There were 272 total matchups across the NFL regular season. This was followed up with 12 total playoff games that paved the way for the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs to compete for the right to be crowned Super Bowl Champions in the final NFL football game of the season.
This is the second championship matchup between these two teams in the span of three seasons and the Eagles will be eager to get their revenge after coming up short in 2023. We have broken the game down from nearly every angle here on DraftKings Network. You can check out all the angles for finding value in the game but this article will help you build the best possible DFS lineup.
One of the best parts of DraftKings is the opportunity to pick a new squad every week with a variety of DFS contests. While the stakes have changed with just one game remaining, there is still plenty of appeal in getting involved in this contest. DraftKings is offering $1 million to the winner of the NFL Showdown $5M Super Bowl LIX Millionaire [$1M to 1st, TD Throne Eligible contest for this matchup. Here is my top lineup and breakdown for the Super Bowl matchup.
Captains Pick:
Jalen Hurts ($15,600)
There have been plenty of conversations about the incredible level of play of Saquon Barkley, the strength of the Eagles’ offensive line, and the improved defense. But it cannot be overlooked that Jalen Hurts is still in the driver’s seat for this Super Bowl team.
Hurts may not have the top-tier arm talent or flashiest style of play. But the 26-year-old is one of the best quarterbacks in the league at limiting risk and his ability with his legs makes him a fantasy gold mine. Hurts finished the regular season averaging 21.6 fantasy points per game based on DraftKings scoring. This ranked sixth among quarterbacks and ninth among all players in the league. He has taken his game up a notch in the postseason producing 22.8 fantasy points per game which ranks seventh among all players and second among remaining players- only trailing Saquon Barkley ($18,000).
While Barkley is an obvious candidate for the Captain’s pick, the $18,000 price point is a bit too much for me to stomach. In addition, expect the Chiefs’ priority to be fully focused on slowing down Barkley and forcing Hurts to be the guy that beats them. While this simply may be impossible with a player of Barkley’s talent, it should not be forgotten the last time these two teams faced off in the Super Bowl, Hurts completed 27/38 pass attempts for 304 yards and a passing touchdown while adding 70 rushing yards and three touchdowns with his legs. He finished with 45.2 fantasy points based on DraftKings scoring.
Both Hurts and Barkley ranked in the top eight in rushing touchdowns across the NFL this season but Hurts logged one more on the year with 14 rushing scores. The “tush-push” has become a staple whenever Philadelphia is near the goal line and Hurts is better at this than any other quarterback in the sport. Regardless of your feelings on the play, this is an incredibly valuable way to rack up fantasy points. Expect Hurts to have the ball in his hands plenty in this game and make plays with both his arms and legs. When you factor in the dual-threat nature of his game and the financial flexibility of choosing him over Barkley, I think Jalen Hurts is the best captain choice.
Flex Picks:
Saquon Barkley ($12,000)
Even if the pure focus of the Chiefs will be on slowing Saquon Barkley down, this simply may be an impossible task. The Offensive Player of the Year became one of nine running backs in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in the regular season and is just 30 yards away from breaking the all-time rushing record combined in the regular season and playoffs. Barkley has greatly benefitted from running behind one of the best offensive lines in football and has the talent level to make things happen once he gets to the second level.
The former Giants’ star is one of the biggest reasons for optimism for Philadelphia as it attempts to take down the Chiefs for the second time on the biggest stage. Barkley is capable of changing the outlook of an entire game on any given carry and Philadelphia will not be shy about giving him opportunities with this marking the final game of the year. The Penn State product is averaging a ridiculous 31.2 fantasy points per game in the playoffs based on DraftKings scoring after finishing the year ranked third in the NFL in fantasy production during the regular season.
While the price point is high and I understand the argument for passing on Barkley to fill out a more well-rounded lineup, I also find it pretty much impossible he is not one of the top five producers in this game. Keeping Barkley in your lineup forces you to get creative but the combination of talent and production is too much to pass on.
Travis Kelce ($9,000)
Patrick Mahomes ($10,000) will be one of the players sacrificed due to budget reasons. Typically having both quarterbacks in your lineup is crucial to maximizing your chances, but Barkley is a caliber of talent that changes this equation and I believe Travis Kelce has a chance to directly outperform his quarterback from a fantasy perspective.
It was an uncharacteristic season for Kelce as he was held to a career-low 823 receiving yards and three touchdowns during the regular season. It was clear during the start of the playoffs that this was more of an effort to preserve Kelce for this playoff run than anything regarding his skill set. The future Hall-of-Famer broke out for seven receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown during the first playoff game against the Texans. He produced 24.7 fantasy points based on DraftKings scoring in this matchup. While he was held to just two receptions for 19 receiving yards against the Bills, this is a more favorable matchup for Kelce.
Philadelphia did a nice job rebuilding its secondary with rookie corners Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean playing a huge role in this. While there is not a clear weakness across the defense, linebacker has the strongest argument. This was further maximized following the injury to Nakobe Dean. In steps Oren Burks who also stepped in as a starting linebacker for the 49ers during last year’s playoff run following the injury to Dre Greenlaw.
Kelce tallied nine receptions for 93 yards with Burks as his primary defender in last year’s Super Bowl. He received a coverage grade of 32.1 on Pro Football Focus. In addition, the Chiefs lack weapons that will strike fear into the Eagles’ defense and will need to scheme themselves open if they are to have success. Kelce is a key part of the puzzle and remains Mahomes most trustworthy pass catcher. With no favorable matchups against this Eagles’ defense, expect Mahomes to count on old reliable and for Kelce to lead the Chiefs in receiving production.
Dallas Goedert ($5,800)
He may not have quite the same accolades or as famous of a girlfriend, but Dallas Goedert is an impressive talent at the tight-end position as well. The 30-year-old battled some injuries throughout the regular season but looks to be playing his best football at the right time. Across the three playoff matchups, Goedert has tallied 15 receptions for 188 yards and a touchdown. His 41.1 fantasy points in the playoff trail only Zach Ertz for the most at the tight end position.
In addition to just the raw numbers, Goedert has been a big play threat for this Eagles team. He has registered three of the Sixers’ six plays of 20+ yards this postseason and has earned the trust of Jalen Hurts. During the regular season Hurts completed 13-of-14 pass attempts for 240 yards when targeting Goedert on third down. He is tied with A.J. Brown ($9,600) for the most targets in the playoffs.
With so much focus set to be spent on Barkley, Brown, and DeVonta Smith ($7,400), expect Goedert to have a few chances to break free over the middle in this game. The Eagles’ tight end is a huge asset in the running game so will see plenty of time on the field and has a real chance to be a surprising Super Bowl hero.
Jake Elliott ($4,800)
After being one of the most consistent kickers in the league across the past eight seasons, Jake Elliott has had some struggles this year. His 77.8% success rate on field goals is the second-lowest of his career and he was just 1-for-7 on field goals of 50+ yards this season. These issues have bled into the playoffs with Elliott having missed an extra point in the opening round against the Packers, two extra points against the Rams, and his lone field goal attempt against the Commanders.
Sports have a funny way of making sure the guys who want no part of the spotlight are put directly in it. Don’t be shocked if Elliott is needed to hit a big kick at some point in this game.
When looking at the wider view, the 30-year-old still deserves to be mentioned among the top kickers. Elliott’s miss in the NFC Championship is the only time he has missed a field goal in the postseason. He has averaged 9.3 fantasy points per game across the three playoff games after averaging 8.3 fantasy points per game during the regular season. Plugging in a kicker will not win you the week, this is a high-floor choice and one that allows you to keep both Barkley and Hurts in your lineup. Count on him to have the mental resiliency to bounce back and perform in this game. He was 2/2 on field goals and 3/3 on extra points during this last Super Bowl matchup between these two teams and count on a similar output from Elliott this time around.
Noah Gray ($2,800)
While I gave some thought to Juju Smith-Schuster ($2,000) and Jahan Dotson ($1,600) for this last spot, Noah Gray has taken massive strides forward in his production this year, and expect him to have a few chances in this game. The Duke product tallied a career-high 40 receptions for 437 yards and five touchdowns during the regular season. His level of opportunity has been scaled back since the playoffs started with Kelce stepping back into the spotlight.
But it is difficult to have any sort of confidence in Xavier Worthy ($8,000) or Hollywood Brown ($5,400) having much success against this Eagles secondary. Philadelphia finished the regular season allowing the fewest total yards, fewest passing yards, the fewest yards per pass attempts, and gave up the sixth-fewest passing touchdowns.
With the wide receiver battle playing in favor of the Eagles’ defense, look for the Chiefs to lean more on their two tight end sets. Gray is a talented pass catcher with a cleaner matchup against this Philadelphia defense. The Eagles have the advantage in the secondary and stopping the run, so count on the Chiefs having to get creative and lean on both their tight ends. This is a high-risk play but makes it possible to keep the bigger stars in your lineup and one that could work out favorably if the game script breaks right.
