With the star-studded Super Bowl LVIII just 5 days away, DFS lineups are starting to be constructed in anticipation for the big one. We are lucky to have two rosters laced with Hall of Fame caliber players which makes the player pool uniquely top-heavy. After preliminary lineup shuffling, it has become quite clear that the lower salary players will have a significant impact on the outcome of the Super Bowl Showdown slate.
During this past weekend’s NFC Conference Championship Showdown slate, surprisingly it was Jameson Williams as the captain in the optimal lineup. Although this lineup was duplicated many times it was contrarian enough to demonstrate the right sleeper could prove to be extremely lucrative, as we’ve seen before.
Here I will handpick my top 3 favorite sleepers for the DraftKings NFL Showdown $6M Super Bowl LVIII Millionaire contest, helping you get the best bang for your buck. Let’s be clear that these players I am suggesting are ideal as flex plays, if you are wanting to go the cheaper route with your captain I would recommend going with George Kittle or Isiah Pacheco as their salary range allows you to fill a well-balanced lineup while still having a stud at the captain slot.
Jauan Jennings $4,000:
You might look at Jennings’ 2 targets against the Lions in the NFCCG and keep scrolling. Here’s why you shouldn’t. Jennings has been on the field for 52% of the 49ers offensive snaps during the playoffs, is their best blocking WR, and his 70.7 PFF grade is a career high. Why is his blocking and PFF relevant for fantasy? Because it proves that Shanahan doesn’t want to take Jennings off the field. Having Jennings as the 3rd WR is like having another TE and the offense flourishes with his tenacity and threat as a big-bodied WR.
In week 13 against the Eagles, Jennings played 49% of the snaps while pulling in 3 catches for 44 yards and a touchdown in one of the most highly anticipated regular season games in a recent memory. That performance proved that he is a big game player who elevates his play during clutch situations. During the divisional round against the Packers, it was more of the same. Following an injury to Deebo Samuel, Jennings was targeted 6 times, snagged 5 catches for 61 yards which led all 49ers WRs and resulted in 11 fantasy points. 11 fantasy points for any player in this price range would do wonders for your lineup. The other players in this area have minimal upside and would be touchdown dependent, Jennings just needs to play his hard-nosed brand of football and he will be on the field enough to get a handful of targets and produce for you on Super Bowl Sunday.
Jennings does not need to score to be in the optimal lineup. Expect the Chiefs defensive focus to be on the numerous offensive stars for the 49ers and Jennings to be one of the beneficiaries.
Prediction: 5 to 7 targets, 4 to 6 catches for 50 yards.
Chiefs D $3,400:
The Kansas City Chiefs defense suffocated the likely MVP on Sunday causing 3 turnovers and tallying 4 sacks on their way to Super Bowl LVIII. In the past 5 games the Chiefs have been a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks. During that span they have accumulated 15 sacks and averaged 8.8 fantasy points on DraftKings with two of those games being 14 or more. Only once in the past 5 games has the offense they faced put up more than 17 points - against Josh Allen and the Bills. In comparison, during the past 5 games the 49ers defense averaged 4.6 fantasy points per contest, had only 7 sacks, and is $1,000 more on this DraftKings slate. I could see some lineups with Chiefs defense at captain but with the way the 49ers offense has been scoring and their truckload of Pro-Bowlers and All-Pros I suggest just sliding them into a flex spot.
There could be a scenario where the Chiefs D causes multiple turnovers and Brock Purdy gets sacked a few times. As we are expecting a high scoring game, if those two things happen this could be an elite DraftKings sleeper play.
Prediction: 2 to 3 sacks, 1 turnover, but allows 27 points.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling $3,000:
Marquez Valdes-Scantling had an absolute redemption moment this Sunday with a game sealing acrobatic catch that might help silence the demons that have been haunting him for most the season. There was a point mid-season where Valdes-Scantling was the obvious weak link on the Kansas City Chiefs – an offense that leads the league in drops with 44. Looking back, it was more about the timing of the drops, in big moments during primetime games that made them stick out like a sore thumb. Rashee Rice (8) and Travis Kelce (7) surprisingly lead the team in drops and Valdes-Scantling’s untimely mishaps haven’t deterred Patrick Mahomes from throwing the ball his way during the playoffs. MVS has been targeted 6 times over the past 2 games and he put up a respectable 5.8 and 8.2 fantasy points in those high-octane matchups.
Furthermore, looking at the snap count splits for the past two games there was a distinct difference in the usage of Valdes-Scantling. In the divisional round in Buffalo, MVS logged 50% of the snaps but made them with count with 2 catches for 62 yards. Against the Ravens his snaps skyrocketed to 83% and Mahomes showed trust in the WR during the game defining final drive. While most of the 49ers defensive will rightfully be focused on stopping Kelce, Pacheco, and Rice. I could see it playing out where MVS gets one on one matchups most of the game against Ambrey Thomas and could see upwards of 5 or 6 targets. If the 49ers get up early the Chiefs could be compelled to pass more frequently and MVS could see his targets increase.
Valdes-Scantling remains unshaken from his early season lows and Mahomes and Andy Reid have instilled trust in him. His performance the past two games have validated his reliability and I expect to see another unwavering performance from MVS during the biggest game of his career.
Prediction: 4 to 6 targets, 3 catches for 45 yards.
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