslaught build. Rating: 2/10 (if Gainwell is out) or 0/10 (if Gainwell is active).
JuJu Smith-Schuster, $2,000: JuJu Smith-Schuster was in the witness protection program following his big game against the Saints on Monday night until the AFC Championship. He exploded out of nowhere, but I wouldn’t count on it happening again. He’s not completely unplayable, but keep in mind that his ownership will be much higher than usual because people just saw him make two big plays, which were a byproduct of Buffalo’s defensive back injuries. Rating: 1/10.
Jahan Dotson, $1,600: Jahan Dotson hasn’t even seen a target in the past two games. Rating: 0/10.
Samaje Perine, $1,200: Samaje Perine has touched the ball just once in the playoffs. However, he would see more of a workload in a negative game script, which the Chiefs haven’t experienced in the postseason yet. I would put Perine only in builds that calls for a Kansas City second-half comeback. Rating: 2/10.
Grant Calcaterra, $1,000: Grant Calcaterra can only get there if Goedert gets hurt. He blocks a lot and barely runs any routes. He could catch a touchdown, but that may not be enough.
Justin Watson, $600: Justin Watson has disappeared ever since Marquise Brown returned to action. He hasn’t seen a target in the playoffs yet. Rating: 0/10.
Nikko Remigio, $200: Nikko Remigio is Kansas City’s return specialist. Use him only if you think you need a zero player to fill out the rest of your lineup. He’s the $200 player with the most upside because he could score a touchdown on a kickoff return. Rating: 0.5/10.
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