Commanders vs. 49ers NFL DFS Value Picks for Monday Night Football

NFL Week 6 concludes with a primetime matchup between the 49ers and the Commanders on Monday Night Football. San Francisco is a 7.5-point favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the game total set at 51.5 points.

DraftKings is offering some huge Showdown contests for this matchup. Below, I have featured two of my favorite NFL DFS value plays to consider for this Showdown slate.

Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL Showdown $1.5M Monday Night Showdown [$500K to 1st] (WAS @ SF)

Commanders vs. 49ers NFL DFS Value Picks for Monday Night Football

WR Brandin Cooks, San Francisco 49ers ($6,000 CPT, $4,000 FLEX)

The 49ers are very beat up at wide receiver. Deebo Samuel (hamstring) and Demarcus Robinson (ankle) are out, and Mike Evans (Achilles, ribs) is questionable after missing practice all week. Evans feels likely to sit and could be limited even if he plays.

Either way, Brandin Cooks should run routes on most of his team’s dropbacks with Samuel and Robinson sidelined. This is also an excellent matchup against the Commanders. Washington ranks 22nd in defensive EPA per play and 23rd in EPA per pass play.

Meanwhile, the 49ers rank first in offensive EPA per dropback and fifth in pass rate over expected (PROE). San Francisco’s passing attack should flourish here, with Cooks likely to perform well in an expanded role. The veteran found the endzone and scored 7.7 FPTS against the Seahawks in Week 5, just his second game with the 49ers.

RB Austin Ekeler, Washington Commanders ($5,400 CPT, $3,600 FLEX)

Jacory Croskey-Merritt (groin) will miss Monday Night Football, leaving the Commanders with Rachaad White and Austin Ekeler at running back. White should lead the way in touches and snaps, but Ekeler should handle a sizable workload as well.

This should be around a 60/40 split in White’s favor, with Ekeler getting about 10 touches. That workload should give him a strong chance to deliver value at his low price tag, even in a poor matchup: the 49ers rank sixth in defensive EPA per play.

Ekeler just joined the Commanders in Week 4. He has only played 23 snaps this season, but he has generated a solid 0.32 FPTS per snap. Ekeler averages 6.0 yards per touch and is getting a target on 30% of his routes.

While Ekeler is a 10-year veteran, he is still only 31 and a capable rusher and receiver out of the backfield. Ekeler outscoring White is a reasonable outcome — he’s also about half the price and should see far less GPP ownership.