In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by New Era:

Living the Dream

Living the Dream is a term that gets thrown around loosely at times. If there is anyone who is living up to the saying, it’s Saquon Barkley.

Barkley can set a record, win a Super Bowl on his birthday in his first year with the Eagles, got engaged recently, and will star in a Super Bowl commercial. Can it get much better?

He needs 30 yards to pass Terrell Davis for the single-season high (including playoffs) of 2,476 rushing yards set in 1998. Barkley has 2,760 yards from scrimmage, three yards shy of passing Davis for the most in a season (including playoffs).

Barkley has rushed for at least 100 yards in 14 of 19 games, including 119, 205, and 118 yards, respectively, in the postseason. He has hit 100 in nine of the last 10 games. Barkley rushed for 65 yards or fewer once in Week 5 against Cleveland. He’s already tops in Ian’s early RB rankings for 2024.

The Chiefs haven't allowed a 100-yard rusher in their last 18 playoff games. The most yards they allowed to a running back this season was Jerome Ford, who had 84 yards on 7 carries, including a 62-yard TD run. In the regular season, Kansas City held Derrick Henry to 46 rushing yards, Bijan Robinson to 31, James Cook to 20, and Joe Mixon to 57. In the postseason, KC hasn’t been as formidable. Mixon had 19 carries for 88 yards in the Divisional Round and Cook had 13 carries for 85 yards in the AFC Championship.

Barkley is averaging 159 total yards and 6.7 yards per carry in the postseason. If there’s any team that can slow him down, it’s the Chiefs. If there’s any team to overcome a big game by Barkley and win, it’s the Chiefs. It’s going to be fascinating to watch what happens in this battle. For now, Barkley continues to live the dream. 

Speaking of something dreamy, make sure to scroll down to the PLEASE LIKE ME section, where our partners at New Era gave us an exclusive preview of their 2025 NFL Draft caps. Kendall Valenzuela showcased all 32 teams from Radio Row in New Orleans. Find your favorite team’s cap, and make sure to order yours come draft time. You’re on the clock!

  • Adam Ronis


The latest analysis and insights from our merry band of football nerds:

😂 Whassuuuuuup? Puppy, Monkey, Baby. Some Super Bowl commercials we’d like to forget.

🔮 Freedman gets you ready with the Chiefs-Eagles Super Bowl preview.

🏆 Will Patrick Mahomes go 4-for-4? Can anyone else win Super Bowl MVP?

⛑️ Can Caleb Williams get a little help? Some extra protection would be a start.

🚀 Remember Taylor Elgersma and Jimmy Horn Jr. Coach Gene shows they’re rising up NFL Draft boards.

🎥 Kendall gave us a day in the life covering the Super Bowl. Beignets, too!

👀 Cam Newton, Dononvan McNabb, and Andre Reed … just stopping by.

🥇 Matthew reminds J-Jetta that he’s the reason fantasy managers win.

👑 Emmitt Smith … NFL and Fantasy Football royalty.
 

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Super Bowl Underdog Picks

On Wednesday, Pete gave us a peek behind the curtain at how he’s approaching his Underdog pick’em picks for Super Bowl 59.

Key words—peek behind the curtain. Sure, we got his core plays, but he left us wanting more.

And we’re here with just that. More. See below for another viable pairing from Pete to target ahead of Super Bowl 59 …

THE TUDDIES - Hunt & AJB (4.33x)

The definition: Two players to score a TD. Clean and simple. 

The picks: 

Kareem Hunt—TD (1.12x)

A.J. Brown—TD (1.29x)

The reason: Hunt is now the clear goal-line back in KC. He has a TD in each of the team's past four games. I'm frankly surprised we are getting this at plus odds considering how consistent his usage (and execution) has been around the goal line.

On the Eagles’ side, it's a bit trickier. Barkley (.67x) and Jalen Hurts (.9x) are the omega favorites to score for Philly, which means we have to look elsewhere for plus odds. Enter: AJB, a man who finally tapped into his Inner Excellence in the Conference Championships for 96 yards and a score.

He has a TD in three of his past five games, and I love his chances of scoring a TD in this spot.

MORE UNDERDOG PICKS FOR SUPER BOWL 59


Shedeur Sanders NFL Draft Profile

Where Shedeur Sanders goes, the spotlight follows (wait … anyone know what he’s up to for the Super Bowl??).

As soon as Sunday comes and goes and the book is closed on the 2024-25 NFL season, all eyes turn to the NFL Draft. Unless, of course, you’re a year-round NFL Draft sicko whose name rhymes with More Lystrom.

So, let’s take a break from the big game and look to the future for a few with Thor Nystrom …

From an early age, Shedeur Sanders set out to become a pocket passer. His game itself shows a resolute conviction in the pursuit of this idea. Sanders is plenty mobile in the pocket, making defenders miss, and scrambling out of danger. 

But Sanders always keeps his eyes downfield, and as long as the option is on the table, he will slam on the brakes before the line of scrimmage to continue surveying his options. Sanders’ scrambling machinations have a tendency to suck defenders downhill, away from their coverage assignments, an involuntary reflex that Sanders takes great joy in punishing them for. 

Sanders’ athleticism gets pooh-poohed because he very rarely tucks the ball and runs—but he has all the athleticism he needs to achieve his stated aim, which is to buy extra opportunities for his receivers to break free. Sanders does not have a huge arm. He doesn’t beat defenders with velocity, he beats them with timing, anticipation, placement, and good ol’ fashioned manipulation.

I’ve noticed a difficulty, in a sect of my media brethren, to unspool opinions of Shedeur/Coach Prime’s flashy/brash public personas with the reality of Shedeur’s game in a vacuum. As one example, Shedeur doesn’t get nearly enough credit for being the toughest quarterback in this class.

TOUGHEST QB IN THE CLASS? GO ON …

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It’s Super Bowl 59 Eve, Eve. Have you got your spread ready for the big game? We’re almost ready ourselves. For now, it’s Fantasy Life Trivia time.

Yesterday’s Trivia Answer: Julian Edelman was the only player with fewer thatn Travis Kelce’s 350 receiving yards in his Super Bowl appearances.

Jalen Hurts lost in his Super Bowl debut, coming up just short against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Only three quarterbacks have managed to win the Super Bowl after losing their debut. Which of these players does NOT have that designation?