It's already been quite the day here in Week 3 as turnovers were abundant and the road teams were, more often than not, the ones to have your money on. Will that spill off into the Sunday Night game between the Packers and 49ers? Aaron Rodgers and the Packers haven't had much success when traveling to the Bay Area, but maybe the Week 3 mojo helps them out? Or maybe this is is the night to load up on the 49ers? Either way, it's fixing to be a great game tonight.

Now before we begin, please take a moment to understand what exactly you are getting yourself into by playing single-game Showdown Slates. We love to have some skin in the game, for sure, but these slates are, for all intents and purposes, a lottery ticket. Sure, there are times when the chalk hits and everyone shares in the prizes, but, more often than not, you need to hit on that random dart-throw that differentiates your lineup from that of the herd in order to claim the top prize. As a result, we encourage you to play responsibly and not over-invest. Stick to the GPP contests (single-entry preferred), don’t blow your whole bankroll, and understand that, unless you are a max-entry player, you should prioritize having fun.

OK. Lecture over. Let’s get to tonight’s action.

Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers

Spread: 49ers -3.5

O/U: 43

Weather: Partly cloudy with temperatures in the mid-50s and winds blowing WNW at 10mph

Notable Injuries:

Green Bay Packers

Elgton Jenkins, LT – ankle (out)

San Francisco 49ers

Elijah Mitchell, RB – ankle (doubtful)

Arik Armstead, DL – abdomen (questionable)

Javon Kinlaw, DL – knee (questionable)

Emmanuel Moseley, DB – knee (questionable)

DVOA Defensive Rankings

Packers

vs Pass: 26th

vs Run: 25th  

49ers

vs Pass: 11th 

vs Run: 16th 

**Please note that players not listed below are not necessarily a complete fade and any player listed can certainly be used as the MVP/Captain. These are merely suggestions for players to use when setting Showdown lineups.

MVP/Captain

Aaron Rodgers, QB GB – Since leaving college at nearby Berkeley, Rodgers hasn’t had much success leading the Packers back into San Francisco, but that could/should change tonight as the 49ers are dealing with a number of defensive injuries which will affect both the pass-rush and the coverage in the secondary. He did a good job shaking off that Week 1 loss to throw four touchdowns last week and should carry some of that momentum into tonight’s game.

Davante Adams, WR GB – He didn’t find his way into the end zone last week, but still managed to collect 121 yards on eight catches. He’s Rodgers’ favorite target, he sees a ton of looks each and every game and is always a strong candidate for the captain spot in your Showdown lineups.

George Kittle, TE SF – The 49ers haven’t gotten Kittle going yet this season but tonight looks like a great opportunity to turn that around. Green Bay ranks 24th in DVOA against the tight end and are allowing an average of 52.5 receiving yards per game to the position. If Jimmy Garoppolo can feed him the targets, Kittle can pad his stats with his usual yards-after-the-catch effort and produce a strong fantasy line.

Mid-Tier

Aaron Jones, RB GB – He’s coming off a four-touchdown game and facing a banged-up defensive line. Matt LaFleur is going to want to control the pace of this game on the road and win the time of possession, so expect the Packers to lead with the run. You obviously can’t expect another multi-score effort, but there’s no reason to think he won’t see strong volume, a handful of targets and some red zone work as well.

Jimmy Garoppolo, QB SF – The Packers haven’t given up a lot of yardage through the air, but they’ve allowed seven passing touchdowns and opposing QBs are posting a 123.3 passer rating against them. He’s going to have to focus on Kittle, but the 49ers also need to get creative with Deebo Samuel and move him around to avoid Jaire Alexander. If they can do that, Garoppolo should have a strong and efficient day. 

Deebo Samuel, WR SF – As I just stated, they are going to need to move Samuel around to avoid Jaire Alexander. If they can do that successfully, Samuel can shake tackles, pick up solid yards after the catch and find his way into the end zone. He’s got 15 catches for 282 yards on 20 targets through two games and definitely deserves a spot in your lineup tonight.

Trey Sermon, RB SF – Is he finally out of the Shanahan doghouse? All the way? With Elijah Mitchell doubtful and likely out for tonight’s game, Sermon, who was cleared via concussion protocol on Friday, should see a full complement of touches. We’d be even more bullish on him had it not been for the presence of goal-line back Jacques Patrick or that the Niners activated Kerryon Johnson late this week.  

Robert Tonyan, TE GB – He doesn’t see much in the way of targets but he’s got Rodgers’ attention inside the red zone. He had 11 touchdowns last year and grabbed his first of 2021 last week against the Lions. The 49ers rank 14th in DVOA against the tight end, but are allowing an average of 64.5 yards per game. Keep your eye on him once the Packers get inside the 20-yard line.

Dart Throws

Jacques Patrick, RB SF – Would it be the craziest thing in the world to see Trey Sermon do most of the work on the ground, only to see Patrick rush for two yards and two touchdowns? Not at all. He’s a big, bruising back who came from the XFL and has goal-line back written all over him in a Shanahan offense.

AJ Dillon, RB GB – Everything I just said about Jacques Patrick can now be reiterated for the man they call Quadzilla. With the injuries to the 49ers defensive line, I could see the Packers just punching it in with Dillon if they find themselves on the one.

Randall Cobb, WR GB – He’s only seen four targets through two weeks but with the game in prime time and Cobb being the guy Rodgers demanded the team bring back, maybe he sees a little more attention tonight. You can’t expect big numbers, but for the cost, if he can find his way into the end zone, he’ll be worth the investment.

Brandon Aiyuk, WR SF – We know that Trey Sermon is out of Kyle Shanahan’s doghouse, but is Aiyuk? We expect the majority of the targets to go to Kittle and Samuel, but if Shanahan is looking to bring some trickery to this passing game, maybe Aiyuk for a touchdown is the sneaky play the Packers never saw coming. 

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