Commanders vs 49erd Showdown DFS: EMac's Week 6 MNF Top-10

Washington Commanders Overview

There is a long list of key players out for the Commanders including running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt (groin), backup quarterback Marcus Mariota (knee), defensive ends Charles Omenihu (groin/ankle) and Javontae Jean-Baptiste (pectoral), cornerback Christian Holmes (hamstring) and offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil (IR).

For the questionable tag crew: wideout Stefon Diggs and Terry McLaurin are nursing hamstring issues, with Diggs missing last week and McLaurin sitting out Week 4.

Defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw (ankle/knee) got a downgrade, after practicing in full on Thursday. Finally there some banged up defensive backs including Fabian Moreau (knee), Jeremy Reaves (rib) and Tyler Owens (hamstring), who will be game-time decisions.

Coming around full circle, the practice window is open for running back Jeremy McNichols, which is key since recent signee Austin Ekeler (chest) and offseason acquisition Rachaad White (shoulder) are dinged up though expected to play and rookie Kaytron Allen was claimed off waivers by Miami when the team earmarked him for the practice squad.

Quarterback

Jayden Daniels again hyper extended his left elbow and he will be wearing a brace the rest of the season. Surprisingly he did run for 103 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries against New York in the OT tie, though he was also sacked five times. San Francisco has been stout with just four aerial scores allowed, with Jacoby Brissett getting two as well as being the only opposing field general to top 214 yards with 280 in Week 3.

There is elevated injury risk with Daniels’ elbow which had him missing two stretches last year, but to his credit he was 17-of-25 (68%) with no interceptions and 199 yards on Sunday.

Running Back

White missed Week 4 with a should injury, though he is now the lead back with little competition. Ekeler is coming off an Achilles tear that cost him all but two games last year and this is his age-31 season. Both are in play and “underpriced” for the absence of McCroskey-Merritt. There is not much else to add, other than Craig Reynolds could see a few plays, though anything more than a low-leverage touch or two would be a surprise.

Wide Receivers

Diggs (31 targets) missed last week with his hamstring issue, while McLaurin (26) sat out Week 4. They are still first and second on the team in targets, with rookie Antonio Williams third with 22.

Their absences have kept Dyami Brown and Treylon Burks on the field, though Burks did have a massive 45-23 play edge on Sunday, seeing five targets to the two for Brown. If Diggs and McLaurin both play, this duo turns into tenuous lottery tickets.

Williams is very intriguing on DraftKings ($4,200) and viable on FanDuel ($5,200), though the half-PPR scoring format on the blue site is more punitive to wideouts.

Tight Ends

Chig Okonkwo missed Weeks 2 and 3 with a hamstring strain, but he has been back as the TE1 the last two games, earning 10 of the 12 targets to the position as John Bates got a look on Sunday and Colson Yankoff had one target in Week 4. Both of Ben Sinnott’s looks were in while Okonkwo was injured and he is back to his sporadic role as a blocking H-back.

Kickers and DST

Rookie Drew Stevens was a UDFA who beat out Jake Moody during training camp. He was a four-year starter at Iowa, holding most of the school kicking records and he also is among the BigTen all-time leaders in various categories

He is 9-of-11 (82%) on his field goals, with both misses coming from beyond 50 yards, though he also has missed three of his 11 PATs, which is concerning for his longevity with the Commanders.

Washington has two-plus sacks in four games this season, though San Francisco has ceded only three quarterback takedowns, all of which were at the hands of the elite Seattle Seahawks pass rush. The Commanders have seven takeaways, while the 49ers have suffered only two interceptions and three fumbles lost.

San Francisco 49erd Overview

For the defense, linemen Nick Bosa and James Thompson Jr. are out, as are linebacker Garrett Wallow and safety Marquies Sigle. Wideout Deebo Samuels (hamstring) is out and we know that Demarcus Robinson and De’Zhaun Stribling are on the IR as is Christian Kirk (calf), though he may be available for Monday Night Football.

Mike Evans is managing rib and Achilles issues and he has not practiced since Week 5. Defensive lineman Mykel Williams (knee), cornerback Upton Stout (shoulder) and defensive back Siran Neal (neck) are also questionable, though they did get in limited practices.

Quarterback

Washington is allowing 255.0 passing yards per game, which is the fourth most in the league, while being tied for first with 14 touchdowns against just three interceptions. Four different quarterbacks have had multi-touchdown games including Jalen Hurts (203/3/0) in the opener, Dak Prescott (379/4/0) in Week 2, Sam Darnold (379/4/2) in Week 3 and Jameis Winston (326/3/0) in Week 5, who was lifted for JJ McCarthy yesterday. The only opposing signal-caller to fail was Daniel Jones (143/0/1) in Week 4, though he did rush for a score.

Brock Purdy is again among the realistic MVP candidates and this year he is doing it with a paper thin wide receiving corps, an ageing running back and a tight end coming off a torn Achilles. The former Mr. Irrelevant has at least two aerial scores in all five games, with at least 29 rushing yards in four, along with a rushing touchdown.

Heading into Week 6, Purdy has a league leading 13 passing touchdowns, with just two interceptions and three sacks. He is also the all-time career leader with 8.7 air yards per attempt across his four plus seasons.

Running Back

The Commanders have been respectable against the run, allowing 95.4 yards per game and 3.9 per carry, ceding a trio of touchdowns. Just three opposing running backs have cleared 31 rushing yards this season.

Of course we are not too worried about rushing yards for Christian McCaffrey, since it is his work in the passing game that makes him one of the most productive fantasy players, even in his 10th season. While he is averaging around a dozen carries per game, he also has five rushing touchdowns and he is second on the team with 25 targets.

Fullback Kyle Juszczyk (knee) is expected to return after a one-game absence and while he has a grand total of six targets on the season, he is usually on the field as a blocker for around half of the offensive action. That helps out the running game and provides extra protection for Purdy.

Rookie Kaelon Black is only on the field when McCaffrey is getting a break. He gets some low leverage carries between the 20s, with seven, four, six and six totes in the last four games, though he has only two targets on the season.

Wide Receivers

If Evans plays, great, if he is out then the load gets even heavier for McCaffrey, Purdy and George Kittle. Evans leads the team with 34 targets, 24 receptions and 326 yards, tying Samuels with three receiving scores.

Jacob Cowing has averaged a mid-30% snap-share over the last month, which is similar to Jordan Watkins in his three games for the 49ers. Brandin Cooks has played in the last two games and his playing time was in line with this duo for Week 5. Cooks and Cowing each have three targets in the last two tilts, with Watkins not getting any love from Purdy.

The availability of Kirk will impact Cowing and Watkins, with expectations that Cooks sees an uptick in his role as he becomes more familiar with the team. This is his age-33 season and he does not have much left in the tank, but circumstances are such that he is worthy of our attention tonight.

Tight Ends

Kittle is second on the team with 28 targets and he has had at least six in each of the last three games. There is always worry that he spends more time as a blocker, though with the receiving corps in dire straits, that is not likely tonight, with Washington in the bottom-third of the league for sacks and the San Francisco offensive line a huge strength at full health.

Luke Farrell has the other four targets to the position, though only two since the opener in Australia. Brayden Willis will likely see a dozen snaps, though he has only three career targets since being a seventh-round selection out of Oklahoma in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Kickers and DST

Eddy “Dinero” Pineiro led the league with a 96.6% success rate, with his lone miss being a 64-yard attempt in Indianapolis as the first half clock expired. He does have three misses this season, though all are from beyond 52 yards.

San Francisco collects around two sacks per game, with Washington ceding them at a similar rate, albeit with three different quarterbacks, though Daniels was sacked five times last week. The 49ers have three interceptions and four fumble recoveries, with the Commanders giving up just one in each bucket.

NFL DFS Week 6 MNF Showdown: Top-10

1. Christian McCaffrey: Just Run CMC!
2. Brock Purdy: He is very relevant.
3. Jayden Daniels: Tough matchup even if he was not dealing with his elbow injury.
4. George Kittle: Amazing return from his Achillies injury.
5. Mike Evans: Will be managing his injuries, though it would be crazy for the 49ers to push him if he was at risk of easily exacerbating things since they are off to a 5-0 start and 2.5 games up on Seattle in the NL West.
6. Rachaad White: Oh what a world we live in these days.
7. Terry McLaurin: Hard to believe this is his eighth season already.
8. Eddy Pineiro: For all the Dinero! Again, what a great nickname. If were a baseball player, his walkup song would have to be Two Tickets to Paradise by international recording superstar Eddie Money.
9. Stefon Diggs: Meh.
10. Drew Stevens: Let’s see what the kid can do under the Monday Night lights.
11. SECONDARY TARGETS
12. San Francisco DST: Homefield advantage against a banged up offense.
13. Chig Okonkwo: Double Meh.
14. Antonio Williams: Has flashed talent, but this has not converted into on-field production, yet.
15. Brandin Cooks: It’s old home week!
16. Austin Ekeler: Ibid.
17. LOTTERY TICKETS
18. Kaelon Black: Can be played with CMC to corral the full San Francisco backfield production. Best path to relevance is via late-game mop up duty.
19. Christian Kirk, Jacob Cowing and Jordan Watkins: If Evans is out, they are appropriately ranked, if Evans is out and Kirk is not active, then this duo at least has a more consolidated chance for targets. If Evans and Kirk are both available, then it is a guessing game. Cowing returns punts and with Samuel out, likely kickoffs.
20. Treylon Burks and Dyami Brown: Better off if Diggs sits, otherwise let personal preference be your guide.
21. Washington DST: Needs a fortuitous return touchdown to be a difference maker, though we almost saw Dallas get there last night, with a touchdown called back due to penalty.
22. Jeremy McNichols: If he had been healthy all season, he would be ahead of Ekeler. He could be similar to Savion Williams on Sunday Night Football at the $200 DraftKings minimum salary.
23. Luke Farrell: Last player worthy of his own line and just barely at that.
24. Ben Sinnott, John Bates, Colson Yankoff and Luke McCaffrey: They at will be on the field, though project for a tick shy of two targets collectively. McCaffrey returns kickoffs.
25. Kyle Juszczyk, Brayden Willis, Xavier Smith and Jordan James: Essentially San Francisco’s version of the above, with James returning kickoffs.

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