Key Starters and Tough Calls - Super Bowl Lineup Spotlights for Fantasy Football Include Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, Rashee Rice

Joey breaks down his fantasy football lineup starts/sits for the Super Bowl (2024). He spotlights key NFL players to start, and tougher lineup start/sit decisions.

Super Bowl LVIII is finally here between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. Super Bowl LVIII is a rematch of Super Bowl LIV when the Chiefs overcame a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the 49ers. Now, San Francisco will try to get revenge this time around.

The 49ers were the better team in the regular season and are currently the favorite over the Chiefs this weekend. Very few people picked Kansas City to even make it this far, but here they are again. They have made the Super Bowl in four of the five past seasons.

As Super Bowl Sunday draws closer, many people will likely be setting their daily fantasy sports (DFS) lineups. If you fall under that category, you have come to the right place. I will analyze six players and determine whether they are good starts for Super Bowl LVIII. So, let's dive in and find out.

• 2025 fantasy football rankings
• Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
• Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
• Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
• Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
• FLEX fantasy football rankings
• Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
• Kicker (K) fantasy football rankings
• Dynasty fantasy football rankings

Running Backs – Fantasy Football Super Bowl

RB Christian McCaffrey: San Francisco 49ers 

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey has been the team's most impactful player on offense all season. He finished the regular season with 2,023 yards from scrimmage and 21 total touchdowns. McCaffrey has also been impossible to stop in the postseason, where he has totaled four touchdowns and 260 scrimmage yards on 48 touches in two playoff games.

He averaged 24.5 fantasy PPG, the most of any player. 👏

He scored over 100 more points than the next highest player at his position. 🔥

Christian McCaffrey is your 2023 Fantasy MVP!

📺: #NFLHonors on CBS & NFLN - 9pm ET
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/kCURqc5BDv

— NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) February 8, 2024

That high usage should continue in Super Bowl LVIII, even in a semi-tough matchup against the Chiefs. Kansas City has only allowed six running back rushing touchdowns all year and none in the past six weeks. During that six-game span dating back to Week 16, opposing running backs are averaging just 3.54 yards per carry. This run defense has also allowed just one rusher (Zamir White) to have a 20-plus yard carry since Week 14.

But McCaffrey will be just fine on Sunday. He will see high usage and has been matchup-proof all year. His price is the most expensive for DFS lineups this weekend, but he's guaranteed at least one touchdown with over 115 yards from scrimmage in Super Bowl LVIII.

RB Isiah Pacheco: Kansas City Chiefs

Like McCaffrey, Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco comes into Sunday on a tear. Pacheco has scored a touchdown in seven straight games dating back to Week 12 of the regular season, and he continues to be a big part of Kansas City's offense. The 24-year-old back has averaged 17.9 carries per game while having over a 74% snap share in the last seven games.

In the postseason, Pacheco has 63 carries for 254 yards and three touchdowns and now faces a 49ers defense that has struggled against the run in recent weeks. In the Divisional Round against the Green Bay Packers, San Francisco allowed 22 carries for 124 yards and its first 100-yard rusher (Aaron Jones) of the season. Then, in the NFC Championship against the Detroit Lions, they gave up 27 carries for 138 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

With the way Pacheco has been running recently, he should be in store for a strong day in Super Bowl LVIII. He is someone that should be in all your lineups this weekend.

Wide Receivers – Fantasy Football Super Bowl

WR Brandon Aiyuk: San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk will likely have his hands full on Sunday against this elite Chiefs secondary. If Aiyuk draws the shadow of cornerback L'Jarius Sneed, a tough fantasy day could be on the horizon for the 25-year-old. Sneed has done an elite job of locking down the opposing team's WR1s all year, which should continue in Super Bowl LVIII.

least amount of yards allowed to WR1's in the regular season:

1. chiefs, 43.8
2. patriots, 47.9
3. cardinals, 54.1
4. browns, 56.1
5. bills, 58.7
6. ravens, 59.2
7. jets, 61.6
8. saints, 61.7 pic.twitter.com/Eye0MyXCXr

— Tej Seth (@tejfbanalytics) January 31, 2024

Aiyuk also comes into this game with some average performances in the first two playoff games. In the Divisional Round, he caught just three passes for 32 yards and then totaled three catches for 68 yards and one touchdown in the NFC Championship. The wideout did make a spectacular catch against the Lions, but the volume hasn't necessarily been there for him.

However, Aiyuk is still an interesting play this weekend. The Chiefs have run man coverage at a top-10 rate this season, and the 49ers wideout is one of the best in the NFL against man coverage. If Sneed does match up against him, his production might struggle a bit. But the 25-year-old should still see 4-5 catches for 60-70 yards and possibly a touchdown.

WR Rashee Rice: Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice has seen his usage increase over the past couple of weeks, which included a career day in the Wild Card game against the Miami Dolphins. In that game, he caught eight passes for 130 yards and one touchdown.

Although in the past two games he has not seen the same type of production, he still caught 12 passes combined in the Divisional Round and the AFC Championship. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been looking Rice's way more in recent weeks, and the rookie has seen at least nine targets in seven of the past nine games.

The 49ers will likely have all their attention on tight end Travis Kelce, meaning someone else will have to step up in the Super Bowl. That player could be Rice, who faces a 49ers defense that has given up at least 10 catches and one touchdown to wideouts in four of the past five contests.

Quarterback And Tight End – Fantasy Football Super Bowl

QB Brock Purdy: San Francisco 49ers

The Chiefs have been one of the best defensive teams this season, and that worries me for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. Kansas City will likely be one of the toughest defenses that Purdy has faced all year, joining the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens. In those games against the Browns and Ravens, the 24-year-old threw for a combined 380 yards and one touchdown with five interceptions.

Now, Purdy won't have numbers like that in Super Bowl LVIII. He will play much better. But this Chiefs secondary is no joke, and they have really limited quarterbacks in recent weeks. Kansas City has not allowed a quarterback to throw for more than one passing touchdown in eight straight weeks. During those eight games, only two quarterbacks have thrown for over 250 yards.

It'll be interesting to see how the Chiefs try to defend Purdy through the air. They blitz 33% of the time, but the 49ers quarterback led the NFL in yards per play (8.7) when blitzed this season. Either way, Purdy has struggled against some elite defenses this year, and that worries me on Sunday.

TE Travis Kelce: Kansas City Chiefs 

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has heated up in the playoffs. In the Divisional Round against the Bills, he caught five passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns. Then, in the AFC Championship against the Ravens, he reeled in 11 passes for 116 yards and one touchdown.

Kelce should be in for another solid day on Sunday. He has totaled at least six catches in each of his three Super Bowl appearances, and the 49ers haven't necessarily stopped opposing tight ends recently. San Francisco has allowed at least six receptions to tight ends in three straight games, including 10 catches for 105 yards two weeks ago against the Lions.

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