With the NFL Preseason’s final day rolling, we’re honing in on the West Coast for one of this evening’s premier matchups. At 8:30 p.m. EST, the San Francisco 49ers welcome the Los Angeles Chargers for these teams’ final tune-up of the exhibition schedule.
Get ready for the action with a 49ers vs. Chargers prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook.
49ers vs. Chargers prediction, preview
San Francisco 49ers
The Niners enter this contest with a 1-1 record after suffering a 30-9 blowout loss to the Denver Broncos, then downing the Las Vegas Raiders 22-19 last week. The starters have barely suited up thus far and that likely won’t change as head coach Kyle Shanahan likely keeps stars like Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle and more on the sidelines. The strategy makes sense, especially given how the team’s running back and wide receiver rooms are ravaged by injury right now.
After nearly drafting him back in 2021, San Francisco finally added quarterback Mac Jones to their roster this offseason. He’s paced the team with an efficient 209 yards while completing 73.9% of his passes, though two interceptions are a bit of a stain, especially without a score. Jones is settled as the backup but should see plenty of reps tonight, though UDFA Carter Bradley will compete for snaps too. A litany of depth backs have seen touches for the 49ers over the NFL Preseason schedule with Corey Kiner, Keyshawn Vaughn, Ameer Abdullah, Jeff Wilson Jr. and Patrick Taylor Jr. all getting work. However, the Niners just traded a sixth-round pick to the Washington Commanders for Brian Robinson Jr., who could see action if the team wants to get him integrated with the offense. The receivers are led by Robbie Chosen with six catches for 93 yards as he looks to make a return to NFL relevancy, but this team made another trade with the Kansas City Chiefs for Skyy Moore, who they hope can become a reclamation project.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers actually saw an additional game on their schedule and bring a 2-1 record into the final contest. They downed the Detroit Lions 34-7 in the Hall of Fame Game, then beat the New Orleans Saints 27-13 to follow it up. While the Bolts fell to the cross-town Rams 23-22 last week, they still put up an admirable effort in that contest. The Chargers won’t put their starters out there today, so they’ll test their fringe roster players one more time before cuts roll around.
One fun story of the NFL Preseason thus far has been Trey Lance, whose 27-of-49 passing line doesn’t look great but his 296 yards and two touchdowns through the air make up for the lack of efficiency. The same goes for the former No. 3 pick’s success on the ground with 81 rushing yards and an additional touchdown on the ground, and tonight, he sees an opportunity against the team that drafted him (and eventually shipped him off to Dallas via trade). With the revenge game narrative set for Lance, he’s joined by Kimani Vidal (25 CAR, 69 YDS, two TD), Hassan Haskins (12 CAR, 67 YDS), and Raheim Sanders (15 CAR, 53 YDS, two TD) in the backfield. Another darling of the preseason, wideout KeAndre Lambert-Smith, boasts four catches for 109 yards and a touchdown. Second-round pick Tre Harris may or may not see action, but he’s posted 85 yards on six catches while tight end Oronde Gadsden II got some training camp hype as well.
49ers vs. Chargers pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Chargers as 1.5-point favorites with -125 odds on the Moneyline. The 49ers come in as +105 underdogs to win outright. The game total sits at 35.5 points.
Betting on NFL Preseason contests comes with its fair share of risk since stars like Justin Herbert, Ladd McConkey, and the aforementioned Purdy and Kittle won’t see the field. However, there’s still some value on betting cards for those who know where to look, even with teams using this as a chance to test out their guys at the end of the depth chart.
Los Angeles scored at least 22 points in each of their NFL Preseason contests thus far, so I’m banking on them to do get close to that mark again with an alt line. I’m taking over 20.5 total points for the Chargers at +140 odds because the Niners’ defense hasn’t looked too impressive through their two games thus far. Plus, Lance has put up some solid outputs to this point and the Chargers have plenty of depth in the backfield, and even some respectable talents at wideout (if Harris and Lambert-Smith play). They have the pieces to succeed in this environment, so getting them to score at least 21 points at plus odds feels good to me.
