RADIO
There may have been some doubts about whether the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers were going to play Thursday night but it looks like the game is going ahead, which means more chances to play props and win with Monkey Knife Fight.
As always, the Covid-19 risk looms over player availability and it has hit the already decimated 49ers hard. Coming into Week 9, San Francisco was already going to be missing quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and running backs Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson, and star tight end George Kittle. Sounds pretty bad, right?
Well, 49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne tested positive for Covid, which also means that Deebo Samuel (who was already hurt) and rookie Brandon Aiyuk are ruled out for this game as potential close contacts. Just for good measure, left tackle Trent Williams is out too. Receiver Dante Pettis was also claimed on waivers by the Giants this week so San Francisco is running a practice squad out there for a prime time game against Green Bay.
To make things at least a little bit equitable the Packers do have some significant injuries at running back. Starter Aaron Jones remains questionable with a calf injury that has kept him out since Week 6, then Jamaal Williams and A.J. Dillon both tested positive for Covid-19, too, leaving the Packers with their fourth-and-fifth-string running backs, Tyler Ervin and Dexter Williams, respectively.
It’s not exactly the star power that you might have expected from a Packers-49ers game.
Here are some angles to consider for Thursday’s NFL game on Monkey Knife Fight:
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GREEN BAY-SAN FRANCISCO
MORE OR LESS
Aaron Rodgers LESS THAN 285.5 PASSING YARDS
The veteran Green Bay quarterback has thrown for 286 or more yards in three of seven games so far this season, with a couple more games at 283 yards. He faces a 49ers team that is battered by injuries but they still have a reasonably healthy defense and the Niners have allowed 209 passing yards per game with 6.1 net passing yards per attempt. That strong defense could make it more challenging for Rodgers to put up a huge yardage total.
Nick Mullens MORE THAN 215.5 PASSING YARDS
In three games this season in which he has thrown at least 25 passes, Mullens has produced 781 passing yards. This week is a challenging one, though, as the Niners have so many injuries, especially among their skill positions, that it’s not going to be easy for Mullens to move the ball. At the same time, this is a low number for a team that will likely be trailing and need to throw the ball to stay competitive.
Davante Adams MORE THAN 89.5 RECEIVING YARDS
Gree Bay’s star wideout has had double-digit targets in four of five games this season. The only game that he didn’t was in Week 2 against Detroit when he got hurt, so we know that Adams will be a significant part of the Green Bay attack. When the Packers are also decimated at running back, the volume could push Adams to big production.
Trent Taylor LESS THAN 50.5 RECEIVING YARDS
There have been just two occasions in his career that Taylor has recorded more than 50 yards receiving in a game – once in 2017 and once in 2018. He’s virtually the last man standing among veteran receivers in San Francisco but that’s no guarantee that he’s going to be the go-to receiver for this game against the Packers.
Robert Tonyan MORE THAN 9.5 FANTASY POINTS
In six starts this season, the Packers tight end has averaged 3.8 receptions and 51.5 receiving yards per game, which doesn’t quite get to 9.5 fantasy points, even in Monkey Knife Fight’s PPR format. However, Tonyan has also scored five touchdowns in six games. If you think he’s due to find the end zone again, after not scoring in the past three games, then it’s easy to see him scoring 10 or more fantasy points.
RAPID FIRE
Aaron Rodgers -8.5 fantasy points vs. JaMycal Hasty
Even if Rodgers doesn’t have to throw a ton against the 49ers, he is likely to have a productive game and an average Rodgers performance this season has been 278.3 passing yards and 2.9 touchdowns per game. Hasty had a career-high 12 carries last week and rushed for 29 yards and one touchdown. Take the future Hall of Famer in this one.
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