The San Francisco 49ers will travel to face the Seattle Seahawks to kick off the Week 6 NFL slate. This NFC West battle could have playoff implications in the future as both teams hold postseason aspirations.
Seattle started the year 3-0 but have suffered back-to-back losses at the hands of the Lions and Giants. San Francisco battled injuries to start the year and enter this week with a 2-3 record. They most recently lost to the Cardinals despite entering that game as seven-point favorites. Neither team has quite played their best football, making this an interesting matchup between the two opponents who are plenty familiar with each other.
The 49ers enter this matchup as 3.5-point favorites and are currently -192 on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Seahawks are listed as +160 underdogs on the moneyline, while the over/under for the game sits at 49.5 points.
We have plenty of articles on the site for the game outlook, DFS and Pick6 breakdowns, so here’s a look at some of the most intriguing player props ahead of Thursday night’s matchup.
Geno Smith Over Brock Purdy Passing Yards Head-to-Head (-110 moneyline)
Through the opening five weeks of the season, Geno Smith leads the NFL in pass attempts, completions, and passing yards. Overall, he has tallied 1,466 yards on 199 pass attempts.
In contrast, Brock Purdy ranks 13th in pass attempts, 13th in completions, and 4th in yards this season. He has thrown for 1,374 yards on 157 pass attempts this season.
While the 49ers’ offense is more big-play-oriented than the Seahawks’, we’re rolling with Geno Smith to maintain this level of passing production due to the number of attempts he’s set to throw. The Seahawks throw the ball more than any other team in the NFL. While he was held to just 171 passing yards in Week 1, Smith has thrown for 284 yards or greater each week since.
Purdy is more predictable in his production but will be asked to do less. If the Seahawks are to have a chance at winning, it will be on the back of Smith, while the 49ers may opt for a more ground-oriented attack. Take the head-to-head bet between the quarterbacks and expect Smith to continue as the leading passer on the season by outperforming Purdy on Thursday Night Football.
Brandon Aiyuk Over 64.5 Receiving Yards (-120)
It was an eventful offseason for Brandon Aiyuk, but not for the right reasons. The 49ers star found himself in a contract holdout and heard his name floated in trade talks which leaked into the start of the season. Aiyuk and the 49ers ultimately agreed to a lucrative deal shortly before Week 1, but he was not able to immediately step back into his usual level of production.
In Week 5, the 49ers finally got the version of the wide receiver they paid for. Aiyuk tallied eight receptions for 147 yards — nearly the total of his previous four games combined. For San Francisco to be the dynamic offensive team they desire to be, it involves Aiyuk being this effective. The 26-year-old is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and finished last year with the seventh-most receiving yards in the league.
Look for Aiyuk to build off last week’s performance and become the clear WR1 he’s proven capable of being. Expect last week to be just the start, with an uptick in production likely to occur from here on out. The 64.5-yard margin is too low for the caliber of his talent, so get ahead of this early before that line begins to creep up in the coming weeks.
Jordan Mason Over 82.5 Rushing Yards (-120)
While San Francisco eagerly awaits the return of Christian McCaffrey, Jordan Mason has been as good as the team could ask in CMC’s absence. Mason leads the NFL in rush attempts so far this season with 105 and has rushed for over 100 yards in three of the opening five games. He has tallied at least 15 touches in every game this year, including 21 or more touches in four of five games. He has also eclipsed 82.5 yards on the ground in four of five contests, and came close with 77 in the lone week he did not surpass the 82.5 mark.
Expect Mason’s workload to continue since he’s in a good spot to produce in this matchup. The Seahawks rank 20th in rushing yards allowed this season and allowed 129 yards to Tyrone Tracy Jr. just last week.
The 49ers will look to establish the run game early in this matchup and Mason will be at the epicenter. Expect him to eclipse 82.5 rushing yards and remain among the league leaders for the season.
Brandon Aiyuk and DK Metcalf to Combine for 200+ Receiving Yards (+400)
A bit of a bigger swing here, but both Brandon Aiyuk and DK Metcalf possess big-play potential and receive a significant amount of their teams’ target share.
Through the opening five weeks of the season, Metcalf has tallied 421 receiving yards which ranks 4th in the NFL. He has broken 100 yards receiving three times already, including a 129-yard performance in Week 2. While Aiyuk just broke out for his first 100-plus yard performance last week, this should be a sign of more to come. He had over 100 yards through the air in seven games last year and has broken that mark 12 times in his career.
Both Aiyuk and Metcalf rank top 20 in targets league-wide. They will each be heavily involved in the offense, and it may take just one or two big plays for the 200-plus combined number to be obtainable. This is a higher-risk pick, but expect both players to have a chance at 100 receiving yards and for them to combine to break this mark.
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
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