Week 15 kicks off with a pivotal NFC West matchup between the 49ers and Seahawks on Thursday Night Football. The last time these two teams played each other, Trey Lance started and was relieved by Jimmy Garoppolo, who led the Niners to a 27-7 win in Week 2. However, things are slightly different for both teams, who are jockeying for playoff position in the NFC. Even though Garoppolo (knee), Deebo Samuel (leg), and possibly Kenneth Walker III (ankle) are out, this game still has a ton of star power on both sides, which is great news for NFL DFS players putting together FanDuel single-game lineups.
Before we break down our picks, here are the notable scoring settings for FanDuel single-game contests: The point total for the “MVP” is multiplied by 1.5, but he doesn’t cost any additional money like the “Captain” in DraftKings Showdown contests. FanDuel’s default scoring is half-point PPR and four-point passing TDs, and there are no bonuses for 300-yard/100-yard games like on DraftKings.
MORE FD SINGLE GAME: How to win a FanDuel single-game contest
FanDuel Single Game DFS Picks: 49ers vs. Seahawks Week 15 Thursday Night Football
$60,000 budget, need at least one player from each team
MVP (1.5x points): WR DK Metcalf, Seahawks ($12,000)
Metcalf continued his ridiculous pace last week against the Panthers, scoring his fourth touchdown in the past six games. Even though the Seahawks lost, the star wide receiver still posted 15.6 FanDuel points (five receptions for 71 yards and a TD). Metcalf will try to carry that momentum into a pivotal matchup against the surging 49ers, who have won six-straight games. San Francisco actually allows the 11th-most FanDuel points to WRs this season, so Metcalf has a better chance of producing MVP-worthy numbers than you might think at first glance.
MORE TNF: DK lineup | Start ’em, sit ’em | Walker update
FLEX QB Brock Purdy, 49ers ($15,000)
The rookie quarterback has shown that he can hold his own after making his first career start last week against the Buccaneers. Purdy completed 16-of-21 passes for 185 yards and had three total touchdowns in San Francisco’s 35-7 blowout over Tampa Bay. In his first appearance against the Dolphins in Week 13, the former Iowa State quarterback had 15.3 FanDuel points. Purdy will likely be in the 15-20 point range this week against Seattle despite dealing with an oblique injury. The Seahawks’ defense has been middle-of-the-pack against QBs this season, but it’s slightly below average in terms of yards allowed (218.2). Even without Deebo Samuel (leg) in the lineup, we should still expect to see Purdy throw the ball around to Brandon Aiyuk, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, and Jauan Jennings.
WEEK 15 DFS: Best values | Best stacks
FLEX QB Geno Smith, Seahawks ($14,500)
Smith struggled at times in last week’s loss to the Panthers, throwing two interceptions and completing just 58.3 percent of his passes. However, Smith still found a way to score 22.5 FanDuel points, making it the third consecutive game that he’s scored 20-plus points. The veteran quarterback will need to take better care of the ball on Thursday night against a 49ers’ defense that’s ranked fifth in takeaways and allows the fifth-fewest FanDuel points to QBs this season. It’s not an ideal matchup for Smith, who struggled in the first matchup in Week 2 (7.08 FanDuel points). However, with a banged-up RB corps and talented pass-catchers around him, Smith still has a solid floor and high ceiling.
WEEK 15 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel
FLEX TE George Kittle, 49ers ($10,500)
Kittle will be in everybody’s single-game lineup on Thursday night, as the Seahawks allow the second-most FanDuel points to TEs. The star tight end has been quiet over the past three games, recording nine receptions (12 targets) for 76 yards. However, we know he always has a high ceiling, which he showed in a similarly favorable matchup against Arizona (84 yards, two TDs). We can also expect Kittle’s target share to increase on Thursday without Samuel in the lineup.
WEEK 15 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
FLEX RB Jordan Mason, 49ers ($7,000)
Despite a secondary role behind Christian McCaffrey, Mason has run for 50-plus yards in back-to-back games. He’s not putting up earth-shattering numbers, but he’s being productive, which should carry over to Thursday against a below-average Seahawks’ run defense. Seattle allows the second-most FanDuel points to RBs this season, which we saw the Panthers exploit last week. San Francisco will be careful with McCaffrey during a short week, so this is a good spot for Mason to see extra touches and maybe score his first NFL touchdown.