Week 15 begins on Thursday with an exciting divisional matchup. The Los Angeles Rams travel north in California to take on the San Francisco 49ers. Both teams remain on the fringes of the postseason, and the biggest question mark resides in San Francisco’s backfield. The 49ers are already on their fourth option, and it looks like they might go further down the depth chart. After being listed as a non-participant, once again, on Tuesday’s Injury Report, things aren’t looking ideal for Isaac Guerendo and his sprained foot. With the home team favored by just 2.5 points, it’s expected to be a tight game with ample offense. Seeing an over/under of 49.5 is a good sign for DFS picks. It also puts both kickers in play while removing the defenses from consideration. Let’s jump into some Thursday Night Football DFS picks with preferences ranked within each category.
Thursday Night Football DFS Picks – Los Angeles Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers
Captain
Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco 49ers
With the 49ers likely down to their fifth-string running back, it would make sense for them to focus on the passing game. The good news is that with the Rams ranking in the bottom third from a DFS perspective against opposing quarterbacks, this is a good night for it.
Brock Purdy is coming off a strong game as he threw for 325 yards and two touchdowns against the Bears last week. With only 15 touchdowns on the season, it was a good sign to see him pick up multiple scores last week. Purdy has had to work through multiple injuries to his skill position players to average 253 passing yards per game. He has added 282 rushing yards and four additional touchdowns as a solid boost. It’s both a good matchup and a favorable situation for Purdy tonight. That should allow him to have one of his best games of the season against the Rams.
Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams
Follow the targets. Both Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are studs. Each can easily go off and bring home the cash. Picking both would be ideal, but it’s also not feasible. If we are going to pick one, then Nacua should be our guy. The fact that he is a little more costly isn’t ideal, but everyone is playing under the same constraints.
Last week, Nacua was targeted 14 times, and in this case, quantity means production. That means DFS points, and that’s what we are after.
Nacua was efficient last week as he secured 12 of those targets for 162 yards and a touchdown. It was the fourth touchdown of the season in eight games for Nacua who is clearly healthy and past his early season injuries. He’s averaging 89 yards per game on just under seven catches. We can certainly make that work.
Flex
Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams
For all the talk that Kyren Williams wasn’t going to be the bell cow for the Rams this year, he’s up to 251 carries through 13 games. Instead, the Rams have given Williams all of the work he can handle. More importantly, though, Williams has proven to be up to the task.
Williams hasn’t exactly been efficient with four yards per carry, but the quantity is there. With 78 rushing yards per game, Williams gets his stats. What really drives his value though, is the fact that Williams has 14 touchdowns so far this season. We know that he’ll receive all the work he can handle once again, and there’s also a strong chance Williams finds the end zone. As far as higher-end, reliable, options, Williams is at the top of the list.
George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers have had their share of issues this season, but one constant has been George Kittle. Through 11 games, Kittle has 56 catches for 800 yards and eight touchdowns. He’s coming off an especially strong game in which the tight end caught six passes for 151 yards. Kittle continues to be one of the main targets for Purdy and that will continue against the Rams.
Patrick Taylor, RB, San Francisco 49ers
At this point, we are going to roll with the fact that Guerendo will be sidelined tonight. That means Patrick Taylor is next to step into the leading role in San Francisco’s backfield.
Last week, in his first extended action of the season, Taylor gained 25 yards on seven carries. There could be other running backs in play, but Taylor is slated to receive the majority of the workload. This is purely a quantity-based target.
Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams
While we targeted Nacua earlier, we shouldn’t forget about Cooper Kupp either. Last week, Kupp was targeted nine times and that translated to five catches for 92 yards. Kupp also caught his sixth touchdown of the season. When on the field this season, Kupp has been successful averaging 73 yards per game. He’s also averaging seven catches as he continues to be a large part of the Rams’ game plan.
Jauan Jennings, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Between the injury to Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuels’ struggles, Jauan Jennings has done a great job of filling in the gaps. Over the last five weeks, Jennings was targeted 42 times as he continues to carve out a large role in San Francisco’s offense.
That translated into 35 catches for 370 yards and three touchdowns. On the season, Jennings has been the best receiver for the 49ers this season. He’s up to 57 catches for 774 yards and six touchdowns and that success should continue tonight in a high-scoring game.
Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams
After the return of Nacua and Kupp, things have begun to turn around for Matthew Stafford. Over his last four games, Stafford has 10 touchdown passes while also kicking up his yardage totals. That trend is poised to continue tonight as they look to keep up with the 49.5 over/under.
Value
Ke’Shawn Vaughn, RB, San Francisco 49ers
While Taylor is expected to be the main ball carrier for San Francisco, it likely will be a group effort. Ke’Shawn Vaughn made his season debut last week and carried the ball two times for four yards. His role is expected to expand tonight, and it’s possible the 49ers look to go with the hot hand. That means Vaughn could provide some, low-cost, DFS value.
Fade
Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Things have not been going well for Deebo Samuel this season, and we can’t expect that change tonight. Samuel doesn’t appear to be pleased with his role in San Francisco’s offense, and it’s for good reason as it’s not exactly substantial. Last week, Samuel was targeted just three times and he caught two passes for 22 yards. On the season, Samuel has just two touchdowns and 553 receiving yards. Unlike other years, he has just 93 yards on the ground so that hasn’t worked to increase his value.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 15 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!