Giants vs. 49ers Picks, Lineup Tips for Daily Fantasy DraftKings for TNF

Believe it or not, we're already entering Week 3 of the 2023 NFL season. Thursday Night Football got off to its official start last week with a thrilling game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings. This week, the New York Giants will visit the San Francisco 49ers to begin the slate.

Fantasy enthusiasts looking to start their week off right—or perhaps just make what appears to be a one-sided matchup interesting—may invest heavily into the game for daily fantasy sports (DFS).

Below, you'll find some general tips for the Giants-49ers contest, along with the latest DFS values and a couple of our favorite plays.

Get the latest DFS values at DraftKings.

General DFS Tips for TNF

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Giants QB Daniel Jones

The first tip we have here is to remember that this game is coming on a short week, which will impact injured players. Star Giants running back Saquon Barkley (ankle) happens to be one of those players.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Barkley is officially out. This will force New York to adjust offensively on a short week against one of the most complete teams in the NFL.

The timing of the game, a tough environment and an even tougher San Francisco defense make it hard to truly trust any Giants in this one. Daniel Jones ($6K) might be enticing after he threw for 321 yards, rushed for 59 yards and had passing and rushing touchdowns in Week 2.

However, Jones isn't likely to find similar success this week, especially without Barkley. The 49ers defense is much better than that of the Arizona Cardinals.

This is precisely why the 49ers D/ST ($4K) is the one to pick for TNF-only games. It's also a very strong option for week-long DFS games.

New York allowed seven sacks and had three turnovers—plus a blocked field goal that went for a touchdown—against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1. The Giants could experience similar stumbles against San Francisco.

Trust Christian McCaffrey

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49ers RB Christian McCaffrey

At $9,100, 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey is one of the priciest options at any position this week, and he carries the highest price point of any player on Thursday.

It's not hard to see why, however. Through two weeks, McCaffrey has racked up 268 rushing yards, six receptions, 36 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He's the centerpiece of the 49ers offense, and that isn't going to change.

The only concern here is that San Francisco will get ahead early enough to rest McCaffrey and give Elijah Mitchell more run.

"There's gonna be games, too, where Mitchell gets four or five carries in a row on multiple drives because he's playing well, and he's feeling it, and I'll be out," McCaffrey told NBC Sports Bay Area. "It's really such a situational thing."

However, McCaffrey has an extremely high floor against a Giants defense that has struggled on the ground. According to FantasyPros, New York has surrendered the 11th-most fantasy points to opposing running backs.

Expect 100-plus scrimmage yards, a few catches and a touchdown from San Francisco's biggest star this week.

Target a McCaffrey-Mitchell Stack

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49ers RB Elijah Mitchell

While McCaffrey has a high floor, don't be surprised if Mitchell does see a significant amount of playing time in what may be a blowout victory. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan admitted that he didn't play McCaffrey's counterpart enough in Week 2.

"Yeah, we definitely got to get Elijah in there more and do better with our rotation than we did yesterday," Shanahan said, per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. "That wasn't the plan going in. It just ended up that way. I got to make sure that doesn't happen."

Maybe the Giants ride the momentum of last Sunday's comeback win over Arizona and keep this game close. If that's the case, McCaffrey should see a significant workload. If San Francisco is up by two or three scores at intermission, it could be a big second half for Mitchell.

At a price of $4,600, Mitchell provides a lot of value at a relatively low risk, and this is a great opportunity to stack both of San Francisco's top backs and be rewarded.

The 49ers rank just 17th in yards per carry allowed, but it's hard to trust Giants RBs not named Barkley. Rostering both McCaffrey and Mitchell at RB will allow managers to put a third receiver like Isaiah Hodgins ($4.8K) in the flex or double up on tight ends George Kittle ($5K) and Darren Waller ($5.6K).

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