Have no fear, we have another week of NFL action ahead of us. The week begins with another divisional matchup as the San Francisco 49ers travel to Seattle to take on the Seahawks. It’s always a tough place to play, but things are heightened as it’s a short week following an upset loss at home to the New York Giants. The 49ers are still without Christian McCaffrey, but that doesn’t mean their offense is devoid of weapons. There is the expectation for a lot of offense tonight, an over/under of 49.5 points, in what is also expected to be a close game. The 49ers are slight favorites at 3.5 points, so anything can happen from a DFS perspective. Let’s jump into some Thursday Night Football DFS picks with preferences ranked within each category.
Thursday Night Football DFS Picks – San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks
Captain
Jordan Mason, RB, San Francisco 49ers
An unlikely starter in Week 1, I’m not sure many expected Jordan Mason to be the starter at this point in the season. It doesn’t appear that Mason will be going back to the bench anytime soon, nor should he be. Mason has yet to rush for less than 77 yards in a game or average less than 4.1 yards per carry this season. He has broken the 100-yard mark in three of five games this season while picking up three touchdowns.
We know that Mason will continue to be busy and he is certainly up to the task. San Francisco, especially on the road, will look to control the tempo. Leaning on Mason will help them do so.
Geno Smith, QB, Seattle Seahawks
In a high-scoring game, it makes sense to target the player who will have the ball in their hands the most for Seattle. Geno Smith has been consistent to begin the season in the sense that he has one touchdown per game. When making our DFS picks though, we want more. It is a short week as well as a home game, so this could be it.
With 1,466 passing yards through five games, moving the ball through the air hasn’t been an issue for Smith. The quarterback has also rushed for at least 30 yards in three of five games which provides a nice floor.
Flex
Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco 49ers
On the other side of the field, Brock Purdy continues to do a good job of running the offense for San Francisco. Purdy will never jump off the page, but he is passing for 1,374 yards and six touchdowns on the season. He has his share of weapons in the receiving game, and after some early-season injuries, everyone is fully healthy and accounted for.
There is a strong floor for Purdy as he is generally consistent, but there’s also the possibility we get a three-touchdown game as well.
George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers
It’s always a good thing when George Kittle enters the week without an injury designation. That is the case for the tight end after three consecutive games with a touchdown. Against the Patriots, game flow limited Kittle to just four receptions on four targets for 45 yards. In his other three games, Kittle was targeted 25 times and caught 19 passes for 180 yards.
A healthy Kittle who is very involved in the offense deserves our attention.
Kenneth Walker, RB, Seattle Seahawks
Game flow was an issue last week as Kenneth Walker had just five carries. There is no concern about pecking order as Walker did lead the team in carries. That came a week after Walker picked up three touchdowns while gaining 80 yards on just 12 carries. Walker also gained 103 yards on 20 carries in Week 1 so we know what he is capable of.
After last week’s struggles for Seattle, I’d expect to see the Seahawks look to involve Walker early and often tonight.
DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks
The big play threat for Seattle, DK Metcalf has three games over 100 receiving yards this season. On average, Metcalf has 84.2 yards per game on 28 total receptions to go along with two touchdowns. There is a clear chemistry between Metcalf and Smith, and at this point in the season, he does appear to be generally healthy.
Check out all of our Week 6 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | Flex
Value
Noah Fant, TE, Seattle Seahawks
Counting on Noah Fant isn’t necessarily seamless, he is consistently involved in Seattle’s offense. Given the level of offense expected tonight, it’s very plausible that Fant finds his way into the end zone for the first time this season. The good news is that you aren’t going to be left without any production from Fant. In four of five games, he has at least two catches with three games of at least 24 yards. Fant has a long reception of at least nine yards each week, so this isn’t a situation where Smith is merely dumping the ball off to Fant.
Jason Myers, K, Seattle Seahawks
You should know by now that we aren’t getting out of here without looking at a kicker. While Jason Myers is slightly more expensive, he also isn’t making his season debut like his San Francisco counterpart. Myers has missed three of 11 field goal attempts this season. Last week’s blocked kick was on the Seattle line, and the Giants from a skill perspective, so it’s hard to hold that against the veteran.
The good news is that Myers is perfect on his 12 extra point attempts so he does have accuracy. With five kicks from beyond 40 yards and two greater than 50 yards, leg strength doesn’t appear to be an issue here.
Fade
Brandon Aiyuk, WR, San Francisco 49ers
There was a great deal of excitement when Brandon Aiyuk reported to Training Camp this summer. However, given the late timing of it, Aiyuk has struggled to really get going in 2024. The problem is that we aren’t exactly getting a bargain based on Aiyuk’s salary cap hold either.
There are a lot of weapons for Purdy to target in San Francisco’s offense, and last week was the only game in which Aiyuk had more than five catches. After he did catch eight passes for 147 last week, we don’t want to fall into a trap of chasing productivity. Also, Aiyuk’s next touchdown will be the first of the season.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 6 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!