While traditional fantasy football formats have dominated the landscape, managers can find numerous ways to play the game they love. Underdog Pick’em contests allow managers to put their player projection skills to the test by predicting player stat lines.
Here are the top Underdog Pick’em plays for Sunday Night Football between the Los Angeles Chargers and San Francisco 49ers.
Top Underdog Pick’ems for Sunday Night Football
Underdog Pick’ems allow fantasy managers to predict stat lines and fantasy point totals for almost all fantasy-relevant players. Here, the more selections you add to your entry, the higher the payout.
The levels are two players for 3x, three for 6x, four for 10x, and finally, five for 20x, progressing with each additional pick’em you add to your entry.
With Underdog Fantasy, it’s a brand new season every week, no matter how your other leagues are going at the moment. Sign up today and get a 100% deposit bonus of up to $100. As for my recommendations, below are my top Underdog Pick’ems for Sunday Night Football in Week 10.
Christian McCaffrey Higher Than 82.5 Rushing Yards
For years we dreamed and wondered what it would be like for Christian McCaffrey to be in an elite offense, and now we get to see what that looks like. So far, it’s lived up to all expectations.
MORE: Saturday’s WR Injury Report Week 10
In his first full game of action with the 49ers, McCaffrey touched the ball 26 times for 149 yards and three touchdowns. He became the first player since LaDainian Tomlinson to score a touchdown by throwing, rushing, and receiving in a single game.
Underdog has a full slate of projections for McCaffrey, and quite frankly, the higher is in play for every single one of them, as this could be a monster performance. The Chargers are 31st in EPA per rush, 29th in DVOA, 20th in explosive rate, and 29th in rushing yards per game.
Brandon Aiyuk Higher Than 55.5 Receiving Yards
Deebo Samuel looks good to go after dealing with a hamstring injury all week, but I’m still going to be taking a look at Brandon Aiyuk, who has been hot as of late. Aiyuk has hauled in 21 passes over the last three weeks while averaging 82 yards per game thanks to a 22% target share and 27% air yard share.
Although the Chargers have allowed the fourth fewest passing yards per game, I don’t think they’re as brutal as they appear on defense. For one, teams could run the ball successfully against L.A., so opponents elect to do so more often. With the Chargers selling out to stop Kittle, McCaffrey, and Samuel, watch for Aiyuk to record a deep shot or find success in the open field after the catch.
Justin Herbert Higher Than 37.5 Attempts
2022 hasn’t quite been the year Justin Herbert would’ve liked, but it has been positive nonetheless in fantasy, as the third-year QB sits as the QB11 thus far. However, due to his and his fellow teammates’ injuries, Herbert is finding success through volume rather than efficiency.
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Herbert is 18th in EPA + CPOE, 22nd in success rate, and 13th in completion percentage but sits third in passing attempts, fifth in yards, and ninth in touchdowns. I don’t expect the efficiency to be excellent, but in a game where L.A. is likely to be trailing, the team’s best chance is with the ball in Herbert’s hands.
Austin Ekeler Higher Than 5.5 Receptions
One reason I didn’t look toward Herbert more is that both Mike Williams and Keenan Allen will be absent again in week 10. That means players like Josh Palmer, DeAndre Carter, and Ekeler will be heavily involved in the game plan.
Palmer and Carter have horrible matchups; of the three, Ekeler will present the easiest target and completion for Herbert. The QB has been using him extensively as well. Over the last three games, Ekeler has 29 receptions on 37 targets for 167 yards and two scores. San Francisco is an abysmal matchup for any running back, but like Herbert, we’re banking on the volume and negative game script.
Austin Ekeler Higher Than 0.5 Rushing and Receiving Touchdowns
Although the Chargers are rather substantial underdogs, if anyone is going to score a touchdown for them, it will be Austin Ekeler. He has now scored in five straight games and has accounted for roughly 60 percent of the rushing volume and 17% of the receiving yards.
He had 71 yards and two touchdowns last week, which gave him his 10th career game with both a rushing and receiving touchdown, tying him with Alvin Kamara and Christian McCaffrey for the most ever by a player in their first six seasons.
MORE: Week 10 Fantasy Football Rest-of-Season Rankings
Ekeler has 10 touchdowns in his six primetime games and looks to make it his third in a row on Sunday night with multiple scores. I’ll be taking the higher on his 0.5 rushing or receiving touchdowns as one of my Underdog Pick’ems for Sunday Night Football.
