The Baltimore Ravens managed to cruise past the Jags in Florida in Week 15. It was one of those games that looked close on the field, but the scoreboard told a different story. It came at a cost though; this week they travel to the West Coast without Keaton Mitchell who tore his ACL. A trip to Levis Stadium is a tall task at the best of times, but losing someone who was averaging 8.4 yards per run. The 49ers had injury scares for Purdy and McCaffrey last week so how they approach this game will be interesting. They haven’t sealed the NFC title, but nobody looks close to performing at their level. And since it seems highly likely these teams will meet in the Super Bowl in 7 weeks this might be a cagey affair. All of this makes finding the DraftKings DFS bargains “interesting”.
DraftKings DFS Bargains – Monday Night Football
The “You Weren’t Expecting That, Were You?” DraftKings DFS Pick – Charlie Kolar
Ok, so he’s only caught two passes all season, but they have both come in the last four games, and he’s averaging 14 yards per catch. Without Mark Andrews, the Ravens need someone to fill Isaiah Likely’s backup role.
Kolar could be the cheapest player on this DraftKings DFS slate. And the 49ers are allowing an average of 11.4 DraftKings DFS points per game to the tight end position.
The Change Of Pace The Ravens Now Really Need Pick – Justice Hill
With no Keaton Mitchell for the rest of the season, the Ravens signed Melvin Gordon II from their practice squad. But he hasn’t played a game since Week 4, so he may not feature much against this 49ers defense. With J.K Dobbins on IR too Hill and Gus Edwards are the only two Ravens regular running backs available. And since it accounts for 36% of the Ravens carries this season (and Lamar Jackson accounts for 29%) Hill is the bargain option here.
He’s scored 3 rushing touchdowns this season and he’s averaging 5 yards per reception. And he’s seen a career-high 21 targets. He’s caught 81% of his targets in 2023. If the Ravens want to negate the 49ers pass rush, then a pass-catching running back could come in really handy.
The Mysteriously Underused Receiving Threat Pick – Rashod Bateman
The Ravens offense is obviously working because they have won 11 games and led the AFC. But it always appears that they could be doing more. And with no Mark Andrews finding the gaps in zone coverages and sitting down in them the passing offense seems a bit clunky. The odd thing about this is that Rashod Bateman is finding more separation than any other receiver in the league!
On the early DraftKings DFS games Bateman is cheaper than Malik Cunningham. Cunningham only arrived in Baltimore last week and while he can play quarterback it seems unlikely he’ll line up there while Lamar Jackson is healthy. Bateman should be the seventh most expensive receiver in this game.
In the only three games the 9ers have lost this season wide receivers racked up 100 receiving yards or more. Ja’Marr Chase had 100 exactly. Jordan Addison 123 and Amari Cooper 108. And none of them are even close to Bateman’s separation grade.
The Ravens will have to be more aggressive with their play-calling. And Lamar will have to look for his receivers instead of taking off and running. But Bateman could be poised for a big game in Santa Clara. Only 10 teams have conceded more DraftKings DFS points to wide receivers than the 49ers have.
The Christian McCaffrey Replacement DraftKings DFS Pick – Jordan Mason
Mason might get some extra time if the 49ers take a sizeable lead or if they want to rest CMC a bit more headed into January. But even if that doesn’t happen, he could still get enough time to score decent points. He’s already vultured 3 rushing touchdowns from CMC this season. And he’s averaging 5.5 yards per touch.
The Ravens are allowing 4.2 yards per rush attempt this season. Oddly, like the 49ers, the Ravens also lost to the Browns this season. But they had a different problem with Cleveland, Jerome Ford ran for 107 yards. Zack Moss went for 122 yards on the ground when they lost to the Colts too. McCaffrey could do some damage early against this Ravens run defense and Mason could take over for the last quarter or so.
He’ll be the third most expensive on this DraftKings DFS slate, but he is definitely healthy, so he’s got that going for him.
The Low Key Consistent Pass Catcher Pick – Jauan Jennings
Jennings has only caught 19 passes this season, but he’s averaging 13.9 yards per touch. In his last 6 games, he’s caught 7 of 12 targets. He’s racked up 84 yards. He also caught a touchdown.
Jennings is currently in concussion protocol but with 2 receivers on IR and 2 tight ends dealing with injuries, the 49ers will be hoping he recovers. If he does play, he should be the fifth most expensive receiver on this DraftKings DFS slate.
The Emergency Bargain DraftKings DFS Pick – Willie Snead
If Jennings can’t go, then Snead will be the bargain of all bargains. He’s bounced between the active roster and practice squad all season. But he caught a touchdown pass last week. Granted it was from Sam Darnold and it only went for 6 yards. But it was still a touchdown. How the 49ers have used a deep threat like Snead seems odd, but maybe they’ve got a surprise in store for the playoffs. Brock Purdy throwing 50-yard bombs, maybe?
Main Photo: Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union-USA TODAY NETWORK
