Jared Contestabile 
Monday Night Football brings us another rematch, this time from the 2021 NFC Championship game. The Rams and 49ers have no shortage of history, and San Fransisco will undoubtedly be looking for revenge in this one. Prior to losing the NFC Championship to the Rams (which they should have won), the 49ers had won six straight in this series. We got our hands full in this one. Let’s find an edge and make some cash!
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.
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MVP/Captain Plays
Cooper Kupp, Rams ($18,000 DraftKings, $17,500 FanDuel)
Listen, Kupp is VERY expensive on this showdown slate. However, there isn’t a player on either roster who can match his ceiling. In his last two games against San Fransisco, he has posted the following lines:
11/122 (13 targets)
7/118/1 (7 targets)
Last week, we saw Kupp post a pedestrian 4/44/0 line on six targets, but he did score on a 20-yard rush. In Weeks 1-2, Kupp was putting up McDonald’s numbers (I hope you get the Ludacris reference) with 34.8 and 35.8 DraftKings points, respectively. Simply put, Kupp is the safest play and also the highest upside play on MNF. The only player I see as potentially coming close is…
Deebo Samuel, 49ers ($15,600 DraftKings, $14,000 FanDuel)
The San Fransisco offense goes as Deebo Samuel goes. He has a great rapport with Jimmy Garoppolo, and has had success in this matchup recently. In two games against the Rams last season, Samuel posted totals of 133 scrimmage yards with two scores, then 140 yards with one score in the NFC Championship game.
His usage out of the backfield and in the passing game is elite, and the 49ers will need every bit of his production in this one. Expect Samuel to be a favorite target for Jimmy G in this one yet again. He has 15, 10, and 13 touches in three games this season, and the potential for more is there. He is the focal point of the offense and that won’t be changing tonight or any time soon. Deebo is a near must-play for this slate.
Tyler Higbee, Rams ($7,800 DraftKings, $10,500 FanDuel)
Kupp or Deebo will likely be my main options for this one, but I’ll throw some shots at Higbee in the bonus spot. He scored three touchdowns in his last two games against San Fransisco, and his usage this season is elite. Only Mark Andrews and Zach Ertz are averaging more targets per game than Higbee thus far in 2022.
The 49ers have allowed only five catches to opposing TE over three games this season, but that doesn’t scare me off of Higbee. The Rams are a pass-first offense, and Higbee is the clear #2 behind Kupp. The 49ers will be scheming to take away Kupp (good luck), and I see Higbee being the beneficiary of a few extra looks tonight.
FLEX/AnyFLEX Plays
Matt Stafford, Rams ($10,600 DraftKings, $15,500 FanDuel)
The Rams offense throws the ball over 63% of the time thus far in 2022, up almost 4% from last season. Stafford will have a tough matchup here, but the numbers for the 49ers defense are slightly skewed. They have faced Justin Fields in a monsoon, Geno Smith, and the ghost of Russell Wilson thus far. Stafford is far from a must-play here, but if you are making multiple lineups, he needs to be in your pool.
Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers ($7,600 DraftKings, $9,000 FanDuel)
I’m not a big fan of Jimmy G in general, and the Rams have been tough on him over the years. If you remove one game in 2020 where Jimmy had 268 yards and three scores…things get pretty ugly. He has a 6/7 TD/INT against the Rams in five other matchups. What does this have to do with Aiyuk? Well, I’m fading Jimmy. He just doesn’t have the upside I’m looking for in this matchup. Aiyuk has seen eight targets in back to back weeks, and is priced perfectly in the middle tier. I’ll take a shot here on a decent floor and some sneaky upside. The Rams have actually allowed the MOST fantasy points to opposing WR so far this season. I don’t expect that to be the case all season, but Jalen Ramsey looks as bad as Twitter mobs pretend Eli Apple is…
Robbie Gould and Matt Gay
If this game stays close (and Vegas is betting that it will), the kickers could play a major role. It looks like nearly perfect weather, and both kickers are cheap and reliable. I lean more toward Gould than Gay, as I see the Rams as more likely to finish drives than the 49ers.
Values
A few others to consider are Jauan Jennings ($2,000 DraftKings), who has seen 11 targets this season. I’m not huge on this offense here outside of the top guys, but he is worth a look as a punt play.
Kyle Juszcyk is always a threat to steal some goal-line work or grab a screen pass and bowl over some defenders. He is only $1,000 on DraftKings.
I won’t talk you out of George Kittle. His matchup is actually a good bit better than it was last season with Von Miller now in Buffalo. However, only Cleveland and Chicago have run the ball LESS than the 49ers, and there is only so much to go around. I would rather prioritize Kupp and Samuel.
One last value play here is Ben Skowronek. He is coming off a solid 4/66 game against Arizona, and could provide some sneaky value here.
While there is no chance I’m fading Cooper Kupp, the 49ers defense has massive upside if we see Matthew Stafford on a bad day. He actually has a 4/5 TD/INT so far in 2022, and the 49ers won’t miss this time like they did in the NFC Championship game. If things break well for the 49ers, the defense could be among the highest scorers on the slate. Don’t be afraid to throw a lineup or two with them in the bonus spot tonight. It could pay off big.
I’m not excited about any one player in the run game here. I’ll take my rushing upside in the form of Mr. Deebo Samuel.
Good luck on Monday Night! Make sure to follow me on Twitter if you aren’t already, and let’s meet at the top of the leaderboards!
