This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Football series.
Super Bowl LVIII will be played Sunday, with Kansas City taking on San Francisco at 6:30 p.m. EST from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Yahoo will be running NFL DFS contests as usual for the Super Bowl, though the format will be different from multi-game slates. Instead, you will put together a lineup consisting of one Superstar pick and four additional Flex plays. The Superstar will have a 1.5x fantasy point multiplier, but their salary will be unchanged. The biggest Yahoo DFS Super Bowl contest is the NFL $100k Big Game Baller, which pays out a guaranteed prize pool of $100,000 to the top 1,144 finishers, including $20,000 to the winner. You can submit up to 150 entries into this contest, which has a maximum total capacity of 5,850 entries but will still run if it doesn't fill, potentially providing you with enhanced odds of winning, also known as overlay.
Keep in mind that Yahoo DFS contests use 0.5 PPR scoring rather than full PPR, which lowers the comparative value of wide receivers and running backs (in that order) while especially affecting high-volume pass-catchers. Your NFL $100k Big Game Baller lineup will consist of one Superstar and four Flex plays, with no positional requirements. Positions eligible for your lineup are QB, RB, WE, TE and D/ST.
SUPERSTAR Candidates
Christian McCaffrey, SF vs. KC ($42): The Superstar slot gets a 1.5x point multiplier but doesn't cost any extra salary, so you want to get the top performer in that slot. McCaffrey has been the league's most productive fantasy player all year, averaging a whopping 23.0 fantasy points in Yahoo's 0.5 PPR format. After leading the NFL with 1,459 rushing yards and 21 scrimmage touchdowns in the regular season, McCaffrey has added at least 128 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns in each of San Francisco's playoff games. He'll likely be the focal point of the offense against a Kansas City defense that surrendered 4.6 YPC to RBs in the regular season, and McCaffrey's pass catching skills should keep him heavily involved even if the 49ers fall behind.
Patrick Mahomes, KC vs. SF ($33): Mahomes is the top alternative to McCaffrey in your Superstar slot. The superstar QB is already a two-time MVP, two-time Super Bowl champion and two-time Super Bowl MVP. Even in a down year by his lofty standards, Mahomes has averaged 18.2 fantasy points and has his team back in the Super Bowl. In his 17-game playoff career, Mahomes has 4,802 passing yards and a 39:7 TD:INT, as well as 458 rushing yards and five TDs on the ground.
Travis Kelce, KC vs. SF ($28): Kelce has been uncoverable during Kansas City's last four playoff runs. Over his last 12 playoff games, Kelce has caught 104 of 125 targets for 1,178 yards and 13 touchdowns. That's just shy of 100 yards and over a touchdown per game. The 34-year-old tight end seemed to slow down a bit in the regular season but has been his usual dominant self during KC's run to the Super Bowl, with 23 catches for 262 yards and three touchdowns on 27 targets in three playoff games. He would have an even more appealing case for your Superstar slot in full PPR scoring, but Kelce's still worthy of consideration in 0.5 PPR, even against a 49ers defense that has allowed only four TDs to TEs in 19 games between the regular season and playoffs.
Honorable Mention:
Rashee Rice, KC vs. SF ($30)
FLEX Plays
Brock Purdy, SF vs. KC ($31): Kansas City's secondary has locked down passing games all year, but Purdy still has some flex appeal with the pass catching skills of McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle at his disposal. Purdy has posted a 33:12 TD:INT in 18 games between the regular season and postseason, and he showed off his underrated scrambling ability with 48 rushing yards in the NFC Championship Game against the Lions. After logging five or more rushing attempts only twice in the regular season, Purdy has reached that mark in both of San Francisco's playoff games.
George Kittle, SF vs. KC ($22): Kittle is easily the most affordable of the nine players who have significant roles in either offense — all of McCaffrey, Mahomes, Isiah Pacheco, Purdy, Samuel, Rashee Rice, Kelce and Aiyuk have a valuation of at least $28. The talented tight end is certainly capable of exceeding the production of a substantial portion of that group, as Kittle has racked up at least 15.1 fantasy points in six of his last 11 games.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, KC vs. SF ($11): Kansas City has been looking for another pass catcher to emerge behind Kelce and Rice all season, and Valdes-Scantling has been that third guy in the playoffs, with 100 receiving yards over the last two games. The speedster has always had a knack for getting open deep, and while actually catching the ball has been a problem for MVS, his recent usage suggests he has a higher ceiling than other bargain options in this salary range. Defending WRs was the Achilles' heel of the stout San Francisco defense in the regular season, as the 49ers' 232 catches allowed to the position were fifth-most, and their 16 TDs allowed to WRs were tied for ninth-most.
Honorable Mentions:
Kansas City D/ST vs. SF ($15); Justin Watson, KC vs. SF ($13); Jauan Jennings, SF vs. KC ($12)
