Super Bowl Fantasy Football Matchups: What You Need to Know
The Super Bowl isn’t friendly for fantasy/DFS managers. We break down every offensive position to help you find the best plays and avoid traps.
The Super Bowl is still nearly two weeks away, but we will at least start to go over the big game. Here, let's break down the fantasy matchups for those of you in postseason fantasy football leagues or wanting to try DFS.
As the Super Bowl approaches, we will go over projections, rankings, start/sit content, props and more, so keep checking back to FantasySP!
Check out fantasy football matchups on FantasySP all football season!
Quarterbacks
As you might expect, there's not many favorable fantasy matchups for the Super Bowl, and that starts at the quarterback position. Both the Seahawks and Patriots were bottom-quarter matchups for fantasy QBs this season.
Seattle is the more favorable matchup of the two, but not by much. Both defenses allowed 14 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.
That means both Drake Maye and Sam Darnold are not set up too favorably for the big game. Maye has been the better fantasy quarterback this season, but he's struggled in the postseason. Darnold didn't do much in his first playoff game, but erupted in the NFC title game.
With those things in mind, and knowing it's a similar matchup, the two fantasy quarterbacks are pretty evenly matched for the Super Bowl. Maye is still probably the favorite, but Darnold could end up being the better option in the end.
Running Backs
The fantasy matchups for the running backs are even tougher. Both teams were bottom-five fantasy tests for RBs.
Seattle allowed 19 fantasy points per game to running backs, while New England gave up just 17 points per contest.
Rhamondre Stevenson has taken over as the top back for the Patriots late in the season. Rookie TreVeyon Henderson hasn't been able to get rolling, and he only logged three touches in the AFC title game.
With Zach Charbonnet getting hurt in the Divisional Round, it was Kenneth Walker that dominated the Seattle backfield for the conference title game. George Holani was activated off injured reserve and served as the top backup.
With tough matchups for each team, Walker and Stevenson are pretty close in terms of fantasy outlooks for the big game. Henderson and Holani are lottery ticket plays, but really not good options because of the stiff defensive matchups.
Wide Receivers
The wide receivers also will face tough tests in the Super Bowl. New England ranked 22nd, allowing 28 fantasy points per game to wideouts. Seattle was 29th, giving up just 26 fantasy points per contest.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the top fantasy wideout for the big game, and it's not all that close. Rashid Shaheed and Cooper Kupp are the No. 2 and 3 options in the Seattle passing game.
Jake Bobo would be the next-best option. He hasn't done much this season, but he did catch a touchdown in the NFC title game.
In New England, Stefon Diggs has been the team's top receiver this season, but he's been held in check mostly throughout the playoffs so far. Mack Hollins or Kayshon Boutte could easily lead the Patriots in receiving too, and DeMario Douglas is another possible option.
With only one really good fantasy wide receiver in the Super Bowl, it's going to be tough to determine the best fantasy options after Smith-Njigba.
Seattle's options seem safer with how the team's offenses have looked in the playoffs, and knowing that Seattle has a bit better matchup.
New England has to pass the ball to someone though if they want to keep up and possibly beat Seattle. It could end up being a team effort, with no standout wideout.
We'll cover the best options more in stories to come, so check back for those!
Tight Ends
The only above-average matchup in the Super Bowl is the Patriots' tight ends against the Seahawks' defense. Seattle allowed 14 fantasy points per game, which was the ninth-most points allowed this season.
New England is a slightly below-average test, ranking 17th overall and giving up 13 fantasy points per game. So the tight ends for both teams could be in for bigger fantasy showings in the league's final game.
Hunter Henry is the top tight end for New England. He was good in the team's first playoff game, but hasn't done much in the two games since.
Austin Hooper is another TE option for the Pats, but he has just one catch in the postseason, so he's not a very good fantasy threat.
AJ Barner leads the Seahawks, but with just three touches over two playoff games, he's not a high-confidence fantasy asset either.
Eric Saubert and Nick Kallerup have also played some snaps at TE for Seattle, but they aren't fantasy assets either.
So despite a couple average-or-better matchups, the tight ends aren't very good fantasy/DFS options either. All-in-all, there's really not a very good crop of fantasy players for the Super Bowl, so it could end up being tough to predict the best options as the big game closes in.