Thursday Night Football FanDuel Showdown Lineup: Stafford Poised for Huge Night
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The long wait is finally over: NFL Football is back. The NFL kicked off last night in Seattle as the Seahawks beat the Patriots 13-10 securing the win with a red zone interception with less than a minute less in dramatic fashion. The Seahawks raised their Superbowl banner before the game, and went out and got the win in the Super Bowl rematch, starting the season 1-0.
Tonight, the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers will face off in Melbourne Australia in the first Thursday Night Football game of the year. When there’s Thursday Night Football, that means there’s FanDuel Showdown to be played.
FanDuel TNF Showdown gives players a $60,000 salary to choose six fantasy players total, including one MVP whose points and salary are multiplied by 1.5x. Here, we will dive into the best plays for tonight’s Thursday night matchup.
Matthew Stafford MVP 1.5X ($17,100)
The reigning NFL MVP, gets the MVP start for tonight. Stafford is coming off a career year with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns, and there’s no indication he will be slowing down. The Rams will look to attack the 49ers defense through the air with multiple elite receivers at his disposal, this makes Stafford a must-play and a strong MVP at a discounted rate as he looks to pick apart a questionable 49ers secondary.
Puka Nacua AnyFLEX ($12,400)
Puka finished as the number one receiver in fantasy last year, and number two player overall with his monster year in 2025. He averaged 23.44 Fantasy Points per game in PPR leagues during the 2025 season. Nacua had been a question mark for the past few weeks, with a possible suspension looming over his head, but he will be suited up for Thursday night, looking to take advantage of a depleted 49ers secondary as a serious deep ball threat.
Christian McCaffrey AnyFLEX ($13,000)
CMC will be the primary workhorse tonight for the 49ers as they look to break down the Rams defense. McCaffrey is primed for a big workload tonight and will be involved in both the run and pass game, and will be primed for big carries in the red zone as he looks to start the year off strong. McCaffrey was dealing with an undisclosed injury leading up to the week, but was not listed on the injury report, confirming he is back and ready at 100 percent for tonight's matchup.
De’Zhaun Stribling AnyFLEX ($7,200)
Rookie Wide Receiver De’Zhaun Stribling is primed for a breakout season and there’s no better time to start than in Week 1. Stribling’s price tag here is at a discount. Following a successful preseason, Stribling is looking down a larger role this season with the Niners with the injury to Ricky Pearsall, and could easily pick up some big yards tonight as the Rams will be focused on containing Deebo Samuels and Mike Evans.
Colby Parkinson AnyFLEX ($5,800)
Rams Tight End Colby Parkinson will remain as the number one tight end on the depth chart, and that should stay that way. The Rams run more multiple tight end sets than any team in the league, and will continue this strategy coming into this season. Parkinson racked up eight touchdowns last year and continues to be a reliable target for Stafford over the middle of the field, and in the redzone having success against the 49ers in 2025.
Jake Tonges AnyFlex ($4,400)
Lastly, Jake Tonges as a high upside pick. Tonges comes into tonight’s matchup as the back-up Tight End behind George Kittle. That said, Kittle is starting tonight having recovered from his ruptured Achilles injury. Kittle will most likely be limited throughout the game, giving Tonges an opportunity to make some noise in the red zone.
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Samuel Jacovitz has a diverse background in the sports media landscape having worked with Mandalay Sports Media, NBC Sports, and the NBA. A born and raised New Yorker and Syracuse University Graduate, Sam focuses on research and analysis when it comes to his fantasy sports content.
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