There is no shortage of playmakers to consider for tonight's DFS showdown slate! We'll get into the top plays, strategies, and props to target in this SNF match-up.

By: Ryan Humphries on Twitter and LineStar chat @Ryan_Humphries

Los Angeles Chargers at San Francisco 49ers (-7.5) | 45.5 O/U

LAC: 19.0 Implied Points | SF: 26.5 Implied Points

Notable DFS Relevant Injuries: WR Keenan Allen - OUT, WR Mike Williams - OUT, K Dustin Hopkins - OUT, RB Joshua Kelley - OUT/IR, TE Donald Parham Jr. - OUT/IR

Score Prediction: LAC - 22, SF - 27

Showdown Roster Construction (in order of preference): 4-2 49ers, 3-3 Balanced, 4-2 Chargers, 5-1 49ers (light GPP sprinkle)

SICScore/Field View 👩‍⚕️🩺

via sicscore.com

Chargers Defense / 49ers Offense

49ers Defense / Chargers Offense

Players & Stacks to Consider

Top Captains and Core Flex Plays:

RB Christian McCaffrey: The last time we saw CMC in action, he put up the most dynamic fantasy performance of the season by way of a rushing, passing, and receiving touchdown trifecta. There may not be a better system that can maximize McCaffrey’s skill set better than this Kyle Shanahan offensive scheme. He’ll draw an incredible week 10 match-up against a Chargers defense that has given up the 2nd most FPPG to RBs. The Chargers also have a litany of injuries on their defensive front -- they’ve been without (and will continue to be without) LB Joey Bosa since week three, DE Jerry Tillery since week seven, and, most recently, they lost their run-stopping DT Austin Johnson for the season to a knee injury. CMC is as clear of a captain candidate as there is.

RB Austin Ekeler: This game features arguably the top two fantasy RBs in the NFL and Ekeler has been on an absolute tear for over a month now. In his last five games, he has had four multi-touchdown performances and 10 TDs total in that span. In those five games, Ekeler is also averaging 9.6 TGT/gm and 7.8 receptions/gm, which represents a 22% TGT% in that stretch… absurd for a running back -- he’s just a pure PPR goldmine. The continued absence of the Chargers’ top two WRs (K. Allen & M. Williams) will further cement Ekeler’s target share to go on top of his usual 12-15ish carries. It’s not an easy match-up by any stretch (SF: 2nd fewest FPPG allowed to RBs) but the 49ers are also banged up on defense and are without several impact players.

WR Brandon Aiyuk: For a cheaper captain option that still brings optimal upside to the table, Aiyuk is worth a long look. He has at least six receptions and 80+ yards in three consecutive games while leading the team with a 26.7% TGT%. Now, CMC was not a part of the team for one of those games and Deebo Samuel (now healthy) also missed the 49ers' most recent contest -- both are factors to consider when it comes to rostering Aiyuk tonight. However, Aiyuk is a mainstay in this 49ers offense. He owns a secure 92.1% snap% on the season so he’s rarely coming off of the field. Aiyuk has also commanded a lofty 26.7% redzone TGT% this season. The Chargers defense is going to absolutely have its hands full trying to defend CMC, Deebo, George Kittle, and Aiyuk consistently so Aiyuk should face favorable defensive looks all night.

Flex Plays and Leverage Captain Options:

QB Jimmy Garoppolo: Jimmy G does not own an enormous ceiling so he’ll be preferred as a FLEX play tonight. However, given all of the stellar weapons he has at his disposal, he’s almost always going to possess a strong fantasy floor. He has scored between 17.7 DKFP and 21.32 DKFP in four consecutive games and that is the general FP range that I’d expect him to finish in this match-up.

WR Joshua Palmer: Palmer is the de facto WR1 while K. Allen and M. Williams remain sidelined. That was quite evident in week nine against Atlanta where Palmer led all Chargers receivers with a 91% snap%, 10 targets, eight receptions, and 106 yards. The 49ers' secondary can be exploitable -- over their last four games, they have allowed the 5th most FPPG to opposing WRs.

WR DeAndre Carter: Joshua Palmer is not the only Chargers receiver who sees a major role increase as a result of their other WR injuries. In the last two games, Carter has played 94% and 83% of snaps while bringing in 8-of-13 targets for 80 yards. It’s not massive production but it is worth noting that the 49ers have allowed THE most FPPG to slot WRs over the last eight weeks -- Carter has run 75% of his routes out of the slot this season.

Flex Fillers, Fliers, and Sleepers:

K Robbie Gould OR K Cameron Dicker: It’s maybe not the best game to target kickers but, with an implied total in the mid-40s, that often insinuates fewer touchdowns and more FG opportunities. If you need a $4k FLEX filler, Gould and/or Dicker have some solid double-digit FP potential. Weather/winds won’t be much of an issue in San Fran tonight either.

WR Michael Bandy: Bandy defaults to the Chargers’ WR3 and he’ll be on the field in three WR sets. He played 80% of snaps last week and was targeted eight times and Bandy drew six targets in week seven prior to the Chargers’ bye week. At his $2,400 DK salary, that is some excellent target volume relative to his price.

RB Kyle Juszczyk: He sat out the 49ers’ last game due to a finger injury but the week nine bye came at a convenient time so, after logging full practices all week, Juszczyk is expected to be back in action tonight. He’s a pure GPP lottery ticket with a zero-point floor but Juszczyk did have four targets and at least three receptions in each of his last two games. It would not surprise me if he happens to be wide open on a couple of plays with so many other 49ers' offensive weapons taking up the defensive attention. He usually plays around 50-60% of snaps as the primary fullback and the 49ers often get creative with his touches.

WR Jauan Jennings: Jennings operates as the WR3 and he falls behind Deebo, Aiyuk, Kittle, CMC, and perhaps even Juszczyk in the target pecking order. However, he does have two receptions in each of his last four games and, at $600 in DK showdown pricing, he doesn’t need to do much to return value. The major bonus with Jennings is that he would easily allow you to fit multiple studs into the same lineup and he likely won’t lay a straight-up goose egg.

RB Elijah Mitchell: Mitchell entered this season as the presumed 49ers RB1 but got hurt in week one and has been on the IR ever since. He is set to return to action tonight but, obviously, he’s got that Christian McCaffrey guy running ahead of him now. However, he is the stone minimum $200 on DraftKings and should be a decent bet to play around 20-30% of snaps which should lead to a handful of touches. Similar to the Jauan Jennings play, rostering Mitchell opens up a massive amount of roster flexibility, and, in all likelihood, he’s not going to give you a zero as a FLEX play dart throw.

Sunday Night Football TD Call 🏈

WR Brandon Aiyuk

Stack Concepts:

Note: [*Player Name] indicates captain selection.

*RB Christian McCaffrey, QB Jimmy Garoppolo, K Robbie Gould: CMC is the super obvious CPTN play of the night but, if his last game is any indication of how the 49ers plan to utilize him, he’s an extremely tough fade. The 49ers have a lofty 26.5 implied point total tonight and this three-man stack could give you exposure to every point scored by San Fran in this game.

*RB Austin Ekeler, QB Justin Herbert, WR Joshua Palmer: Similar to the stack above, just flipping over to the Chargers' side and leaving out the kicker. Normally, when we slot in a team’s lead RB at CPTN, we don’t necessarily want to jam in their QB in the FLEX due to negative correlation. But both CMC and Ekeler are heavily involved as receivers so we can essentially look at this stack strategy in a similar way we view “CPTN WR/TE, FLEX QB” stacks.

*WR Brandon Aiyuk, QB Jimmy Garoppolo, RB Austin Ekeler (fade CMC): Whether it be at captain or FLEX, CMC is going to be upwards of 90% owned, even in GPPs. Fading him in a lineup gives you instant leverage. The three players in this stack above all have 20+ FP potential so, if CMC happens to have a relatively pedestrian performance, we may see a stack like this end up in the optimal lineup.

*QB Jimmy Garoppolo, WR Brandon Aiyuk, WR Deebo Samuel: As mentioned above, Jimmy G feels like a much better FLEX play rather than CPTN. But if he has a ceiling game (20-25 FP), then a CPTN Garoppolo double stack would be a low-owned lineup build.

*RB Christian McCaffrey, RB Austin Ekeler, RB Elijah Mitchell: We’ve got a very strange triple RB build here but CMC and Ekeler have the highest ceilings in this game. Fitting them into the same lineup won’t come cheap… luckily, Elijah Mitchell is only going to cost you $200 in the FLEX on DraftKings which makes this an entirely viable stack.

*WR Joshua Palmer, QB Justin Herbert, RB Christian McCaffrey: Palmer’s potential to see 10+ targets tonight makes him one of the better contrarian CPTN options. The Chargers step in as +7.5 road underdogs so it’s quite possible that they end up playing from behind throughout this game and implement a pass-happy approach. In that scenario, that would boost Palmer’s target volume and Herbert’s passing volume. Run it back with a safe option like CMC on the other side.

PrizePicks SNF Power Play ⚡

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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!