New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks DFS Start Sit| Super Bowl LX February 8th, 2026

Defense has been the main theme of these NFL playoffs, and that theme should continue in the Super Bowl rematch between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots.

This will be a tough game to figure out from a DFS perspective because these teams aren’t projected to score as much (DraftKings currently has the Over/Under mark at 45.5 points). Since both teams can play defense, it comes down to identifying who is going to still get work regardless of how they are being covered. Fortunately, there are a couple of players that fit this description, even in this matchup.

Lock of the Game

Smith-Njigba is a good start, no matter who he is playing against. There were only three games in the regular season where he was held to under 90 yards. Now, he will be guarded by Christian Gonzales closely in the Super Bowl. The Seahawks do a good job at moving Smith-Njigba around, though. Against the Rams, Smith-Njigba was seen in the slot and even in the backfield a couple of times. They should be able to spring him free for a couple of big plays down the field and probably a touchdown or two.

Start ‘Em

If the Seahawks are going to win this Super Bowl, it will have to be because Darnold has a good game. While Kenneth Walker III has been stepping up recently, the Patriots have only given up 71 rushing yards throughout the entire playoffs. Mike Vrabel will make sure his defenders don’t miss tackles in the open field, which means that Darnold will be in throwing situations more often. He does have a fair amount of weapons as well (Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, Rasheed Shaheed, etc.). It’s quite possible neither quarterback is going to have an amazing game, given the defenses. That being said, Darnold might be able to go 250 and a pair of touchdowns.

None of the Patriots’ receivers have had standout performances in the playoffs, with the exception of Kayshon Boutte’s game against Houston. Seattle’s secondary is pretty scary, so there won’t be too many opportunities in this game for the New England pass attack. Diggs has gotten at least five targets in the last three games, though. Josh McDaniels has shown he will draw up a couple of nifty tricks to get Diggs the ball, whether that’s through a screen or misdirection. Drake Maye will be facing third down and long a lot in this game, so calling plays to Stefon Diggs might be the secret to moving the chains.

Sit ‘Em

The Seahawks have a very impressive run defense; they gave up, on average, only 91.9 yards on the ground throughout the season. On top of that, not even Christian McCaffrey could get above the fifty yard mark against Seattle in the playoffs. If Seattle won’t let McCaffrey run free against them, best believe they will contain Rhamondre Stevenson. New England might be giving TreyVeon Henderson more snaps because of his threat in the passing game.

Boutte’s production has been difficult to predict all year. The playoffs have highlighted just how back and forth Boutte’s numbers can go; he went from 75 yards and a touchdown against Houston to six yards against Denver. A big staple of the Seahawks secondary is that they like to take away the long ball, which has been Boutte’s forte all season. Maye will have to throw a lot more checkdowns and short passes in the Super Bowl, because the Seahawks won’t be giving up the home run ball to Boutte.

Fade of the Game

As opposed to Stefon Diggs, Williams barely gets any targets. His targets correlate to the defense that New England is going up against, however. Williams got five targets against the Jets, but wasn’t thrown at any during the Denver game. Seattle certainly has a quality defense, so Drake Maye might need to go elsewhere with the football.

Don't stop here Every Score. Every Story. One Home. Breaking sports, entertainment and news from across the Total Apex network, updated all day. Get the Full Story →