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Who will be the Next Gen fastest ball carrier in Super Bowl 60?

Who will be the Next Gen fastest ball carrier in Super Bowl 60?

New England Patriots Sports Betting Picks NFL DraftKings Network

Updated:

By: Stan Son

For Super Bowl 60 featuring the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, there were 11 players with a max speed of over 18 mph, according to Next Gen stats.

TEAMNAMEPOSCARRIESMAX SPEED
NETreVeyon HendersonRB20422.01
SEAKenneth Walker IIIRB25921.42
NEDrake MayeQB12720.07
SEARashid ShaheedWR1019.88
NERhamondre StevensonRB18119.8
SEAVelus Jones Jr.RB1019.47
SEASam DarnoldQB3818.86
SEAZach CharbonnetRB18918.82
NEAntonio GibsonRB2518.49
NEDeMario DouglasWR718.49
SEAJaxon Smith-NjigbaWR718.35

We can remove Antonio Gibson and Zach Charbonnet from the running since they are injured. Velus Jones Jr. has played 18 total snaps on the season and probably won’t get playing time in the Super Bowl. Sam Darnold has rushed only 35 times for 95 yards. In only three games has he had a rush over 10 yards, so the chances of him breaking one long enough to get up to speed are slim. That leaves seven in the hunt.

TreVeyon Henderson received six snaps last game, so the opportunities may not even be there. I’m skeptical that such an explosive weapon will be shelved, though. Seattle did allow the most receptions to running backs during the regular season while seeing the most targets. Yeah, Henderson is going to get a few chances. It may not be many, though, and when he’s on the field, the defense will likely be locked onto him.

That puts Rhamondre Stevenson in play, especially since he’s going to get a ton of volume, but Seattle was tied for third in explosive play rate allowed at 4.6%.

My two favorite options are Drake Maye and Rashid Shaheed. As with Henderson, the volume will be light for Shaheed but New England plays more man and blitzes more than Seattle on defense, which could provide some opportunities. Shaheed may only get a carry or two and a long pass all game, but he’s out there to provide big shots down the field.

While Seattle is disciplined on defense, doesn’t blitz much and plays zone, which will likely neuter some of the rushing prowess of Maye, it’s not like Seattle never blitzes or plays man. In addition, it’s football and chaotic plays happen. That’s when Maye can improvise and take off running. That seems like the best chance for a big play to happen and Maye has the third-highest max speed amongst all the candidates.

The Pick: Drake Maye (+950)

Stan Son
Stan joined DraftKings in December of 2020. It was a glorious time, except for that whole COVID thing, when we got Madden streams and boisterous bat flips from the KBO. I was brought on board to bring some West Coast flavor. I especially love hoops, and most of my content is in that arena. When I walk along the beach, strumming my guitar, the beat that I hear is not one of crashing waves. No, it is the beat of the ball bouncing off the hardwood with highs provided by the squeaks of the sneakers. Ball is life.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is sontzu) 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 do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. 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.