Welcome to the NFL Week 10 Monday Night Football Showdown Slate!

From a competition standpoint, we didn’t see a whole lot of close games Sunday. In fact, eight of the 12 games played saw at least a two-score differential by the end with four or five really bad blow-outs. We also witnessed one of the ugliest games of the year as the Steelers and Lions played to a tie. The hope, and really, the expectation, for tonight is we will see a much more hard-fought divisional game. Of course, the 49ers are winless both in the division and at home this season, so either they need to step things up in a major way or we’re stuck with another snoozefest in prime-time. Funny enough, the 49ers have won the last four meetings between these two teams with an average point-differential of less than a touchdown.

Now before we begin, please take a moment to understand what exactly you are getting yourself into by playing single-game Showdown Slates. We love to have some skin in the game, for sure, but these slates are, for all intents and purposes, a lottery ticket. Sure, there are times when the chalk hits and everyone shares in the prizes, but, more often than not, you need to hit on that random dart-throw that differentiates your lineup from that of the herd in order to claim the top prize. As a result, we encourage you to play responsibly and not over-invest. Stick to the GPP contests (single-entry preferred), don’t blow your whole bankroll, and understand that, unless you are a max-entry player, you should prioritize having fun.

OK. Lecture over. Let’s get to tonight’s action.

Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers

Spread: Rams -3.5

O/U: 50

Weather: cloudy with temperatures in the low-60s; winds NW 6 mph

Notable Injuries:

Los Angeles Rams

Robert Woods, WR – knee (out)

Brian Allen, C – elbow (questionable)

Darious Williams, CB – ankle (questionable)

San Francisco 49ers

JaMycal Hasty, RB – ankle (out)

Mohamed Sanu, WR – knee (out)

DVOA Defensive Rankings

Rams

vs Pass: 5th 

vs Run: 14th 

49ers

vs Pass: 25th 

vs Run: 6th 

**Please note that players not listed below are not necessarily a complete fade and any player listed can certainly be used as the MVP/Captain. These are merely suggestions for players to use when setting Showdown lineups.

MVP/Captain

Matthew Stafford, QB LAR – His overall numbers are up across the board and now takes on a pass defense that may not give up a ton of passing yards (just 206.5 per game), but routinely struggles in coverage, as evidenced by the ranking of 25th in DVOA against the pass. Over his last three games, Stafford has averaged 311 passing yards and has a 7:2 TD:INT. With opposing quarterbacks posting a 102.0 passer rating against the 49ers, Stafford’s numbers should fall in line here. 

Cooper Kupp, WR LAR – He’s Stafford’s best friend in the whole wide world and he’s got the targets, target share, receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns to prove it. With Robert Woods out and Odell Beckham still learning the Rams system, expect a heavy lean on Kupp tonight.

George Kittle, TE SF – The Rams may rank eighth in DVOA against the tight end, but they’re allowing the seventh-most fantasy points and an average of 64 receiving yards per game to them. Kittle returned from injured reserve last week and immediately led the team with eight targets, six catches, 101 receiving yards and a touchdown. He’ll remain a focal point of this offense tonight and every game.

Mid-Tier

Deebo Samuel, WR SF – It will be interesting to see if Jalen Ramsey stays in the slot all game or if he shadows Samuel at any point. Samuel has mostly played on the outside with just 28-percent of his snaps coming out of the slot, so if Ramsey, who has played 44-percent of his snaps as the slot-corner, doesn’t shadow, he’ll have a much easier time gaining separation. If we haven’t heard anything by game-time, get Samuel into those lineups.

Darrell Henderson, RB LAR – The 49ers may rank sixth in DVOA against the run, but they are allowing 131.6 rushing yards per game and have given up 12 touchdowns on the ground. The Rams will likely give a lot of early work to Henderson and allow play-action to develop and open things up for the pass. His fantasy numbers have run hot and cold recently but he still has five touchdowns in his last five games.

Elijah Mitchell, RB SF – With no injury designation this week and JaMycal Hasty out, you can expect Mitchell to lead this backfield in carries once again. He had nearly 80 all-purpose yards in a tough loss to Arizona last week, but posted a 100-yard effort with a touchdown in each of the two prior games. The Rams may be allowing fewer than 100 rushing yards per game but they’ve coughed up 10 touchdowns on the ground this season. 

Van Jefferson, WR LAR – Woods is out for the season and OBJ is still learning the ropes, so perhaps the value of Jefferson stays intact this week. He’s seen 20 targets over the last three games, but has just a 50-percent catch rate and only one touchdown to show for it. However, if there was ever a golden opportunity for him to shine, it would be here. A big game tonight could entrench him as the team’s No. 2 while Beckham stays on as the deep threat.

Brandon Aiyuk, WR SF – He’d be more well-liked if Ramsey is shadowing Samuel, but even if he isn’t, Aiyuk has garnered more attention recently with 15 targets which he turned into 10 catches for 134 yards and one touchdown over his last two games. If he can continue to see this kind of volume, he’ll be worth an add to your lineups.

Jimmy Garoppolo, QB SF – He’s thrown for over 300 yards in each of his last two games with two passing and two rushing touchdowns under his belt. It won’t be an easy game for him as opposing quarterbacks have been limited to just an 82.9 passer rating this season. They’ll need to establish the run with Mitchell before things open up for the passing attack, so if you think the Niners can get it done on the ground, Garoppolo should have a decent night.

Odell Beckham, WR LAR – You know the Rams are going to find ways to take their shiny, new toy out for a spin. He’ll slot in as the deep threat for Stafford and should see a handful of targets come his way. If he can convert one for a really big play, he’ll earn the value you need.

Dart Throws

Jeffery Wilson, RB SF – He was activated from injured reserve last week but didn’t play a single snap. With Hasty out, Wilson should see the field this week as a third-down/goal-line option. The cost is pretty low, so all you would need from him is the touchdown. The yards accumulated or passes caught won’t be abundant.

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