Monday Night Preview

Monday Night Preview: Lions vs. 49ers

There is one final game left on this Championship Week 17 slate. And from a fantasy football perspective, it’s a huge one. The Detroit Lions are traveling to San Francisco to face the 49ers and the rosters are loaded with fantasy talent. However, with rumors that the Lions could rest starters in the game, the fantasy title implications are huge.

Although the 14-2 Vikings have temporarily moved into first place, the NFC North title will officially be on the line Sunday night when Minnesota travels to Detroit. The winner of that game will secure the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs.

That makes next week’s primetime contest a must-see TV event for football fans. However, it will also impact tonight’s game. This game is largely meaningless for Detroit. Additionally, the Niners have already been eliminated from postseason contention.

Therefore, there are rumors that Dan Campbell could elect to sit his key starters at some point tonight. That will greatly impact any remaining fantasy championship games that are still to be decided by this final contest of the week.

Of course, Campbell is known for being unconventional and could easily choose to keep his foot on the gas. It all adds some intrigue to a game that was already vital.

Here are some thoughts on how fantasy managers could approach this Monday Night Preview between the 49ers and Lions

San Francisco 49ers 

The formula for the Niners is simple. Eliminated from the playoffs last week, San Francisco is playing for pride. Kyle Shanahan will not rest starters and will look to conclude a disappointing campaign on a positive note.

Expect the starters to play their normal roles and allotment of snaps. QB Brock Purdy will be a QB1 facing a defense that is allowing the 11th-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. Additionally, Detroit’s defense has been decimated by injuries. Also, if Campbell does limit his defensive starter’s snaps, Purdy could rack up some solid production.

There is also good news in the backfield as starter Issac Guerendo is expected back after missing Week 16. Guernedo (hamstring/foot) was removed from the injury report. Detroit’s elite run-stopping defense is starting to fall apart. That sets up Guerendo to see a lot of volume as a strong RB2 play.

Jauan Jennings and Deebo Samuel are also strong options against a defense that has allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to the position. Both are solid top-20 options in our Week 17 projections.

And at tight end, George Kittle remains an every-week elite starter. However, no team has allowed fewer fantasy points to tight end than these Lions, so expectations should be somewhat tempered. Fanduel line: 5/65 (11.5 pts.)

Detroit Lions 

Things are more complicated for fantasy managers who have been riding Detroit players to their fantasy championship matchup. Unfortunately, unless you have pivots on San Francisco’s roster, there isn’t a lot you can do.

However, daily fantasy players might want to take note of some of the recent player lines and odds movements.

QB Jared Goff doesn’t run much and avoids hits. He has less chance of getting hurt and could easily play the entire game. Especially if Campbell stays true to his aggressive nature and wants to exact some revenge for last year’s NFC Championship Game defeat at the hands of Shanahan and the Niners.

Goff’s passing line (247.5) hasn’t decreased notably and he is still -192 to go OVER 1.5 touchdown passes.

At running back, Jahmyr Gibbs‘s rushing prop has dropped five yards down to 79.5. He remains an elite option and can make an impact in just a half. Even if there is some risk of Gibbs being limited, fantasy managers have no choice but to stick with a top-3 back in this slate.

Even if Gibbs was limited, there isn’t much clarity behind him. Craig Reynolds is the next man up but isn’t anywhere near the talent that David Montgomery was. Reynolds has some size and could be used in short-yardage, but he has only recorded one catch all season. Fanduel line: 83 rushing yds., 4/22 receiving (14.5 pts.)

After Reynolds, Sione Vaki has mostly played special teams and has nine touches all season. Jermar Jefferson out-touched Vaki last week and could be an interesting (and inexpensive) DFS dart throw.

Amon-Ra St. Brown is too good to sit. Even if there were viable replacements. St. Brown’s receiving prop has only dipped three yards, down to 73.5. Fanduel line: 7/71 (14.1 pts.)

Jameson Williams also remains a decent option but the matchup isn’t great. San Francisco plays disciplined defense and has surrendered just 12 touchdowns to enemy wideouts all season. Fanduel line: 4/52 (9.2 pts.)

If available, Tim Patrick would make a savvy waiver add as insurance to St. Brown or Williams. Allen Robinson and Tom Kennedy are next in line but are well off the fantasy radar except as DFS dart throws.

Tight end Sam LaPorta has been hot lately and has a fantasy score prop line of 11 PPR points. That puts him in TE1 range. Fantasy managers looking for other options could consider Brock Wright, who has flashed some red-zone chemistry with Goff.

TL;DR – We’re skeptical that the Lions will rest starters enough to justify taking your studs out of championship lineups. 


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About Jody Smith 626 Articles
With over a decade of winning experience, Jody is a well-known fixture in the fantasy football community. He was named Fantasy Pros’ **Most Accurate Ranker** previously and was the site’s Top NFL over/under totals picker with a record 65% accuracy in 2020, while also ranking 5th in the country with a 55% against-the-spread hit rate. Jody has written for many sites over the years including Pro Football Focus, FantasyPros, CBS Sportsline, FantasyData, and is a regular contributor to the Fantasy Index magazine expert’s poll, draft, and auction. Jody’s experience ranking and projecting player performance will help prepare the Fulltime Fam for their big draft days as well as answers they can trust on Sunday for those ever crucial Who Do I Start questions.