FanDuel NFL DFS Picks for 49ers vs. Rams Single-Game Slate: Is Terrance Ferguson The Key At The MVP Slot?

We're officially through the first kickoff of the 2026 season and the first single-game slate as we now move on to the best FanDuel NFL DFS picks for 49ers vs. Rams in Australia on Thursday Night Football.

After an offseason littered with injury news, the Niners actually come into Thursday night's game with a rather clean report, as Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle and Mike Evans all carry no injury designation. In such a star-studded matchup, let's dive into the FanDuel slate.

As a note for those dipping into the FanDuel single-game streets for the first time, they changed their format to match DK last season—a 1.5x multiplier for the MVP slot, with player salaries also costing 1.5x as much if you want to use them in your MVP slot. With a $60,000 salary to fill out six lineup spots, you're allocated an average of $10,000 per lineup slot, something to be mindful of when selecting your MVP and FLEX positions.

49ers vs. Rams FanDuel NFL DFS Single-Game Picks For Thursday Night Football

FanDuel MVP Picks For SF vs. LAR Single-Game Slate

Christian McCaffrey (RB, SF) - $19,500: Choosing between McCaffrey and Nacua at the MVP spot feels like splitting hairs, but I give the slight edge to McCaffrey given the half-PPR format, where Nacua makes more sense in full PPR. It doesn't matter if CMC's efficiency struggles like it did last year; the massive workload on both the ground and in the receiving game, coupled with the fact that he gets just about every high-value touch, makes him the best spend-up MVP on the slate, but my second-favorite spend-up to use given my desire to save.

Puka Nacua (WR, LAR) - $18,600: If you want to spend up at MVP and still save a few hundred dollars, Nacua feels bulletproof. He and CMC should be neck-and-neck in projected ownership on this slate, and while the half-PPR scoring on FanDuel has me slightly leaning towards McCaffrey, the 100-yard bonus on FD only elevates Nacua's receiving ceiling. Despite the massive floor/ceiling combination, Nacua is my fourth-favorite overall MVP on the slate given my desire to save and take advantage of the top-heavy salaries throughout my FLEX spots.

Brock Purdy (QB, SF) - $15,900: Purdy is my preferred MVP on FanDuel if choosing to spend up, as the $3,000+ savings goes a long way on this slate and it's easier to justify in half-PPR. Despite working with a depleted group of pass catchers and through his own injuries last season, Purdy posted five QB1 finishes in his nine games, four of which were top-six QB finishes or better, averaging 23.2 fantasy points overall. If he can sniff this production for a fraction of the price, he'll wind up being the best spend-up MVP on the slate.

Terrance Ferguson (TE, LAR) - $3,900: Alright, let's get weird. With so many high-end salaries to jam into lineups tonight, Ferguson will be my MVP pick in at least one, likely two of my lineups. Every report out of camp this offseason points to a high likelihood that we see Ferguson as the No. 3 pass catcher for this Rams team, with the expectation that he moves all over the formation. At $3,900, he unlocks the ability to jam in multiple of the high-end weapons and only needs a couple of catches to return value. If he finds the end zone or pops from a volume standpoint, he might be what you need to take down a tournament.

FLEX Picks For SF vs. LAR Single-Game Slate On FanDuel

Note: While I am not writing up the aforementioned four players in the FLEX writeups below, they are all priorities in my three-max builds in the FLEX spots in lineups where they are not the MVP. Ferguson, specifically, is a lock across three lineups for me (whether in MVP or FLEX), as the flexibility unlocks a lot more on a top-heavy slate.

Matthew Stafford (QB, LAR) - $11,400: Despite Stafford winning the 2025 MVP award, he won't crack my MVP pool given how he's priced higher than Purdy and not significantly lower than McCaffrey and Nacua. He ran just about as hot as a quarterback could run in 2025 with a 7.7% touchdown rate, so regression could hit him like a truck. I'm not saying we'll see that in Week 1, and I think he's a stellar FLEX play, but of the four spend-ups we have now touched on, he's a distant fourth in terms of how I'm prioritizing him on this slate.

Davante Adams (WR, LAR) - $9,000: On a half-PPR site like FanDuel, touchdowns carry more weight, and nobody benefited from Stafford's insane TD rate as much as Adams last season. He's clearly no spring chicken anymore, as his ability to win downfield is virtually gone, but he's nearly untouchable on his signature end-zone fades. He posted a robust 57% end-zone target share in the regular season last year with a 31% target share on third and fourth downs. The high-value looks are going his way, and he has multi-TD upside. He's a strong FLEX play that I will look to get in 1/3 lineups.

George Kittle (TE, SF) - $8,200: After the widely held belief that Kittle—who's looked spry and healthy for a while—would sit out Week 1 and play Week 2, he enters Thursday Night Football with no injury designation. While it remains to be seen if he'll look like his usual self, it's impossible to deny how valuable he is when on the field. He still earns targets at a strong clip (23% TPRR last season), posted a 22% end-zone target share and had five top-six positional finishes. He's a strong pivot off of Adams and a much stronger option than teammate Mike Evans when factoring in the discount.

Eddy Pineiro (K, SF) - $6,800, Harrison Mevis (K, LAR) - $6,400: As I said last night, kickers are often high-floor plays in single-game contests, especially in games where strong offenses are going against strong defenses. If either team scores touchdowns, there are FGAs to be had, but if the defenses come up with stops, there's more FGA upside. Both are viable here, with Mevis the likelier chalk option given the slight discount.

Others I will mix into my FLEX spots: Kyren Williams (RB, LAR, $10,200), Mike Evans (WR, SF, $9,400), Blake Corum (RB, LAR, $7,600)

Underweight/Fade positions: Deebo Samuel (WR, SF, $8,600), De'Zhaun Stribling (WR, SF, $7,200), Rams DST ($7,000), 49ers DST ($6,600)