DFS Thursday Night Football Preview
- Game: San Francisco 49ers vs Titans
- Line: 49ers -3 | Over/Under 44.5
Week 16 begins with two teams battling for playoff positions as the San Francisco 49ers head to Nashville to face off against the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night. The Titans are the third seed in the AFC and lead the AFC South, while the 49ers find their team in the sixth seed in the NFC. So how should each of these teams approach the game to come away with a victory? Let’s break it down below.
How Do The 49ers Win This Game?
The 49ers are known for a strong defense and a good run game; however, they should rely on Jimmy Garoppolo to lead them to victory. The Titans allow the ninth-most yards through the air and the second-fewest amount of yards on the ground. The 49ers should attack the weaknesses of the Titans’ defense all game with Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle.
How Do The Titans Win This Game?
The Titans have been battling injuries all season and continue to find ways to walk away with victories. They have lost significant pieces in Derrick Henry, AJ Brown, and Julio Jones and continue to press forward. This week, the good news is they could be receiving AJ Brown back off the injured reserved to pair with Julio Jones. This is excellent news, as the 49ers’ defense has allowed the 12th most yards to wide receivers this year. The Titans should look to air it out against a weak secondary.
Now That we know how both teams should approach the game, who should you look at for your DFS Showdown Slate? Let’s break that down below
Quarterback
Jimmy Garoppolo ($10,400)
Jimmy Garoppolo is facing a weak passing defense this week in the Titans. They have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to the quarterback position and the second-most points to the wide receiver position. Nevertheless, Garoppolo should find Samuel and Aiyuk all game long and procure plenty of points for the safe floor in your lineup.
Ryan Tannehill ($10,000)
Ryan Tannehill has been a disappointment for most fantasy owners this season. However, he has AJ Brown and Julio Jones in the lineup this game while facing a passing defense that has allowed the 12th most fantasy points to quarterbacks this year. With his ability to be mobile, plus having his top two weapons together, Tannehill provides a safe floor for your lineup as well.
Running Back
Eli Mitchell *($9,000)/ Jeff Wilson Jr. ($5,200)/ JaMycal Hasty ($1,200)
Let’s start with Eli Mitchell being out; you should not play him this Thursday night in your lineup. However, playing any of these running backs can lead to you struggling to have a high ROI. This season, the Titans have allowed the fewest fantasy points to running backs, making Wilson and Hasty closer to dart throws than a sure-fire play.
D’Onta Foreman ($7,600)/ Dontrell Hilliard ($2,800)/ Jeremy McNichols ($2,200)
The running backs of the Tennessee Titans can be concerning. The main option would be D’onta Foreman, but as we broke down in the gameplan section above, the 49ers struggle against the pass, and I could see the Titans leaning on Tannehill more than their backs for this game.
A good dart throw/cap relief play would be Hilliard because he recorded nine rushes and six targets last game.
Wide Receivers
Deebo Samuel ($11,600)/ Brandon Aiyuk ($8,000)/ Jauan Jennings ($5,000)
Deebo Samuel has been lights out for fantasy this year. He is not just a passing option, but he gets carries in the backfield. Your lineup should have Samuel in it as the Titans struggle against wide receivers. Brandon Aiyuk is more hit or miss for your lineup; however, the matchup plays in his favor this week, with Jauan Jennings being a dart throw at best. I would look to stack Jimmy with Deebo Samuel and maybe even Aiyuk if your salary cap allows you to do so.
AJ Brown ($8,800)/ Julio Jones ($6,800)/ Nick Westbrook-Ikhine ($5,400)
AJ Brown hasn’t played since week 11. However, I think he gives you a great chance at upside for your lineup. We know how much Ryan Tannehill loves to target him when he is on the field. In ten games this year, Brown has seen more than five targets in all but two games. Brown gives you a high-volume play when he is healthy. Speaking of healthy, Julio Jones is playing without an injury designation this week. However, for his price point combined with his ability to pull up lame and miss the rest of the game, Jones will be my expensive fade this week.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is a dart throw for your lineup. He receives a higher upside if either of these first two options misses a chunk of the game.
Tight End
George Kittle ($11,200)
Geroge Kittle has been on a tear in fantasy lately, scoring 95 fantasy points in his last three games. However, the Titans have allowed the sixth-fewest points to this position all season. I don’t think Kittle has a terrible game; however, I think he comes back down to earth and doesn’t return enough fantasy points for his price this week.
Geoff Swaim ($3,200)/ Anthony Firsker ($2,600)
This year, the 49ers have allowed the fifth-fewest points to the tight end position. Neither of these players has been highly productive this year, and now AJ Brown is back, and Julio Jones is healthy. So this week, I would avoid this group of players and look elsewhere to complete my lineup.
Defense and Kickers
Robbie Gould ($4,400)/ Randy Bullock ($4,200)/ 49ers Def ($3,800)/ Titans Def ($3,600)
With a low O/U to this game, only 44.5 points, you may find value from this group of options. Both teams attempt 1.9 field goals per game, so I would lean for the cheaper alternatives in the two defenses for salary relief and hope to hit on the upside of turnovers. The 49ers have 2.6 sacks per game. The Titans have 2.5 per game; sacks and pressures lead to a higher chance of turnovers, and since I believe in Jimmy Garoppolo performing well in this game, I will lean to the 49ers as my defensive option.
Prediction and DFS Showdown Slate Cash Lineup
49ers defeat the Titans 24-20
DFS Showdown Slate Cash Lineup
Jimmy Garoppolo ($15,600) *Captain*
AJ Brown ($8,800)
JaMycal Hasty ($1,200)
Dontrell Hilliard ($2,800)
Deebo Samuel ($11,600)
Ryan Tannehill ($10,000)
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