An NFC West showdown makes its way into primetime and we'll delve into which players you should consider in tonight's single-game DFS contests!

By: Ryan Humphries on Twitter and LineStar chat @Ryan_Humphries

Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers (-1.5) | 42.5 O/U

LAR: 20.5 Implied Points | SF: 22.7 Implied Points

Notable DFS Relevant Injuries: TE Ross Dwelley (Questionable), RB Tyrion Davis-Price (OUT), QB Trey Lance (IR), RB Elijah Mitchell (IR), WR Van Jefferson (IR)

Score Prediction: LAR - 24, SF - 20

Showdown Roster Construction (in order of preference): 3-3 Balanced, 4-2 Rams, 4-2 49ers

Players & Stacks to Consider

Top Captains and Core Flex Plays:

WR Cooper Kupp: If this is not the most obvious captain choice there is, I’m not sure what is. Even in an outlier game in week three where Kupp only saw six targets (which represented a 24.0% TGT%), he still managed to come away with 16.4 DKFP, largely thanks to a 20-yard rushing TD. Including last season’s playoffs, Kupp has now scored a touchdown in nine consecutive games, and I would not be surprised if the six targets he saw last week ends up being a season-low. In three games against the 49ers last season, Kupp combined for 382 yards and three TDs while catching 29-of-34 targets! The main caveat with rolling Kupp at captain is obviously that he’s extremely pricey. An $18,000 CPTN salary on DraftKings will leave you with an average of $6,400 remaining per FLEX player.

WR Deebo Samuel: We have yet to see a big Deebo game this season, but a huge performance is likely coming as soon as this evening. The volume will be solid as he’s usually a lock to see around 7-10 targets to go along with a handful of carries out of the backfield. Ideally, Samuel will start to see more redzone touches, but as it stands now, he owns a respectable 26.6% TGT%, and he’s averaging 5.7 rushes/gm. The 49ers receiving weapons are limited by QB Jimmy Garoppolo, who can struggle to support the upside of more than one playmaker. But the ball just needs to be put in Deebo’s hands, and he can usually make things happen himself with his great vision and elite YAC ability.

RB Jeff Wilson Jr.: Wilson is a good bet for 15-20 touches in a home game where the 49ers are slight favorites. He is averaging 3.5 yards before contact, ranking 10th among NFL RBs and a solid 4.6 YPC overall. Unfortunately, the 49ers will be missing a huge piece to their O-Line with perennial Pro Bowler LT Trent Williams (ankle) ruled out for this game. The Rams also rank 4th in rush DVOA, so they’re not an easy front seven to go up against. But the 15-20 touches are what we’re after here, and Wilson is likely to see some passing game work to go along with his rushing volume.

Flex Plays and Leverage Captain Options:

WR Brandon Aiyuk: Over the last two games with Jimmy G as the starter, Aiyuk has been the primary receiving target. His 16 targets represent a 30.5% TGT% in those two games and, perhaps more notably, he has commanded 46% of the overall air yards to go along with a strong 12.2-yard aDOT. Aiyuk is only catching around half of his targets but those deeper looks are more valuable in the grand scheme of things. The Rams' pass defense has been extremely porous as they’ve allowed the 2nd most FPPG to opposing WRs.

RB Cam Akers: I’m not thrilled to roster either of the RBs in the Rams split backfield, but Akers’ potential to fall into the endzone once or twice will keep him in the FLEX discussion. The Rams O-Line is banged up on the interior, but so is the 49ers' interior D-Line. Akers could see around 15 carries and a couple of targets, but the real hope is for his touchdown equity to come through.

TE Tyler Higbee: Higbee has seen 9+ targets in two of three games this season, leading to a 23.8% TGT% -- that is an elite target share for any tight end. He has yet to score a touchdown, but he has been getting the redzone looks (22.2% RZ TGT%), and he leads all NFL TEs with a 94.9% snap%. The 49ers have been stout against opposing TEs, but Higbee will be the most involved TE they’ve faced up to this point.

Flex Fillers, Fliers, and Sleepers:

WR Ben Skowronek: The Rams run almost exclusively out of 11 personnel formations (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WRs). Their 97% 11 personnel rate is far and away the highest in the NFL. That means Ben Skowronek, the team’s WR3, rarely comes off the field as he owns an 86.5% snap%. Cooper Kupp is, of course, the target monster in this offense, and Skowronek has only claimed a 12.9% TGT%. But he has been reliable with a 76.9% catch% and he could benefit from Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson II drawing most of the attention from the 49ers' pass defense.

TE George Kittle: I’m not crazy about putting him in the captain conversation, but given his $6,600 showdown salary on DraftKings, Kittle is going to be a FLEX-worthy option that will help you spend up on a higher caliber captain. In his 2022 debut last week, Kittle played on 91% of snaps and drew five targets. He only ended with four catches for 28 yards, but if you watched that primetime game against Denver, you’ll recall that neither offense ever got going. This game tonight isn’t expected to be any sort of shootout, given the 42.5-point O/U, but Kittle should likely be on the field for 90+% of snaps once again and won’t necessarily need a huge day to return value.

RB Kyle Juszczyk: As long as you realize there is a strong possibility of a zero-point floor with Juszczyk, he’ll be worth a flier at only $1,000 on DraftKings. Juszczyk has played on around 50% of snaps this season, though he is primarily used as a blocker. However, without LT Trent Williams available for the 49ers, Juszczyk may be on the field for more plays. Sure, he’s still mostly going to block, but more snaps still leads to more opportunities to be involved, either as a runner or a pass catcher. And if the 49ers move the ball to the goal line, Juszczyk is known to punch in some one-yard TDs during his time in San Francisco. Rolling him out in the FLEX makes rostering multiple studs, like Kupp and Deebo, much more doable.

K Matt Gay OR K Robbie Gould: Gotta always throw kickers into the “FLEX filler” discussion due to their strong median projection next to their affordable price points. This is the game where I could envision both offenses stalling out on drives that still enter field goal range.

Monday Night Football TD Call 🏈

WR Brandon Aiyuk

Stack Concepts:

Note: [*Player Name] indicates captain selection.

*WR Cooper Kupp, QB Matthew Stafford, RB Jeff Wilson Jr.: Kupp went wild in all three games against the 49ers last season. While this offense isn’t clicking on the same level that it was in 2021, Kupp remains the strong, steady force. Pair CPTN Kupp with Stafford and run it back with Jeff Wilson Jr. on the other side.

*WR Deebo Samuel, QB Jimmy Garoppolo, RB Cam Akers: Same concept as the stack above, just reversing the teams.

*RB Jeff Wilson Jr., QB Matthew Stafford, TE Tyler Higbee: If the 49ers, who are favored, end up maintaining a lead for most/all of this game, then Wilson likely ends the game with 20+ touches. With a little touchdown luck and maybe 2-4 receptions, he would have a strong chance to come away as the optimal captain play, especially if this game stays low-scoring like the 42.5 O/U is projecting.

*QB Matthew Stafford, WR Cooper Kupp, WR Ben Skowronek: Neither QB was discussed much in this newsletter but the QB position is always going to provide the highest floor. It’s been a rough start to the 2022 season for Stafford but he would be the preferred QB to roll out at captain. In CPTN Stafford lineups, it’s almost a necessity to run a double stack with Kupp and one other Rams receiver. We’ll take Skowronek in this stack for the savings.

*TE Tyler Higbee, TE George Kittle, WR Cooper Kupp: Both featured TEs in this game will likely play over 90% of the snaps and run plenty of routes. Higbee has been heavily involved as a receiver and, given his 23.8% TGT%, he is a little overdue for a touchdown. If he finds the endzone, his chances to come away as the optimal captain will skyrocket. He brings some sneaky 20 DKFP upside to the table and he did go off for a 6-55-2 receiving line against the 49ers in week 18 last year.

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That will wrap us up with today's "Primetime Preview" edition! Once again, you can find me on Twitter or in LineStar chat @Ryan_Humphries. Good luck everyone!