49ers vs. Rams Best Anytime Touchdown Scorer Picks for Thursday Night Football in NFL Week 1

A star-studded Thursday Night Football matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams takes place in Australia in Week 1, and there are a ton of players to consider betting on to find the end zone.

These two offenses are loaded with Pro Bowl talent, and Matthew Stafford – the reigning league MVP – led the Rams to the No. 1 offense in EPA/Play in the 2025 season. He’ll have another fun season with Davante Adams and Puka Nacua on the outside, and I’m targeting one of those two star receivers to hit pay dirt on Thursday night.

On the 49ers’ side, Kyle Shanahan had a playcalling masterclass in 2025, winning five of eight games without Brock Purdy (turf toe) while taking the team to the playoffs. Purdy is healthy entering Week 1, but he has a lot of new weapons on the outside in Deebo Samuel (back from Washington), Mike Evans and rookie De'Zhaun Stribling.

One weapon that hasn’t changed is running back Christian McCaffrey, who finished in the top five in MVP voting last season and is heavily favored to find the end zone in this matchup.

Oddsmakers have set the total in Thursday’s contest all the way up at 48.5, so we could see some offensive fireworks in the second game of the NFL season.

Here’s a look at three players I’m eyeing to score in this primetime matchup.

Best Anytime Touchdown Scorer Picks for 49ers vs. Rams

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Christian McCaffrey Anytime TD (-150)

Last season, CMC found the end zone 10 times on the ground and seven times through the air in 17 regular-season games.

He scored at least once in 12 of those matchups, making him one of the safest anytime touchdown scorer bets in the league. Sure, the -150 price isn’t great for Week 1, but I’m looking to get a winner early on this season.

In two matchups with the Rams in 2025, CMC had just one touchdown, but he caught 16 passes and carried the ball 34 times across those games. So, the touches are going to be there for the 49ers star, especially since each NFC West game means a ton for these team’s chances of making the playoffs.

McCaffrey’s ability to impact the game through the air makes him viable in any game script, and with a lot of offensive turnover from San Fran compared to last season, he should act as a safety valve for Purdy on Thursday.

Davante Adams Anytime TD (+120)

Rams star Davante Adams was a touchdown machine in the 2025 season, catching 14 touchdown passes in as many regular season games. In the playoffs, Adams scored just once, but 15 scores in 17 games is a pretty great success rate.

The star wideout scored in one of his two games against the 49ers and only had five regular-season games without a score in 2025.

I expect Stafford to continue to air the ball out in 2026, and with Puka Nacua garnering a ton of attention from opposing defenses, it has allowed Adams to become one of the best red zone targets in the league.

Last season, he was targeted 31 times in the red zone (third-most in the NFL) catching 13 passes with 12 of them going for scores.

Colby Parkinson Anytime TD (+425)

If you’re looking for more of a long shot bet in the touchdown market, Rams tight end Colby Parkinson is a pretty solid value at +425.

The Rams used a ton of three tight end sets in the 2025 season (13 personnel), and it allowed Parkinson to break out as one of the most reliable red zone options in the league.

He caught eight touchdowns in 15 games last season, including one in a four-catch game the second time the Rams and 49ers faced off.

Parkinson received 20 red zone targets from Stafford last season (the ninth-most in the NFL), catching 14 passes and scoring six times. From Week 9 on, he played at least 56 percent of the offensive snaps in every game, including multiple games with over 80 percent of the snaps played.

I think Parkinson could be in line for a big year in this L.A. offense.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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