The San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys are set to face off to complete a 14-game Sunday NFL slate in Week 8. Dallas enters with a 3-3 record while San Francisco has slipped to 3-4 on the season.
Injuries have been the story surrounding the 49ers. Christian McCaffrey has still not been able to return from the Achilles/calf issues that plagued him coming into the season. Brandon Aiyuk suffered a torn ACL last week and will miss the remainder of the season while Deebo Samuel has spent time in the hospital battling illness and wrist issues. George Kittle is also listed as questionable with a foot issue.
While injuries cannot be to blame for their start to the season, the Cowboys have not played nearly the level of football they desire to. Dallas ranks 20th in scoring on offense and 31st in points allowed on the season. It is also dead last in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns thus far.
Neither team has played to the level they desire yet this year and the Sunday Night Football matchup will be a great launching point for either team to begin turning things around.
The 49ers enter the matchup as 5.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Cowboys are +190 on the moneyline while the game total is 48 points. Here are four player props I like for the primetime thriller.
CeeDee Lamb Anytime TD (+105 Odds)
CeeDee Lamb has climbed into the conversation for the most elite wide receivers across the NFL. The Cowboys star was paid as such to start the season and has tallied 32 receptions for 467 yards and a pair of touchdowns already this season. He ranks 10th in the NFL in receiving yards coming into this week.
The main area where he has not kept up with his usual level of production is his number of trips to the end zone. Lamb was third in the NFL in receiving touchdowns last season, recording 12 on the season. He also added two rushing touchdowns. While the scoring issues have been more of a Cowboys problem than Lamb directly, the star wide receiver should be looked at as the solution.
While it has built an identity as a defensive-minded team, San Francisco has not carried quite its usual bite this year. The 49ers rank 16th in the league in points allowed and 14th in yards given up. Dak Prescott has thrown at least one touchdown in all but one game this season. Expect the Cowboys to air things out and for Lamb to have some opportunities in the red zone. He is too dynamic of a weapon for Dallas not to use more often, especially considering its lack of other options. Look for Lamb to find his way to paydirt for the third time this season with the primetime light on him.
Jordan Mason Over 79.5 Rushing Yards (-120 Odds)
While most expected the loss of Christian McCaffrey to be huge for the 49ers, they have done an impressive job of filling his production. Jordan Mason has been the biggest reason regarding this as he ranks second in the NFL in rushing with 667 yards this season. He has recorded 14 or more carries in all but one game and has been the most stable part of the San Francisco offense.
Dallas has struggled greatly to stop the run this season. It ranks 28th in rushing yards allowed and 31st in rushing touchdowns allowed. The Cowboys allowed as many as 274 combined rushing yards against the Ravens and in their past game gave up 184 yards on the ground to the Lions.
Looking at Mason’s production, he has eclipsed 79.5 rushing yards in four of the seven games and fell just shy of 77 yards in one of these misses. While he is coming off a quiet two weeks, the porous Dallas defense could be the exact cure to this. Expect San Francisco to put the ball in Mason’s hands often and him to ultimately record over 79.5 yards on the ground.
Brock Purdy Over 237.5 Passing Yards (-115 Odds)
There has been a lot said about Brock Purdy since he entered the NFL. The former Mr. Irrelevant led the NFL in touchdown percentage and QB Rating last season while throwing for 4,280 yards and 31 touchdowns overall. Despite some depleted weapons, Purdy has been off to a similar start this season, although there has been some regression in his turnovers. This was especially put on display last week as he had three interceptions without a touchdown in the loss to the Chiefs.
Overall, Purdy is averaging 263 passing yards per game and has thrown for nine touchdowns compared to seven interceptions. He has thrown for over 237.5 passing yards in five of the seven games so far.
Looking at Dallas’ defense, the opportunity is there for a strong performance for Purdy. The Cowboys rank 19th in yards allowed and 23rd in passing touchdowns. They most recently gave up 308 passing yards to Jared Goff and the Lions and also allowed 277 passing yards to Daniel Jones in Week 4. The numbers are especially concerning considering they have not faced the strongest group of quarterbacks.
Expect Purdy to bounce back from his struggles last week and produce a strong performance tonight. Throwing for more than 237.5 yards is well within his range and the Cowboys will provide an opportunity for him to put up numbers. Look for the 49ers quarterback to shine with the bright lights on him and eclipse this passing number.
Jake Ferguson Over 40.5 Receiving Yards (-120 Odds)
The Cowboys have struggled to get just about any receiving production outside of CeeDee Lamb this season. Looking at the rest of the pass catchers, Jake Ferguson ranks second in receptions and targets and third in receiving yards, but has yet to find the end zone.
As Dallas attempts to fully find its stride, it must find more balance in its passing attack. Look to Ferguson to be the player to take the next step. The third-year tight end has been targeted at least four times in every game and has tallied over 40.5 receiving yards in three of the five games he played in this season.
Look for the Cowboys to use the middle of the field at a greater rate and for Ferguson to be heavily involved. The 49ers allowed 66 receiving yards to Noah Gray last week and 63 receiving yards to Noah Fant the week prior. Ferguson is a more talented pass catcher than either of these tight ends and will keep this trend going for the third straight week.
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
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.
