Monday Night Football DFS Showdown Captain Picks
The NFL loves a good homecoming storyline. Roger Goodell's schedule makers outdid themselves this year with two primetime games full of drama and intrigue involving familiar friends and foes. It will be hard to find any football fan complaining about last night's slugfest between Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford battling it out in Detroit on Sunday Night Football.
Tonight, the first Monday Night Football game of the NFL season culminates an opening week with New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh and quarterback Aaron Rodgers returning to their old stomping grounds in the Bay Area to take on San Francisco.
Saleh had a memorable season leading the San Francisco defense to a Super Bowl appearance in 2019, only to take the Jets job the following season. It will be the first time Saleh will face his former boss, Kyle Shanahan, and it will be a great matchup between two great strategic minds in the NFL.
It won't be Rodgers's first game back in the Bay Area, but it's always intriguing when the Chico, CA native returns to play his favorite team from childhood. Hopefully, you made decent capital gains yesterday, so you can mix in a little DFS Showdown action on DraftKings and lock into a fun night of highly competitive football and drama.
Here are some recommendations for your Captain spot to build the best contest lineup.
Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets ($13,500)
If you want to be a contrarian in your captain spot for tonight's showdown, you can mix and match plenty of unique angles on the other side of the ball, starting with a much cheaper Aaron Rodgers. The last time we saw Rodgers suit up for the Jets, he tore his Achilles at MetLife Stadium just four snaps into the 2023 season.
The 40-year-old will return to his home state and a familiar natural playing surface in Santa Clara tonight. Yes, the 49ers' defense is less than ideal to attack in DFS, as it was 4th in DVOA at -9.6%. However, Rodgers will face newly promoted defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen, who will debut as the leading man, calling the defensive plays to the green dot.
The future Hall of Famer will be a great litmus test for a first-time coordinator who is only six years older than Rodgers. Under Steve Wilks last year, you wanted to avoid any running back against this San Francisco defensive unit. The 49ers were stout at stopping the run with -22% DVOA-Adjusted Fantasy Points Against last year.
If you were inclined to attack a specific position, the only chink in the armor is in the secondary. The 49ers gave up 21% DVOA-Adjusted Fantasy Points Against to slot receivers last season — by far its most advantageous position.
Tonight, Allan Lazard ($2,000) will have the best matchup against four-year man Deommodore Lenoir. Lazard should save you money to pay for heavy hitters like McCaffrey, Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson, and Brock Purdy in your lineup to maximize your point total.
Breece Hall, New York Jets ($15,300)
As mentioned above, you don't want to attack the 49ers run defense in previous seasons. Last year, San Francisco ranked third in the NFL in rushing yards per game at 89.7. You can certainly point to the 49ers' excellent 12-5 record last year to explain why this number is so low, as they are rarely in trailing situations.
The only saving grace for Breece Hall's outlook for tonight's game is the recent departures within the 49ers defensive line. Veterans Arik Armstead, Chase Young, Clelin Ferrell, Javon Kinlaw, and Sebastian Joseph-Day found new franchises in 2024.
San Francisco focused most of its free agency resources on rebuilding this unit, and Lynch brought in Leonard Floyd, Yetur Gross-Matos, Jordan Elliott, and Maliek Collins to fill the void this year. It's the NFL. What brings us back every week is the unpredictability.
If the 49ers struggle with the transition with the new-look defensive line, you might have an edge with a lower-owned Hall coming off an overall RB2 finish last year and the Jets' biggest home run threat. If you want to play the upside-down angle, ensure you get Purdy in your flex spot for a trailing correlation situation late in the game.