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USATSI

Super Bowl LIX is here, and we're all excited for the Chiefs and Eagles to play Sunday in New Orleans. There are a lot of exciting matchups, and we want to make sure you're ready for some DFS action on the big day.

With that in mind, we're going to spend all week breaking down each position to give you the best information for your Super Bowl lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel. Today, we're looking at the running backs with Saquon Barkley, Kenneth Gainwell, Kareem Hunt, and Isiah Pacheco.

As a reminder, with only one game, these are showdown lineups, which means you don't have to play a running back. On DraftKings, you have a captain spot, and the pricing is more expensive for that position because the scoring is 1.5 Fantasy points. For FanDuel, you also get 1.5 Fantasy points for your MVP, but the pricing is the same for that spot.

Let's get into the running backs, and this position has the biggest disparity for any of the offensive players in this game. Barkley is the most expensive player on both sites, regardless of position. None of the Chiefs running backs can compare to Barkley's upside for this game.

Saquon Barkley

Season stats (16 games): 345 carries, 2,005 yards, 13 touchdowns and 33 receptions, 278 yards and two touchdowns on 43 targets

Playoff stats (3 games): 66 carries, 443 yards, five touchdowns and seven receptions for 35 yards on eight targets

DraftKings price: $18,000 (captain)/$12,000 (flex)

FanDuel price: $16,500

Barkley was an MVP candidate this season for a reason, and he comes into the Super Bowl averaging 25.4 Fantasy points per game on DraftKings and 24.3 points on FanDuel. He's been unstoppable the past two games in the playoffs against the Rams and Commanders with a combined 41 carries for 323 yards and five touchdowns and five catches for 31 yards on six targets.

Barkley has at least 120 total yards in five games in a row, and he has 11 games this season with at least 20 Fantasy points on either site. He also has 15 games with at least 20 total touches, and he's run for at least 100 yards in 14 of 19 games this season.

Barkley has never played Kansas City in his career -- he missed the 2021 matchup with an ankle injury when he was with the Giants -- and the Chiefs are the lone opponent he has yet to face. His birthday is Super Bowl Sunday when he turns 28.

Kenneth Gainwell

Season stats (17 games): 75 carries, 290 yards, one touchdown and 16 receptions for 116 yards on 22 targets

Playoff stats (3 games): seven carries, 32 yards and three receptions for 26 yards on three targets

DraftKings price: $5,100 (captain)/$3,400 (flex)

FanDuel price: $7,500

Gainwell suffered a concussion in the NFC Championship Game, so we'll have to monitor his status prior to Sunday. When healthy, he's just a change of pace back for the Eagles behind Barkley. He only has two games this season with double digits in carries and has failed to reach double digits in Fantasy points in any contest this year.

Will Shipley

Season stats (16 games): 30 carries for 82 yards and four receptions for 35 yards on four targets

Playoff stats (3 games): four carries, 77 yards and one touchdown and no targets

DraftKings price: $3,600 (captain)/$2,400 (flex)

FanDuel price: $6,500

In the event that Gainwell remains in the concussion protocol then Shipley would be the No. 2 running back for the Eagles behind Barkley. Against the Commanders, after Gainwell was injured, Shipley had a 57-yard run late in the game.

Kareem Hunt

Season stats (13 games): 200 carries, 728 yards and seven touchdowns and 23 receptions for 176 yards on 32 targets

Playoff stats (2 games): 25 carries, 108 yards and one touchdown and two receptions for 8 yards on two targets

DraftKings price: $9,600 (captain)/$6,400 (flex)

FanDuel price: $10,500

Hunt has proven to be the Chiefs best running back this season, and he's averaging 12.5 Fantasy points per game on DraftKings and 11.6 points on FanDuel. He's scored a touchdown in four games in a row, and he just had 17 carries for 64 yards and a touchdown and one catch for 6 yards on one target against Buffalo in the AFC Championship Game.

Hunt has 11 games this season with double digits in carries, and he scored at least 12.8 Fantasy points in seven of those outings on both sites. This is his first appearance in a Super Bowl.

Isiah Pacheco

Season stats (7 games): 83 carries, 310 yards and one touchdown and 12 receptions for 79 yards on 16 targets

Playoff stats (2 games): 10 carries for 30 yards and two receptions for 12 yards on three targets

DraftKings price: $7,800 (captain)/$5,200 (flex)

FanDuel price: $8,500

Pacheco was the lead running back for the Chiefs to start the season before suffering a broken leg in Week 2. He scored at least 13.6 Fantasy points in both games on each site before getting injured.

He returned in Week 13 but has struggled to regain his form. Including the playoffs, a span of eight games, Pacheco has failed to score double digits in Fantasy points in any outing.

Pacheco has a good history against the Eagles. In Super Bowl LVII, he had 15 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown. And in Week 11 in 2023, he had 19 carries for 89 yards and one catch for 2 yards on one target against Philadelphia.

Samaje Perine

Season stats (17 games): 20 carries, 92 yards and one touchdown and 28 receptions for 322 yards and one touchdown on 35 targets

Playoff stats (2 games): no carries and one reception for 17 yards on two targets

DraftKings price: $1,800 (captain)/$1,200 (flex)

FanDuel price: $6,500

Perine has not carried the ball in the playoffs, and he might catch a pass or two if needed. The last time he had more than four total touches in a game was Week 8. He's also played just 21 total snaps in the playoffs.

Who has the edge?

These were the two best run defenses in the NFL during the regular season in terms of fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. Kansas City was No. 1 and Philadelphia was No. 2.

During the playoffs, the Chiefs run defense has fallen apart a little bit. Joe Mixon had 18 carries for 88 yards and a touchdown and two catches for 12 yards on three targets in the divisional round against Kansas City. And James Cook followed that up in the AFC Championship Game with 13 carries for 85 yards and two touchdowns and three catches for 49 yards on three targets.

The Eagles haven't been much better. Josh Jacobs had 18 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown and three catches for 40 yards on three targets in the wild-card round against Philadelphia. And Kyren Williams had 16 carries for 72 yards and a touchdown with no targets in the divisional round. 

The Eagles did better in the NFC Championship Game against Washington. Brian Robinson Jr. had 11 carries for 36 yards and no targets, and Austin Ekeler finished with eight carries for 15 yards and five catches for 17 yards on seven targets.

Barkley is going to be popular in a lot of lineups and a likely captain/MVP. Even with a tough matchup, he has plenty of potential to succeed given how he's performed this season, especially since it's his birthday.

Hunt is the only Chiefs running back to consider, and he'll need a touchdown to boost your lineup. The Eagles have allowed just seven total touchdowns to running backs all season, including the playoffs, which is the fewest in the NFL.

Since it's a showdown lineup, you don't have to play a running back on either site. But it's hard to see Barkley not being a factor in the Super Bowl, so avoiding him could be a mistake, especially if you expect the Eagles to win the game.