Welcome back, RotoBallers! This is going to make for an interesting Thursday Night Football matchup. The 49ers just ruled out half their offense, including Jauan Jennings, Brock Purdy, and Ricky Pearsall. This should be a big spot for the Rams to take advantage of.
The best part of the NFL schedule is that we have only two days off between Monday Night Football and Thursday Night Football, so we are back at it tonight as the San Francisco 49ers travel just south to take on their division rival in L.A. Both teams are 3-1, as the 49ers are coming off a loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Rams rolled through and got the win against a good Indianapolis Colts team.
I will provide you with daily fantasy football picks on DraftKings and FanDuel for Thursday Night Football in Week 5 -- 49ers vs. Rams on October 2nd, 2025. These NFL DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks. For questions, follow me on X @DFSKoby, or sign up for RotoBaller premium to chat with me and other NFL analysts anytime!
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MVP/Captain - NFL DFS Lineup Picks
Puka Nacua - WR, $17.4K (DK), $19.2K (FD)
Puka Nacua is on a tear through the NFL right now. He quite literally put Xavien Howard into retirement with how bad he tormented him in Week 4. He is averaging just over 12 targets a game, has been targeted 50 times in four weeks, and is averaging over 125 receiving yards a week! He has had 20+ fantasy points in all four games this year, and that's with only scoring one touchdown this season.
Puka Nacua has played 32 career games.
He’s gone for 100+ total yards in 17 of them.
As a 5th-round pick at No. 177 overall, more than half his NFL games have been over 100 yards.
Just absurd! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/2V2r7WkBAi
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) September 29, 2025
Nacua has been lining up the most on the right side, which should have him up against Renardo Green. Green has been getting torched by WRs this season, giving up .36 fantasy points per route run this season.
The only thing you have to worry about here is a potential blowout. With the 49ers as injured as they are, they may have a tough time keeping up. That being said, Nacua should get the ball early and often, making him one of the best plays for your MVP spot.
Christian McCaffrey - RB, $17.1K (DK), $19.8K (FD)
Who else do you captain from the 49ers? This team is so severely depleted. CMC might see 10+ targets in the receiving game while running the ball 20 times. The only way CMC doesn't get a lot of run here is if the Rams blow them out of the water, and CMC is sent to the bench to avoid injury. There is plenty of value on this slate, so putting him at the MVP spot may be expensive, but there are ways to get there.
He has finished with 19 fantasy points or more in all four games this season. The Rams gave up 70+ rushing yards to Jonathan Taylor and Tony Pollard this season. That, on top of CMC being active in the passing game, is a recipe for an MVP-caliber game from him.
Other Captains/MVPs: Kyren Williams, Matthew Stafford
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Flex Plays - NFL DFS Lineup Picks
Kyren Williams - RB, $9K (DK), $10.8K (FD)
I have never been a Kyren Williams truther, but this might be a game where he sees quite a few carries. This 49ers defense has struggled to stop the running, giving up nearly 100 yards to Alvin Kamara in Week 2 and 124 yards last week to Travis Etienne Jr.
Williams hasn't been quite the touchdown hog that he has been before, but he still has two this year. He has gone up against some tough defenses in the last few weeks, so he should be able to get what he wants this week against the 49ers.
Jake Tonges - TE, $4.2K (DK), $6K (FD)
Jake Tonges has been quite a bit more involved in the 49ers' offense, even when George Kittle was available. Now, he should see quite the workload in this offense, with his only competition being Kendrick Bourne for targets.
The Rams' defense has given up a touchdown to a TE in the last two weeks. Tyler Warren had a very efficient game against them last week, going for 70 yards on five receptions. Mac Jones has shown a liking for Tonges, targeting him eight times in his two games as a starter.
Jake Tonges takes the TE screen for the TD!
JAXvsSF on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/DUeI9qetjG
— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2025
Tonges should be seen as the top receiver for this 49ers team, should they get down early. The 49ers could be passing the ball quite a bit, giving Tonges and Bourne quite a few targets.
Other Flex Options: Joshua Karty, Eddy Pineiro, Davante Adams
Value Plays - NFL DFS Lineup Picks
Mac Jones - QB, $9.2K (DK), $1K (FD)
Did FanDuel fall asleep at the wheel? What are we doing with this pricing? DraftKings does it right, where it already priced up all the QBs in the matchup to a reasonable amount in case something like this happens.
Mac Jones is certified chalk on FanDuel, even if he doesn't produce much; with a QB this cheap, you have to take him. He will likely be owned at 90% or higher in almost every contest. Jones is somebody you can maybe get away with not having in your DraftKings lineups, but he and McCaffrey might be the only ones to produce for the 49ers.
Jones has done well so far in replacing Purdy, throwing for 280 yards in both games. That was against the Saints and Cardinals, however. On FanDuel, he is a lock in your lineup and build around him. DraftKings is a bit tougher.
Kendrick Bourne - WR, $4.6K (DK), $3.6K (FD)
I'm going to keep it here with the 49ers and their new WR1 in Kendrick Bourne. He has played the last three games for the 49ers and has seen a decent target share in that time. He has seen 4.3 targets a game, and that was with Jennings and Pearsall playing.
Just imagine what kind of target share he should see with them both out. We don't need the value, but if you are on DraftKings, this is a great option to get your value in since you don't have the benefit of FanDuel messing up its price on Jones.
Other Value Options: Rams D/ST, Jake Tonges, Demarcus Robinson
Sample NFL DFS Lineup
Here is a lineup option I like for tonight's slate on FanDuel. Note that sample lineups are not intended to be used in contests by readers, but instead to show the type of roster construction that I am considering when building my lineups tonight.
More DFS Analysis and Lineup Picks
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