Are we all ready to watch a 44-year-old Philip Rivers ($8,800) try and play QB on national television?
It’s been an odd season at the quarterback position for both the Colts and the 49ers, but none of that really matters now. No one asks how, they just ask how many, as they say. San Francisco appears to have a pretty tight grip on a Wild Card spot in the NFC, while Indianapolis need a victory on Monday Night Football to keep its slim postseason hopes alive.
Let’s break down this matchup and pick some players you need to have in your DFS lineups on DraftKings.
Set your DraftKings NFL DFS lineups here: NFL Showdown $1.2M Monday Night Showdown [$300K to 1st] (SF @ IND)
RB Jonathan Taylor, Colts | $16,500 CPT, $11,000 FLEX
It’s not necessarily a matter of either or, but you’re going to have a very difficult time fitting both Jonathan Taylor and Christian McCaffrey ($11,800) into the same build — especially if you’re looking to make one your captain. As such, in most scenarios, you’re going to have to have a lean. For me, I’d be making sure I get more exposure to Taylor than McCaffrey in this Week 16 primetime tilt.
It really comes down to matchup more than anything else. I mean, its almost impossible to have anything negative to say about the players themselves. Both Taylor and McCaffrey rank top five in the league in touches, scrimmage yards and total touchdowns, with the former leading the league in TDs (18) and the latter pacing the field in touches (345). Not surprisingly, in PPR scoring, McCaffrey and Taylor are RB1 and RB2, respectively, for the fantasy season as a whole. They’re both quite good!
That said, Taylor is slightly cheaper on Monday evening and he’s got a better chance for a breakout performance against a 49ers defense that has seen it’s front seven ravaged by injury. San Francisco sits 22nd in the league in EPA per opponent rushing attempt (-0.01), while the Colts rank fourth (-0.08). The last time we saw the 49ers, they surrendered a 100-yard rushing game to Tony Pollard and the Titans. Just imagine what a running back of Taylor’s skill-set can do in the same conditions. On top of that, Taylor could also be heavily utilized in the passing attack on Monday, particularly if the aforementioned Rivers recreates his 5.2-yard aDOT from Week 15.
TE George Kittle, 49ers | $12,600 CPT, $8,400 FLEX
You almost don’t need any additional context on George Kittle’s viability. You simply need to look at the recent game logs. From Week 10 to Week 15, despite only playing five contests, Kittle has been the second-most valuable tight end in PPR fantasy football leagues, trailing only Trey McBride. It’s a span where Kittle has racked up 33 catches for 384 yards and four touchdowns. It’s also a span where Kittle has exceeded 22.0 FPTS three times, showcasing a very impressive DFS ceiling.
Kittle had nine targets and eight receptions in last week’s win over the Titans, leading the 49ers in both categories. If it’s possible, the veteran TE might be staring down an even larger workload on Monday night, as San Francisco will once again be without the services of former first-round pick Ricky Pearsall (knee/ankle). The matchup certainly helps Kittle’s case for more volume. The Colts have been crushed by opposing tight ends so far in 2025, conceding the fifth-most targets per game (8.6) and the fifth-most receiving yards per game (66.3) to the position.
WR Kendrick Bourne, 49ers | $6,600 CPT, $4,400 FLEX
I referenced it above, but it’s worth pointing out again how proficient the Colts have been at stopping the run this season, as it creates what’s known as a funnel defense. Because teams have found little to no success on the ground, opposing play-callers have instead opted to not even try, translating into a 61.1% pass rate against Indianapolis — the third-highest rate in the NFL. All that volume inevitably leads to some fantasy points, too, especially when top corner Sauce Gardner (calf) is sidelined due to injury. Entering Week 16, the Colts had surrendered the third-most FPTS per contest to opposing wide receivers. Seems important!
Kittle and Jauan Jennings ($8,000) should most reap the rewards of this matchup, yet I think there’s also room for Kendrick Bourne to thrive. The last time Pearsall was unable to suit up for a game was Week 10 versus the Rams. In his place, Bourne saw a 68.3% snap share and a 92.5% route participation rate, clearly operating as the WR2 in San Francisco’s aerial attack. A similar role should be in store for Bourne this evening. Remember, the 30-year-old posted back-to-back performances with 142 receiving yards in Week 5 and Week 6. He’s got some upside left in the tank and Bourne’s salary in a FLEX spot is very helpful in the lineup building process.
