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Fantasy football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em and lineup advice for the 2024-25 Super Bowl. Joey Pollizze analyzes in-depth matchups via game-by-game breakdowns.
Welcome back, RotoBallers, to our final start 'em and sit 'em piece of the season as we look ahead to the Super Bowl! If you are new here, this matchups analysis and Start 'Em, Sit 'Em article will look at the best and worst matchups of the week.
Super Bowl LIX will take place in New Orleans between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. The Chiefs will look to become the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowls, and the Eagles will look to stop that three-peat.
But which players have the best matchup on Sunday? Let's dive into this Super Bowl matchup and analyze the best starts and sits. This article will go through every player to determine who you should be starting this weekend.
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Matchups Analysis - Super Bowl LIX
Kansas City Chiefs at Philadelphia Eagles
Spread: KC -1.5
Matchups We Love:
TE Travis Kelce
Travis Kelce wasn't involved much in the AFC Championship game against the Bills, as he caught just two passes for 19 yards. However, expect a bounce-back performance from Kelce in the Super Bowl. He has totaled at least 18 PPR fantasy points in 13 of his last 15 playoff games, and the Eagles have had a hard time stopping opposing tight ends this postseason.
How many more receptions will Travis Kelce add to his lead? 👀 pic.twitter.com/QRLvMVmVb0
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) February 2, 2025
Zach Ertz caught 11 passes for 104 yards in the Conference Championship Round, and Tyler Higbee totaled seven catches for 54 yards and one touchdown in the Divisional Round against Philadelphia. So, Kelce will be a strong fantasy play in Super Bowl LIX.
QB Jalen Hurts
The last time these two teams faced off in the Super Bowl, Jalen Hurts had himself a day. He scored 41.2 fantasy points behind 304 passing yards, one passing touchdown, 70 rush yards, and three rushing touchdowns. That rushing should also play a big part in this year's Super Bowl against the Chiefs.
Kansas City has allowed at least 39 rush yards to quarterbacks in four straight games, and Hurts is averaging 40.7 rush yards per game in the postseason this year. Given that he has also rushed for 18 touchdowns combined in the regular season and postseason, he will be a strong quarterback play on Sunday.
DeVonta Smith might be the best Eagles wide receiver to roll with on Sunday. Although Smith has totaled under 10 PPR fantasy points in all three playoff games this season, this is a great matchup for him in the slot.
The Chiefs allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to slot wideouts in the final seven weeks of the regular season, and Smith has dominated against Steve Spagnuolo's defenses in the past. The Eagles playmaker has totaled at least 99 receiving yards in each of his last three meetings against the Chiefs, including a seven-catch, 100-yard performance back in Super Bowl LVII.
Dallas Goedert has been a consistent fantasy option throughout the 2024-2025 playoffs. He has caught at least four passes in all three games while seeing 18 total targets across those contests. In the NFC Championship game against the Commanders, Goedert caught seven passes for 85 yards.
Now, he gets a great matchup against the Chiefs secondary in the Super Bowl. Kansas City allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends in the regular season, and Dalton Schultz was able to reel in four passes for 63 yards in the Divisional Round versus this secondary. As a result, Goedert should be in for a nice fantasy day.
Matchups We Hate:
Isiah Pacheco has not been the same player since returning from injury in Week 13. Pacheco is averaging just 3.48 yards per carry over his last seven games and isn't seeing many opportunities in the running game. He played just 29% of the team's offensive snaps in the AFC Championship game against the Bills while running five times for only 12 yards.
As a result, he will be a riskier fantasy option in the Super Bowl. Philadelphia gave up the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs in the regular season, and only one running back has scored in double figures in PPR formats against this Eagles defense across the last seven games.
It has been encouraging that Marquise Brown has played 67% and 65% of the team's offensive snaps in the last two playoff games. Even though he has caught just three passes for 35 yards in those games, his snap share is a nice sign heading into the Super Bowl. However, his matchups in this game will be on the tougher side.
Brown will likely see time in both the slot and out wide, so he'll be matched up against Darius Slay, Quinyon Mitchell, and Cooper DeJean throughout the contest. All three cornerbacks rank top-10 in passer rating allowed, and both Slay and Mitchell rank top-20 in catch rate allowed.
DeAndre Hopkins might not be the best fantasy play in the Super Bowl. For starters, he only played 18% of the team's offensive snaps in the Conference Championship Round and has caught just seven passes over his past four games.
On top of that, Hopkins has an extremely tough matchup on the outside. He'll likely see Slay and Mitchell in coverage on Sunday, and both cornerbacks won't make things easy for the veteran. Slay ranks fifth in coverage rating, 11th in catch rate allowed, and 14th in target separation. As for the rookie, he ranks 12th in catch rate allowed, fifth in passer rating allowed, and ninth in yards allowed per target.
Kenneth Gainwell suffered a concussion in the NFC Championship game against the Commanders, and he did not practice at all last week. So, he still needs to go through the five-step concussion protocol in order to play in the Super Bowl.
Even if he does, though, he should be avoided in most cases. The Chiefs allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs in the regular season, and Gainwell has played less than 13 snaps in all three of the Eagles' playoff games this season.
Update: Gainwell has cleared the concussion protocol and will be active for the Super Bowl.
WR Jahan Dotson
It's best to stay away from Jahan Dotson this week in all contests. Although he has played over 50% of the team's offensive snaps in all three playoff games so far, Dotson just isn't a factor in the passing game. He has caught only one pass for 11 yards in those three playoff games combined and has reeled in one pass or fewer in 15 of the past 16 games.
Other Matchups:
Patrick Mahomes will look to carry the Chiefs to a three-peat on Sunday, but he'll first have to get through a tough Eagles defense. Philadelphia allowed the fewest yards per game and second-fewest passing yards per game during the regular season. Therefore, this matchup might not be the easiest for Mahomes.
However, this Eagles defense has allowed some solid fantasy games to opposing quarterbacks in recent weeks. Philadelphia has allowed at least 19 fantasy points to three quarterbacks over the last six games. Given the fact that Mahomes also always seems to turn things up in the playoffs, he'll be a fine fantasy option in the Super Bowl.
RB Kareem Hunt
It appears that head coach Andy Reid prefers the veteran in Kareem Hunt at this point in the season. Hunt played 58% of the team's offensive snaps in the Conference Championship Round and saw 17 carries in that contest. As a result, he'll be a better fantasy play than Pacheco in the Super Bowl.
Opening drive TD for Kareem Hunt and the @Chiefs!
📺: #BUFvsKC on CBS
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus and Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/YILYnN78VH— NFL (@NFL) January 26, 2025
This might not be the best matchup for Hunt, considering the Eagles allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs in the regular season. However, this defense has allowed an 80-plus yard rusher in three of the past five games. So, if the veteran sees 14-18 carries in this game, he could wind up being a solid fantasy option.
Samaje Perine will operate as the Chiefs' RB3 in Super Bowl LIX, so he doesn't have much fantasy value. He has played just 21 combined snaps in Kansas City's two playoff games and has really only been used in two-minute situations or obvious passing downs late in games.
As a result, he should only be an option in DFS contests if you are looking for a cheap option. He only caught one pass for 17 yards in the AFC Championship and has finished with under six PPR fantasy points in 10 of the past 11 contests.
The Chiefs' run defense that Saquon Barkley will be going up against on Sunday is no joke. Kansas City gave up the fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs this season and only allowed 101.8 rush yards per game in the regular season.But that shouldn't scare away anyone from starting him in fantasy this weekend.
Barkley has rushed for 100 yards in nine of his past 10 games. He has also totaled 442 rush yards and five touchdowns in the three playoff games this season. Given that Kansas City allowed James Cook to rush for 85 yards and two touchdowns in the AFC Championship, the Eagles back will be a strong play in the Super Bowl.
Xavier Worthy has been a completely different player in the second half of the season. He has caught at least five passes in seven straight games and has seen at least six targets in eight consecutive contests. That consistency makes him a strong play against the Eagles this weekend.
Even though Worthy does have a tougher matchup versus Philadelphia's secondary in this game, that might not really play a factor on Sunday. Since the Chiefs move the rookie around so much on offense, he should continue to see plenty of opportunities in the passing game. So, he'll be one of the better wide receivers plays in the Super Bowl.
If you are looking for a cheaper option in DFS contests this weekend, JuJu Smith-Schuster could be a potential play. He just played 58% of the team's offensive snaps in the Conference Championship Round and totaled two catches for 60 yards in that contest. His 38 snaps in that game were only five less than Brown's 43 snaps. Therefore, he has some value in DFS contests on Sunday.
Just keep in mind, though, that his matchup in the Super Bowl will likely be Cooper DeJean in the slot. DeJean ranks second in yards per reception allowed and third in yards per target allowed this season.
Justin Watson showed up big in last year's Super Bowl win, catching three passes for 54 yards. However, he should be avoided in most cases during Super Bowl LIX. Watson has played only 15 combined snaps in the Chiefs' two playoff games this season and was not targeted in either contest.
Even though Watson has caught at least one pass in 13 of 19 games during the 2024-2025 season, the seven-year veteran is just too hard to trust in this Kansas City offense. He is the WR5 on this Chiefs' team and could see less than 10 snaps in the Super Bowl.
WR A.J. Brown
After being quiet in the first two rounds of the NFL playoffs, A.J. Brown was a key factor in the team's NFC Championship win over the Commanders. He caught six passes for 96 yards and one touchdown in that game. Now, he will likely draw the Trent McDuffie shadow on Sunday. McDuffie has become one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL and should give Brown a hard time in Super Bowl LIX.
watching Jalen Hurts and AJ Brown hit the griddy together on repeat forever pic.twitter.com/Ol7lcEW1CK
— Erin Grugan (@eringrugan) January 27, 2025
The Chiefs corner ranks 20th in yards per reception allowed and 24th in yards per target allowed. Still, the Eagles wideout will be a solid play this weekend. Kansas City plays man coverage at a decent rate, and Brown ranks fifth in target rate versus man coverage. He also ranks 19th in win rate versus man coverage this year.
TE Noah Gray
Noah Gray hasn't been involved much in the passing game in recent weeks. He has caught just five passes over his last four full games and wasn't targeted in the Conference Championship Round against the Bills. So, Gray won't be the best fantasy play in the Super Bowl. The one thing working in his favor, though, is that Philadelphia has allowed 23 receptions to tight ends over the last two games.
Injuries:
- Kenneth Gainwell (concussion)
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