Jared Contestabile 
Two teams headed the opposite direction face off this week on Thursday Night Football. The 49ers, winners of six straight, travel to Seattle to take on the reeling Seahawks. The Seahawks have lost three of four since a 6-3 start. They are fighting for their playoff lives, and this one would go a long way toward clinching a postseason spot. San Fransisco is favored by 3.5 in this one, with the total set at 43.5. Let’s get ready to rumble!
DraftKings and FanDuel each have a slightly different setup for Showdown slates, with DraftKings using a “Captain” spot. Captain earns you 1.5X points, BUT also costs you 1.5X in salary. FanDuel uses an “MVP”, which is ALSO 1.5X points, but salaries are the same, regardless of position. DraftKings uses 5 FLEX spots, and FanDuel uses 4 “AnyFLEX” spots to fill out your roster.
Captain/MVP Plays
Christian McCaffrey, 49ers ($17,100 DraftKings, $17,500 FanDuel)
The most obvious play of this showdown slate is CMC. With Deebo Samuel and Elijah Mitchell both OUT for this one, CMC will be relied upon even more. Only the Texans are serving up more fantasy points per game to opposing RB than the Seahawks. This is a match made in heaven for McCaffrey and the 49ers.
CMC only touched the ball 16 times last week (14 carries, 2 catches), but he turned those opportunities into 154 yards and a pair of scores. He is now averaging 30 DraftKings PPG over the last two weeks. This type of production is what you pay for on slates like this. With the new hero in town Brock Purdy banged up also, San Fran will need as much as they can get from their star deadline acquisition.
DK Metcalf, Seahawks ($15,000 DraftKings, $12,000 FanDuel)
If you’re not playing CMC up top, Metcalf makes sense for a few reasons. The Seahawks will have a tough time finding success on the ground against the #1 run defense in the NFL. They are giving up less than 16 fantasy points per game to opposing RB.
Conversely, the 49ers are vulnerable against WR, serving up just over 35 fantasy points per game (23rd in the NFL). Metcalf is a tough cover for anyone, and continues to see elite volume. He has averaged nearly 10 targets per game over his last six. Geno will be looking his way early and often, especially if the running game struggles. If Seattle gets down big, even better. Metcalf is one of my favorite plays in this one.
George Kittle, 49ers ($12,000 DraftKings, $10,500 FanDuel)
Call me crazy here, but I love Kittle in this spot. I know the production hasn’t been there, but with multiple key weapons out, this is a primo spot for the former Hawkeye. Kittle has just nine catches for 76 yards COMBINED over the last three weeks.
Even better. His ownership will hopefully be low due to his recent duds, and I’m here to take advantage. Seattle has been getting cooked by TE all season. You all know how bad the Cardinals have been against TE, and they are still the only team worse than Seattle. Kittle should feast here, regardless of who is under center.
FLEX/AnyFLEX Plays
Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers ($8,800 DraftKings, $13,000 FanDuel)
I already mentioned the injuries that continue to pile up for the 49ers, and Aiyuk is poised to benefit. He can take on some of the Deebo Samuel workload, and has already been productive this season (13.5 DK PPG). He doesn’t need to make big splash plays down the field to find ways to hit value, and I’m expecting him to be busy here.
Tyler Lockett, Seahawks ($10,200 DraftKings, $11,500 FanDuel)
All Tyler Lockett does is score touchdowns. He continues to be one of the most underrated WR in the NFL, and has been the model of consistency. He has scored a touchdown in six consecutive games, and eight overall in his last nine. He has only hit 100 yards once in his last eight games, but if you’re playing him, it isn’t for the yardage. It’s for paydirt.
Jordan Mason, 49ers ($4,800 DraftKings, $7,000 FanDuel)
If I’m huge on CMC, I have to give a look to Mason as well. He has totaled 19 carries for 107 yards over the last two weeks. If he sees similar volume again in this one, he could be a difference maker on this slate. If he can somehow steal a touchdown, he’s going to be a player you need to have in your lineups at this price.
Other Options
Kickers are both in play here. Robbie Gould hasn’t missed a FG attempt since Week 5, and Jason Myers has only missed one all season. Kickers continue to play big roles in showdown, and I’ll be on both. Slight edge to Myers for me.
Jauan Jennings posted a dud last week, but the 49ers didn’t need to do much in the way of the passing game in the second half. I’ll mention one more time about Deebo being out. Jennings is reasonably priced to take advantage of an increased workload.
Kenneth Walker has slate-breaking upside on a main slate, so he is more than capable here. The 49ers have been the best in the NFL against RB, but Walker is special. My main issue is that the Seahawks could take it easy on his workload here in his first game back from injury. He is a fine play, but not one that I will be prioritizing. His price on DK may be too good to pass up though, so I’ll have some exposure in MME.
I’m not chasing the points with Marquise Goodwin here. He had a huge game last week, but I’m not expecting that here against San Fran. I’ll take DK and Lockett and hope the field chases last week’s big game here.
Noah Fant and Will Dissly could be deep options, I side with Fant, but am not excited about either one here.
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Good luck on Thursday Night! Make sure to follow me on Twitter if you aren’t already, and let’s meet at the top of the leaderboards!
