DraftKings Reignmakers | Big Game Breakdown
This NFL season, we are pleased to have partnered with DraftKings as a content provider, covering their exciting new NFT-powered fantasy football game, DK Reignmakers! Each week in this space, we will be breaking down the upcoming Reignmakers NFL slate. Be sure to check out our Fair Value Card Estimates and Contest EV tool as you build your lineups.
Friday Update
- The Chiefs have no players listed on their final injury report heading into Super Bowl LVII. Mecole Hardman (pelvis) was previously placed on IR, and he'll miss the game, but JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee) and Kadarius Toney (ankle) are both good to go. Additionally, Clyde Edwards-Helaire (ankle) was activated from IR, and he'll be active for the big game.
Monday Update
- Chiefs receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee), Kadarius Toney (ankle) and Mecole Hardman (pelvis) were all absent from Chiefs practice throughout the week last week. Despite missing practice, JuJu and Toney are both listed questionable, while Hardman is listed as doubtful to play in the Super Bowl. For now, my assumption is that Justin Watson (who missed the Conference Championship with an illness), Smith-Schuster and Toney will be active, while Hardman will be inactive.
News & Notes
Welcome to Super Bowl LVII and the final DraftKings Reignmakers slate of the season! Before we get into the game breakdown, a few things to keep in mind as we enter the offseason:
- Your 2022 Reignmakers cards will hold value in the 2023 season. Learn more about DraftKings’ upcoming plans for burning and crafting player cards.
- 2022 cards will count 10% towards a collector’s 2023 Franchise Score.
- 2023 cards will begin dropping this spring. Keep your eyes peeled for more updates here.
- Don’t forget, UFC Reignmakers is also underway! Catch up on everything you need to know about the UFC version of Reignmakers here.
With the housekeeping out of the way, let’s turn our attention to the big game!
Chiefs vs. Eagles, Sunday (2/12) 6:30 PM ET
The Eagles made quick work of the 49ers last week after San Francisco suffered injuries to both Brock Purdy (elbow) and Josh Johnson (concussion) at quarterback. The lopsided score allowed Jalen Hurts to take his foot off the gas, throwing for only 121 passing yards while giving way to backup Gardner Minshew in the fourth quarter. In two playoff games, Hurts has now totaled only 275 passing yards.
Defensively, Kansas City has ranked in the middle of the pack against the pass while fielding a top-10 rush defense. Expect the Eagles to throw more in the Super Bowl than they have in recent weeks, paving the way for Hurts to have a big fantasy performance.
In a one-game Showdown slate, we’re going to have to get unique somewhere, and on the Eagles, I’m willing to take chances on their backfield, where Miles Sanders has commanded less than 50% of the team’s rushing share in three straight games now. Specifically, I’m willing to pair Kenneth Gainwell as the pass-catching back with Patrick Mahomes stacks. I don’t even mind going way off the board with Boston Scott, who isn’t going to see double-digit carries but does have reasonable touchdown equity in the offense.
On the Chiefs’ side, there are several injury situations to track on offense, mostly at wide receiver. JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee), Mecole Hardman (pelvis) and Kadarius Toney (ankle) all left last week’s win over the Bengals, while Justin Watson was inactive for the game with an illness. Watson should be available in the Super Bowl, but we’ll have to wait for more clarity on JuJu, Hardman and Toney, who all missed Kansas City’s first practice this week. This will be another position group I’ll be looking to get weird with using differentiation options on the Showdown slate, depending on which players are active. If multiple Chiefs receivers are held out, tight end Noah Gray could help pick up the slack, although he is not available in Reignmakers.
At running back, head coach Andy Reid said that Clyde Edwards-Helaire (ankle) had a chance to play in the AFC Conference Championship before he was ultimately ruled out, but that could put CEH on track to play in the Super Bowl. I’ll need to see him on the practice field before I make any moves, but CEH could enter the long-shot conversation should he be activated from IR ahead of the big game. Otherwise, we can expect to see more of the same run-game/pass-game backfield split between Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon that the Chiefs have deployed in recent weeks.
For a single-game fantasy slate, this one has quite a few moving parts and I’ll be updating this article with injury news as situations become more clear closer to kickoff. Thanks for joining us throughout the inaugural season of DraftKings Reignmakers! We hope you have found our content helpful, and wish you good luck in your Super Bowl contests!
