Week 6 of the NFL season will be kicked off with an NFC West clash between the Seahawks and 49ers. Seattle enters with a 3-2 record but is coming off back-to-back losses to the Lions and Giants. San Francisco has battled injuries to start the year and sits at 2-3. It is coming off a loss last week to the Arizona Cardinals. Both teams have playoff aspirations and this is a matchup that could play a significant role in the divisional race or playoff seeding at the season’s conclusion.
The 49ers enter as 3.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. Seattle is currently +154 on the moneyline for the upset while the game total is set at 49 points.
There are far more ways to get involved in the action than just traditional betting. One of the more unique features on DraftKings this year is Pick6 Fantasy Football!
49ers at Seahawks Pick6 Plays
The Seahawks got off to a 3-0 start to the season but have come down to earth since. They lead the NFL in pass attempts this season but are third in yards and 20th in passing touchdowns. Overall offensively they rank 11th in points and seventh in yards. On the defensive side of the ball, the Seahawks rank 11th in yards allowed and 17th in points allowed.
Injuries have been the story of the season for San Francisco so far. Christian McCaffrey’s outlook is far more concerning than was expected entering the season and a few other notable players have also battled issues. The 49ers still rank second in yards on offense and 10th in scoring as a team. They also rank 12th in points allowed and 10th in yards on the defensive end.
This could be a notable matchup in the divisional race as these NFC West foes both hold playoff aspirations. With this game set to serve as a bit of a measuring stick for each team, here are my top Pick6 picks for the Thursday night showdown.
Brandon Aiyuk More Than 64.5 Receiving Yards
Football fans and the 49ers as a team have been waiting for the Brandon Aiyuk breakout game. Finally, in Week 5 it happened. In the matchup with the Cardinals, Aiyuk tallied eight receptions for 147 yards. This is a massive step forward considering Aiyuk had tallied just 167 combined receiving yards in the four games before this.
Most of the offseason was overshadowed by contract negotiations for Aiyuk. But finally, it feels like he has kicked off the rust and settled in. The 26-year-old is coming off back-to-back seasons with 1,000+ receiving yards and is vital to the offense. This is especially the case with Christian McCaffrey still out.
Seattle has a solid defense that ranks seventh in passing yards allowed on the season. However, it allowed 122 receiving yards to Darius Slayton just last week and Aiyuk will be in line for a similar volume of targets. Look for him to build off last week’s performance and be heavily involved in San Francisco’s attack. The 49ers are at their best when Aiyuk is a regular part of the offense and this should be expected moving forward. Brush off the slow start to the season and judge Aiyuk on his performances moving forward. The 64.5-receiving yard number is too low of a bar to be set, so expect him to have no problem recording more than this.
Jauan Jennings More Than 29.5 Receiving Yards
One of the bright spots on the 49ers through their underwhelming start has been Jauan Jennings. While he has received fewer targets, Jennings has recorded more receptions (22), receiving yards (377) and touchdowns (3) than Aiyuk. Jennings put an exclamation point on his start to the season in Week 3 when he tallied 11 receptions for 175 yards and three touchdowns, a career-best performance for the 27-year-old.
If you want to look at this through a pessimistic lens, Jennings has had just four catches over the past two weeks and was held to only 13 receiving yards last week. However, he was missed on six targets across these two weeks and logged his typical share of offensive snaps in each.
San Francisco will look to get him involved again against the Seahawks and the 29.5-receiving yard margin is too low. Jennings has eclipsed this number in four of the five weeks. He has climbed to a true WR2 in the San Francisco offense and has been targeted at least four times in each game. Through the opening five weeks, he is averaging 4.4 catches and 75.4 yards per game. He is averaging 17.4 yards per reception on the season and it should take him just two catches to reach this desired receiving yards quota.
Deebo Samuel Less Than 12.5 Rushing Yards
There was some speculation following the extended injury status of McCaffrey that Deebo Samuel would be more involved in the rushing game. Through the first five weeks of the season, this has not proven to be the case. Overall, Samuel has had just 15 rush attempts for 36 yards and a touchdown.
Instead, the 49ers have leaned heavily on Jordan Mason as their primary running back. Mason has logged 105 carries so far and Brock Purdy has also recorded more rush attempts than Samuel with 22 on the season. Samuel logged eight rush attempts in the opening game and has not had more than three in any game since.
With Mason proving to be capable on the ground, expect Samuel to keep his focus on impacting the game as a wide receiver. This is a low total, but still not one Samuel should reach. It would not shock me if Samuel does not see a carry as a rusher in this game. Expect him to record less than the 12.5-yard rushing total and for his impact in the game to be made through the air.
Geno Smith More Than 35.5 Passing Attempts
If one thing has been made clear about Geno Smith and the Seahawks, it’s that they are going to let it fly through the air. They have the most pass attempts of any team in the NFL and Smith broke a personal record in Week 4 attempting 56 total passes. Smith is also leading the NFL in passing yards this season.
Overall, Smith is averaging 39.8 pass attempts per game and has attempted more than 35.5 pass attempts in three of the five games. Looking at the 49ers’ defense, they have not been as dominant to start the season. Through the opening five weeks, they rank 12th in passing yards allowed and 18th in passing touchdowns given up.
Expect the Seahawks to stick to their script as a pass-first offense and for Smith to have plenty of opportunity to make his impact felt. Seattle will have a chance to take control of the game script in this matchup and make it a higher-scoring game than we are accustomed to with San Francisco. Expect this to occur and for Smith to attempt 36 or more pass attempts again this week.
Jordan Mason More Than 81.5 Rushing Yards
There was not much of an expectation for Jordan Mason when he stepped into the starting running back role ahead of the first week, but the 25-year-old has made the most of his opportunity. Mason tallied 147 rushing yards and a touchdown in the season opener and has recorded 100 yards in two more games since that point.
Looking across the entire NFL, Mason leads the league in rushing attempts with 105. He also ranks second in rushing yards, trailing only Derrick Henry, and is tied for 11th in rushing touchdowns. He has recorded more than 81.5 yards in four of the first five games, with his 77-yard performance against the Rams marking the only time he has come up short.
The Seahawks’ defense has also struggled to stop the run thus far. Overall, they rank 20th in rushing yards allowed and there is a case to be made that Mason is the most effective rusher they have faced. Just last week the Seahawks allowed 129 rushing yards to Tyrone Tracy Jr.
Expect the 49ers to give Mason his usual level of opportunity with the ball and for him to record 82 or more yards on the ground for the fifth time this season.
Kenneth Walker III More Than 59.5 Rushing Yards
Kenneth Walker III has battled a lingering oblique injury this season. He has missed two games already this season and was seemingly limited last week as he logged just five total carries. In the games in which Walker has been fully active and healthy, he has delivered. In the opening week of the season, Walker carried the ball 20 times for 103 yards and a touchdown. After returning from two weeks off, he tallied 80 rushing yards and three touchdowns on just 12 carries.
While the injury issues make it a bit more of a risk, Walker should have no problem recording 59.5 rushing yards against a San Francisco team that has not held a team under 100 yards collectively yet this year. While Seattle will continue to be a pass-first team, it needs to establish some balance and Walker will be crucial in providing this. Expect him to be back to his usual workload in Week 6 and to record more than 60 yards on the ground.
What is DraftKings Pick6?
Pick6 is a peer-to-peer fantasy variant where you build a lineup (your “Pick Set”) of two or more players and select whether you believe each will outperform their listed stat projection. Enter your Pick Set in Pick6 contests to compete against other users. Get enough picks correct and win a share of cash prizes.
How to Play DraftKings Pick6
Create a Pick Set
Create a Pick Set by choosing two or more players from the same sport and Pick Group (a set of picks available from a group of set competitions). For each player, simply select if you think they’ll have more or less than their listed stat projection. In each Pick Set, you cannot pick the same player twice and you must pick players from at least two different teams.
Enter an Amount
Once you finalize your Pick Set, choose your entry fee amount. Your entries will be automatically distributed into available contests, subject to your confirmation.
Sweat Your Picks
When the games go live, use the My Picks tab to follow your picks in real time to track how your players are performing against their projections and how they stack up against other users.
Compete for Prizes
Make enough correct picks and win a share of the contests’ guaranteed prizes. Any prizes won will be credited to your DraftKings account after contests are finalized.
Play at DraftKings Pick6 or by downloading the DraftKings Pick6 app on Apple or Google!
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is seanbarnard) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
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