Squirrel’s Nuts & Bolts: 49ers - Rams Showdown Strategy (Week 5 NFL DFS)

Oct 02, 2025

Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Week 5 of the NFL season kicks off with an NFC West showdown as the San Francisco 49ers visit the Los Angeles Rams in Los Angeles. Both teams enter at 3–1 and should be carrying playoff aspirations after strong starts. The 49ers, however, are as decimated by injuries as I can remember a team just four weeks into the season. While Christian McCaffrey has made it through every game, San Francisco will be without QB Brock Purdy, TE George Kittle, and WRs Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, Brandon Aiyuk, and rookie Jordan Watkins, along with defensive star Nick Bosa. The injury list is certainly impacting the line, with the Rams entering as 8.5-point home favorites, with a game total set at 44.5 points.

On the Rams’ side, the team is relatively healthy and led by the connection between QB Matthew Stafford and WR Puka Nacua. Nacua leads the NFL with 503 receiving yards – more than 100 yards clear of the next-closest player (Jaxon Smith-Njigba with 402 receiving yards) – and is averaging 10.5 receptions a game, on pace to shatter Michael Thomas’ 2019 single-season record of 149 receptions. RB Kyren Williams and WR Davante Adams round out a very concentrated Los Angeles offense.

San Francisco’s offense will look almost unrecognizable outside of McCaffrey. Mac Jones returns at quarterback in place of Purdy after starting Weeks 2 and 3, while TE Jake Tonges continues to fill in for the injured Kittle. The wide receiver room is a question mark, but Kendrick Bourne – a former teammate of Mac Jones with the Patriots – should lead the way. Demarcus Robinson and Skyy Moore also saw WR snaps for the 49ers last week, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling should see some action as well.

A note for FanDuel players, important enough to warrant inclusion in the intro section. FanDuel has a major mispricing for this game, with QB Mac Jones priced at $1,000. That’s going to lead to some major strategic differences between how we approach the FanDuel single-game contests. Let’s break down this NFC West showdown, highlight the key plays, and uncover the strategies that could help you climb the leaderboards.