After the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots opened the 2026 NFL season last night with an ugly defensive affair that came right down to the wire, the attention shifts 8,176 miles away, as the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers will face off in a Friday morning edition of Thursday Night Football at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia. It’ll be the first NFL game ever to take place on that continent.
Kickoff is set for 8:35 p.m. ET tonight (10:35 a.m. local on Friday). The Rams are 3.5-point favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook, with the point total set to 48.5. Los Angeles is -192 on the Moneyline, and San Francisco is +160.
In honor of the big game, DraftKings is launching a special Showdown contest with $1.5 million in prizes. Picking the right mix of studs and value options is important for winning the top prize, so in order to make a player like Puka Nacua ($16,800 CP) a Captain Pick, picking the right value options to supplement him is important. Here are two options I like:
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL $1.5M Thursday Night Showdown [$500K to 1st] (SF vs LAR)
RB Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams ($4,600)
Corum got significant run as Kyren Williams ($8,600)‘s backup last season, taking 145 carries for 746 yards and six scores, finishing as RB41. In particular, he showed out in crunch time, turning nine carries into 55 yards (10.9 FPTS) in the NFC Championship Game against the Seahawks, and he had a stretch late in the regular season in which he recorded double-digit FPTS in four consecutive games. Last season, Corum ranked 15th among 59 qualified halfbacks by Pro Football Focus’ overall grades, including the seventh-best rushing grades. He ranked 12th in rushing yards over expectation per attempt, nine spots ahead of Williams. For most backup running backs, the starter taking a snap or a series off is a respite for the defense; when Corum replaces Williams, opponents get no such break.
Last season, the 49ers allowed the ninth-most FPTS per game to opposing running backs and finished third-to-last by PFF’s run defense grades, although Corum had a pair of quiet performances (1.3 FPTS and 5.6 FPTS). San Francisco should be somewhat better this season, with Fred Warner and Nick Bosa now back from the injuries that kept them out for most of last season, but even in 2024, when both Warner and Bosa played at least 14 games, the 49ers still allowed the third-most FPTS per game to opposing running backs. Plus, San Francisco will be thin on the defensive line: Alfred Collins, who appeared in all 17 games, and Sam Okuayinonu, who started 12, will both miss significant time after suffering lower-body injuries in practice this week.
WR Demarcus Robinson, San Francisco 49ers ($3,800)
Last season, the 49ers operated a pretty egalitarian offense, with four wideouts, plus tight ends George Kittle ($7,400) and Jake Tonges ($4,400) amassing more than 250 receiving yards, but they underwent a lot of change during the offseason. They’ll be without each of their three top wideouts from last season, as Jauan Jennings and Kendrick Bourne both left the team and Ricky Pearsall suffered a season-ending injury. Instead, San Francisco brought in Mike Evans ($8,200) and Deebo Samuel Sr. ($6,600) in free agency, and it drafted De’Zhaun Stribling ($6,600) in the first round. All three of those players could be options, but with Evans missing much of the offseason program with a hamstring issue and Kittle returning from an Achilles tear, Robinson could be the most reliable.
Last season, the Rams allowed the seventh-most FPTS per game to opposing wide receivers. That’s almost certain to improve in 2026, since they brought in Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson to lock down opposing wideouts and Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett to wreak havoc as an edge rusher, but it’s possible that it takes a few games for everything to click. Plus, while Samuel will likely be San Francisco’s slot receiver, Robinson took more than one-third of his snaps from the slot last season, which would keep him away from both McDuffie and Watson and pit him against a much weaker corner in Quentin Lake. Lake, technically a safety, ranked just 36th among 94 qualified players at his position in 2025 in coverage grades.
