The Rams travel to take on the 49ers on an NFC West edition of Thursday Night Football.
It’s primetime, which means DraftKings has a premier showdown contest. In this mode, choosing the best captain is critical since they earn 1.5x fantasy points. Below, I’ve honed in on the top three options deserving of leading your lineup.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL Showdown $1.5M Thursday Night Showdown [$500K to 1st] (LAR @ SF)
DraftKings Showdown Captain (CPT) Picks
Puka Nacua ($16,500)
The Los Angeles passing attack is finally starting to flourish, thanks to their pair of superstar pass catchers finally being healthy simultaneously. Second-year wideout Puka Nacua has a slight edge at the top of the depth chart. Coming off the heels of his historic rookie campaign, Nacua has been dominant when on the field. He’s averaging over 20 fantasy points an outing, and that accounts for two games he exited early.
According to Next Gen Stats, he creates an average of 3.3 yards of separation per route, which is an astonishing number for a technical route runner who relies on timing and lateral quickness to do his damage. He’s crossed the century mark in three of his last four games, finding the end zone four times during that span. Nacua is one of the most consistently productive offensive players in the league and, in a must-win game, will surely rise to the occasion.
Matthew Stafford ($13,500)
Matt Stafford is like the aging movie star who, with a serviceable infrastructure around him, is still shining at the highest level. The now economical gunslinger Stafford has nearly perfected risk assessment at the quarterback position. His arm talent is still tantalizing, perfectly placing the ball only where his targets can corral it.
His recent performance was his latest masterpiece, dicing up the Buffalo secondary for 320 yards with an absurd 76% completion percentage. Across the last month, he’s tossed ten touchdowns without committing a turnover, which has helped turn this squad’s season around. Stafford has only beaten San Francisco twice in his career, but he’s facing a severely banged-up defense that will have no answers for this high-octane offense.
George Kittle ($12,000)
One of the only bright spots this year for San Francisco has been the All-Pro play from George Kittle. Even at 31, Kittle is still like an extra offensive lineman, mauling defenders in the run game and helping chip fearsome edge rushers. The tight end has also reverted back to being a top-flight receiving outlet, on pace for around 70 receptions and 1,000 yards.
Kittle has been dominant near the goal line, already tallying eight touchdowns. He’s averaging 17.3 fantasy points per game, which puts him as an elite TE1 or FLEX option. Kittle missed the first matchup with LA but will feast on a secondary torched on a weekly basis.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL Showdown $1.5M Thursday Night Showdown [$500K to 1st] (LAR @ SF)
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is xaiver-aguiar) 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 skills 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.
