The Super Bowl 55 matchup is set, and we are blessed with a rematch of one of this season’s best games. The Kansas City Chiefs will travel once again to Tampa Bay to face the NFC Champion Buccaneers.
Kansas City held on to beat Tampa Bay, 27-24, in the first meeting. But the most memorable part of the game was Tyreek Hill’s performance. Hill caught 13 passes for a ridiculous 269 yards and three touchdowns in the win, good for an incredible 51.4 FanDuel points.
This rematch is an interesting one from a DFS standpoint. Both teams have high-powered passing games, outstanding pass catchers, and really lackluster running games. Most weeks, we build our lineups with a stud or two at running back. That won’t be the case in Super Bowl 55.
Here’s my early FanDuel advice for Super Bowl 55.
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Go contrarian: Avoid Tyreek Hill.
I know, this might be insane to say after what Hill did against Tampa Bay in November. But it’s safe to say Hill will be the most popular non-quarterback in FanDuel lineups on Super Bowl Sunday. Everyone’s going to remember that performance and expect something similar.
The best fantasy players zig while everyone else zags.
Fortunately, there are multiple elite pass-catching options in this game. While Hill is obviously the more explosive player, I don’t think Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are far off in terms of upside.
Evans caught two touchdowns in the first meeting between these teams and has caught a touchdown in his last two games. Godwin is Tom Brady’s preferred choice over the middle of the field and reeled in eight of nine targets for 97 yards in the first game against the Chiefs.
Go with Patrick Mahomes over Tom Brady as your MVP.
Sure, Brady might be $1,500 cheaper. But how can you turn down Mahomes with a 1.5-point multiplier? Mahomes hasn’t had a game with fewer than 250 passing yards and two touchdowns since Week 7 when the Chiefs blew out the Broncos early and didn’t need to throw at all in the second half.
Brady’s the GOAT at the moment, but he might be going head-to-head with the guy who has the best shot of breaking all his records. Mahomes threw for 462 yards in the first meeting, and I expect him to have another huge game in his second Super Bowl against a Buccaneers secondary that can be exploited.
Choose Clyde Edwards-Helaire as your only running back.
None of the running backs in this game are exciting. But we’ve got to at least put one in our lineups. When the options are lousy, I look to upside. Could Edwards-Helaire pull a Damien Williams in the Super Bowl? Absolutely.
It’s been an up-and-down rookie season, but I think his upside is right on par with Tampa’s Leonard Fournette, and he’s $2,500 cheaper than “Playoff Lenny.” Given how much Tampa Bay’s defense loves to blitz, I could see Edwards-Helaire being more involved in the passing game on check-downs and screens. He punched one in near the goal line in the AFC Championship game, so I have confidence that he’ll get touches over Darrel Williams in the red zone.
Take a shot on Gronk.
Trivia question: Who led the Buccaneers in receiving in their first game with the Chiefs? No, it wasn’t Mike Evans or Chris Godwin. It was Rob Gronkowski, who caught six passes for 106 yards in the loss.
For all we know, this could really be Gronk’s last NFL game as he and Brady try to win one more title. I expect him to give his best effort of the season against a Chiefs defense that gave up the eighth-most FanDuel points per game to opposing tight ends during the regular season. At $6,500, Gronk’s worth a flyer, and his cheap salary allows me to fit Travis Kelce into my lineup.
Early Super Bowl 55 FanDuel Lineup
- MVP: Patrick Mahomes ($16,500)
- FLEX: Travis Kelce ($14,500)
- FLEX: Chris Godwin ($12,000)
- FLEX: Clyde Edwards-Helaire ($10,000)
- FLEX: Rob Gronkowski ($6,500)
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Matt Barbato is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Matt, check out his archive and follow him @RealMattBarbato.
