DraftKings

DFS DraftKings Thursday Night Showdown: Giants at 49ers

By Gladys Louise Tyler

Posted on September 21, 2023

Welcome to Week 3 of the NFL 2023 season. This Thursday Night game is the New York Giants limping into a game where they will be massive underdogs. This Thursday Night Showdown is a game where you must keep up with the injury reports until game time. Brandon Aiyuk has a shoulder injury and is a game-time decision.

On paper, this game lacks the pop that most NFL games bring. Use that to your advantage.

Thursday Night Football Preview

Betting Lines

New York Giants 1-1 @ San Francisco 49ers 2-0
44.5 o/u and 49ers -10
Moneyline New York Giants +400, San Francisco 49ers -550

Two Interesting Prop Bets

Christian McCaffrey over 79.5 rushing yards -103
Daniel Jones has over 35.5 rushing yards, -120

Injury Status

New York Giants Out: Running Back Saquon Barkley; OT Andrew Thomas; DE Azeez Gulari; and Guard Ben Bredeson.
Questionable: Linebacker Micah McFadden and Wide Receiver Wan’Dale Robinson.
San Francisco 49ers Questionable: Wide Receiver Brandon Aiyuk and Cornerback Ambry Thomas.

The Teams

The Giants aren’t looking like the Giants from last year. Their first game was a blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys, 0-40. Their second game was a nail-biter that shouldn’t have been. The Giants were losing to the Arizona Cardinals 0-20 at halftime before pulling out a 31-28 victory.

Meanwhile, the 49ers flew east to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-7. They then beat the Los Angeles Rams 30-23.

The Players

The Giants quarterback, Jones, has thrown two touchdowns and three interceptions. He is averaging 212.5 passing yards per game. His upside is his rushing ability. Jones has rushed for 102 yards in two games and has one rushing touchdown.

McCaffrey is the ace for the 49ers. In two games, he has averaged 6.4 rushing yards per game and has been targeted eight times.

Game Overview

The strategy is all about the DraftKings Showdown Contest (Single Entry). In the Showdown Contests on DraftKings, there are many options. If you are playing GPP, you will have to get different. And we here are all about difference.

You have six positions, one captain, and five flex in the Showdown. The most important thing to remember is that the captain position is worth 1.5 times the scoring bonus. The captain’s salary is increased by 1.5 times.

Positional Overview

Captain

Remember, in the captain position, identify the ceiling. Because of the massive differential in projected points, getting different with the captain position is how you will make yourself different.

There will, of course, be Christian McCaffrey, who has 85.29% snap share, 17.86% target share and 78.79% ownership.

Potential captains on the 49ers side (besides McCaffrey) include Aiyuk (if playing). Aiyuk has an 85.29% snap share and a 28.57% target share. His current ownership is 30.37%. Deebo Samuel has a 25% target share and an 86.76% snap share. His ownership is 61.86%. Tight end George Kittle looks good, especially if Aiyuk is out.

Two out-of-the-box ideas for the captain are Elijah Mitchell, who has an 18.62% ownership and tight end Jauan Jennings, whose ownership is at 13.90%.

Potential captains on the Giants side: Seriously, this is slim pickings. Last week, the winning Showdown I played contained three players from the losing side. That being said, the losing side put up 28 points. The predicted total for the Giants is 12.25. That is not enough points to sustain a winning Showdown lineup.

Daniel Jones is viable as captain. Without Barkley, Jones’ rushing ceiling rises, and if the Giants score through the pass, Jones will be involved.

My Lineup Construction

Captain: Daniel Jones, $15,300. Projected Ownership 43.71%
Flex: George Kittle, $6,600. Projected Ownership 29.86%
Flex: Elijah Mitchell, $2,400. Projected Ownership 18.62%
Flex: Deebo Samuel, $8,800. Projected Ownership 61.86%
Flex: Jauan Jennings, $4,800. Projected Ownership 13.90%
Flex: 49ers Defense, $5,800.

Putting Mitchell in the captain position is a good idea to set yourself apart. McCaffrey could be rested if the game gets out of hand as expected. McCaffrey was on the field for 100% of the offensive snaps last week. Kittle saw 96% and Samuel 89% offensive snaps.

According to head coach Kyle Shanahan, getting Mitchell more involved is the plan. It could be coach speak, but resting McCaffrey in a blowout is the perfect time to get Mitchell more involved.

Remember, especially in your large-scale GPP, you want to get your points, and if you can do that and be different, you are on your way to a win.

Gladys Louise Tyler

Gladys is obsessive about fantasy football, Pittsburgh Steelers, dogs/cats, pop culture movies and television shows, and Ben & Jerry’s 7 Layer Vegan Ice Cream (although not necessarily in that order). A writer about NFL, college ball, and fantasy football for more than 10 years, she attempts to combine her degree in statistical variance (BS Policy Analysis) with player knowledge and game script. Though her concentration is on IDP, redraft, and PPR leagues, all fantasy formats are fair game. Reach out whenever you can find me on Twitter @gladysLtyler. And remember, don’t suck and tip your bartenders well.