Previously, on Fantasy Insanity: As the Madman mourns the passing of another proper fantasy football season, he clings to the memory of a personally disappointing 2022 campaign by participating in playoff DFS contests. As always, his strategy for attacking this arena involves multiple entries that cover a variety of potential real-world outcomes. The Super Bowl week is no different.
One daily fantasy contest entry is not a plan the Madman ever purposefully deploys. We always want to cover a variety of angles with our weekly DFS catalogue. Yet, there normally is one that gets more of our attention than others.
Once the playoffs begin, the diminished number of games make every slate of games a short slate by comparison. Now, with just the Super Bowl making up the entire slate, the regular DFS roster formula is discarded for an MVP/captain-style format — one player designated to score 1.5 times more than others on a roster comprised entirely of Flex options (no positional requirements).
What this does is narrow the number of possible outcomes we address. Call it what you will — game flow, game script, etc. — creating a fantasy roster that agrees with how a game unfolds is the single best way to deliver fantasy success.
If only it were so easy. Some of the angles and contrarian approaches we’ll have covered include the Chiefs running away with the game (lots of Chiefs on our roster, few Eagles), a run-heavy affair by both teams (lots of running backs, few wide receivers), pass-heavy (both quarterbacks, cheap everywhere else), fade Kelce (do not use highly popular Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce), etc.
But our most dedicated approach will address a fairly easy Eagles win. That means going with Jalen Hurts ($17,000) as our MVP at FanDuel. We want some primaries from both offenses, so we’ll pair A.J. Brown ($12,500) with Hurts and also add Kelce ($14,00). Already, we’re short on funds, so we’ll finish out with Kenneth Gainwell ($8,500) and Marquez Valdes-Scantling ($8,000).
That approach works best with an Eagles win. We’ll create variations that swap our Brown for DeVonta Smith, Gainwell for Miles Sanders or Boston Scott, some that work in Dallas Goedert. In others, we’ll dump Kelce for Patrick Mahomes and make salary cuts elsewhere, work in Jerick McKinnon or Isiah Pacheco, etc.
So in this episode, our fantasy season finale, make sure to, er, shall we say, play the field.
Bold Bowl rolls
Key picks you should or shouldn’t consider for Sunday’s FanDuel and DraftKings contests (NOTE: Cost for Captain on DK is 1.5 times listed):
Patrick Mahomes QB, Chiefs (FanDuel $17,500/DraftKings $11,000)
Mahomes not only is the most expensive of Supe fantasy options, he likely will be among the most popular, along with Jalen Hurts. Yet, Mahomes doesn’t pose the same threat on the ground as the Eagles QB, and Mahomes will face a more fierce pass rush than his counterpart. Mahomes might be the best QB in the league, but we’re fading him in this game.
Kenneth Gainwell RB, Eagles (FanDuel $8,500/DraftKings $5,000)
Significantly cheaper than backfield mate Miles Sanders. Because he has performed better statistically than Sanders in the playoffs, we like Gainwell best in a crowded Philadelphia backfield.
Isiah Pacheco RB, Chiefs (FanDuel $10,500/DraftKings $7,200)
The stout Eagles pass rush could make it hard for the Chiefs to attack downfield in the passing game (without time in the pocket for routes to develop). That could result in more short-yardage throws. Jerick McKinnon (FD $9,500/DK $6,800) fits that role better than Pacheco.
Philadelphia DST, Eagles (FanDuel $9,000/DraftKings $3,600)
This game could shake out in a similar way to the Buccaneers-Chiefs Super Bowl a few years back — sustained pocket pressure making life miserable for Mahomes. If so, that would provide a great opportunity for sacks, and sacks/pressure are great catalysts for turnovers.
Insanity’s Daily Dose
Daily fantasy league lineup suggestion by Drew Loftis:
Team FanDuel
Type: Tourney
Salary: $60K
Fee: $57
Entries: 9.4K
Top prize: $100K
Tot. pot: $457K
POS — Player (Price)
MVP — Jalen Hurts ($17,000)
Flex — Travis Kelce ($14,000)
Flex — A.J. Brown ($12,500)
Flex — Kenneth Gainwell ($8,500)
Flex — Marquez Valdes-Scantling ($8,000)
For late roster changes, follow @NYPost_Loftis
Season risked: $235.55
Season winnings: $37