We’re onto the third week of the NFL season, starting with Thursday Night Football — a matchup between the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers. Below, I’ll go over my top DraftKings NFL DFS Showdown picks for the Giants vs 49ers TNF Week 3 game.
This week’s matchup is interesting from a DFS perspective due to the high talent on both sides of the ball, but it could be a low-scoring affair and/or blowout. Can the Giants put together a good game for all four quarters or are the 49ers simply too much?
It’s going to be a fun one, so let’s dive right into how you tackle this week’s DraftKings NFL DFS Showdown fantasy football slate. I’ll highlight my favorite Captain’s plays and FLEX plays below.
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NFL DFS Showdown DraftKings Picks for Giants vs 49ers TNF Week 3
Favorite Captain NFL DFS Picks
Christian McCaffrey ($19,800)
Unless you’re looking to save some cash, Christian McCaffrey needs to be in your Captain’s spot. He will likely be the most-rostered player on Giants vs 49ers TNF Week 3 NFL DFS Showdown. First off, we’re talking McCaffrey here — he’s scored at least 25 FPTS, totaled at least 125 scrimmage yards and found the end zone in both games. Now, he faces a Giants defense that is surrendering 24.1 FPTS per game to opposing running backs thus far. The 49ers offense has looked unstoppable at times and it certainly helps their case when the Giants defense has allowed a league-high 68 points in two games.
With Brandon Aiyuk ($8,600; shoulder) labeled a true game-time decision, the 49ers could lean even heavier on McCaffrey to facilitate the offense, making him by far the most valuable player to slot into your Captain’s spot. Just be prepared to find yourself with little to no salary when it comes to filling out those final two lineup slots.
Daniel Jones ($15,300)
I don’t know what’s going on with the Giants, but at least they were able to put together a huge second half and complete the comeback victory over the lowly Cardinals in Week 2. It’s still very concerning they even found themselves down 20-0 to an inferior team, and it doesn’t get any more promising having to face the 49ers defense. Daniel Jones put together 34.74 FPTS last week thanks to all of the garbage points in the second half and it could very well be similar if the 49ers jump out to an early lead, and at this rate, that is probably going to happen.
It’s going to be rough for Jones and the offense if the 49ers defense just does they want the whole game, which has been a theme the past two weeks for the Giants. Saquon Barkley ($11,000; ankle) has already been ruled out, so even more falls onto Jones’ shoulders. It is absolutely not a great spot for him to put up 30 FPTS again but banking on some easy garbage points both on the ground and through the air is a good bet for me, and for those not interested in paying nearly $20K for McCaffrey.
Favorite Value FLEX NFL DFS Picks
Darren Waller ($7,400)
Playing tight ends against the 49ers can be rough due to their strong linebacker room, but Darren Waller is a different story. He’s hauled in 9-of-13 targets for 112 yards so far and has clearly cemented himself as Jones’ primary target in the passing game. He missed just seven offensive snaps in Week 2 and so far, opposing tight ends facing the 49ers have scored an average of just 7.7 FPTS but if the Giants can find their groove early, Waller will very much be involved in the production. Either way, the negative game script will benefit his final Week 3 total.
One week ago, the 49ers’ secondary got carved up by the Rams’ receiving game. You can take what you will with that statement because it was a divisional matchup and the Rams always play the 49ers tough, but there are clearly some gaps in the defense that the Giants could possibly exploit. If Waller doesn’t do it for you, Isaiah Hodgins ($6,400) or Jalin Hyatt ($5,200) are good pivot options as well, considering most of the Rams’ receiving yards last week came from their top two (rather unproven) wide receivers.
49ers D/ST ($5,800)
For those that don’t believe in the Giants to bounce back in a big way, the 49ers defense is staring right at you for just $5.8K in this DraftKings NFL DFS Showdown. What is there to say about San Francisco’s defense? As a unit, they’ve totaled two picks in each game and have a +30 point differential (the Giants have a -37 point differential). They terrorized Kenny Pickett in Week 1, sacking him five times and essentially did the same thing to Matthew Stafford in Week 2, where they totaled just one sack but six QB hits. Sensing a trend? Oh yeah, and Jones has been sacked 10 times in two games already.
Rostering the 49ers’ defense also saves some salary, allowing you to put McCaffrey in your Captain’s spot and still put together a solid money-winning lineup. I don’t recommend defenses in DFS lineups often but so far this season, defense has been king and I’m looking for another double-digit performance out of San Francisco, even if New York starts putting some points on the board.
With that being said, let’s take a look at my favorite lineup for tonight’s DraftKings NFL DFS Showdown slate for the Giants vs 49ers game.
Favorite Lineup: NFL DFS Showdown DraftKings Picks for Giants vs 49ers TNF Week 3
| Captain | Christian McCaffrey ($19,800) |
| FLEX | Darren Waller ($7,400) |
| FLEX | Isaiah Hodgins ($6,400) |
| FLEX | 49ers D/ST ($5,800) |
| FLEX | Jalin Hyatt ($5,200) |
| FLEX | Jake Moody ($4,200) |
| Salary Remaining | $1,200 |
