Underdog Fantasy NFL Picks Week 3: Deebo Samuel Is A TNF Top Pick for San Francisco 49ers vs Giants

NFL Week 3 kicks off tonight with the New York Giants vs San Francisco 49ers matchups on Thursday Night Football. There are a couple of key injuries to monitor ahead of this game as Giants RB Saquon Barkley and 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk both come in questionable on the Week 3 injury report. Let's now break down some NFL Underdog Fantasy picks for this Giants vs 49ers TNF showdown. Our top NFL picks today feature 49ers WR Deebo Samuel and Giants LB Bobby Okereke. Enjoy these NFL Underdog top plays and Thursday Night Football picks as you watch tonight's game. If you're making more NFL picks tonight or setting NFL DFS lineups, check out our NFL daily projections. Now, let's dive into the top NFL Week 3 picks on Underdog Fantasy for Thursday night's Giants vs 49ers matchup.
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NFL Underdog Fantasy Top Picks
Week 3 Thursday Night Football Giants vs 49ers Picks
Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers – HIGHER than 72.5 Rushing + Receiving Yards
One of the big pre-game storylines to keep an eye on tonight is the status of Brandon Aiyuk, who is a game-time decision with a shoulder injury. If he’s out, then it obviously boosts up the rest of the 49ers’ pass-catchers. Even if plays, though, Deebo Samuel will still be a key part of the offensive game plan. Samuel’s 16 targets lead the team through two games, barely edging out Aiyuk’s 14. The only other San Francisco players to see targets this year are George Kittle (9), Christian McCaffrey (8), and Jauan Jennings (4).
Samuel has 55 and 63 receiving yards in the first two games, but we also have to factor in his rushing. The dual-threat wideout also ran for 38 yards on five carries last week for 100+ total yards in the win. He only had two carries for eight yards in Week 1, but he really wasn’t needed in the running game with the 49ers leading big early. In this matchup against the Giants, expect Samuel to be involved as both a receiver and rusher. The Niners could look to lessen the workload of CMC after he carried it 22 and 20 times in the first two games. With it being a short week, don’t be surprised if Samuel gets more touches out of the backfield. If Aiyuk is ruled out, Samuel’s target share can increase even more.
Bobby Okereke, New York Giants – HIGHER Than 8.0 Tackles + Assists
If this game plays out as Vegas suggests and the general public expects, the San Francisco 49ers will likely be leading for most of the night as double-digit favorites. That means plenty of carries for Christian McCaffrey and others while the Niners lean on the run with a lead. That also means plenty of opportunities to rack up tackles for New York Giants inside linebacker Bobby Okereke. In a similar situation in Week 1, the Steelers’ inside backer trio of Kwon Alexander, Elandon Roberts, and Alex Highsmith combined for 23 total tackles with 7+ for all three as San Fran ran it 34 times. In Week 2 with the 49ers leading in the second half, Rams ILB Ernest Jones had 10 total tackles as the Niners had 28 rush attempts.
Meanwhile, Okereke is the main tackler in the middle of the Giants defense. He was signed in the offseason to do just that after totaling 151 tackles last year (8.9 per game) and 132 two years ago with the Colts. The veteran had eight total tackles last week while playing every defensive snap for New York. It was second on the team behind Jason Pinnock’s 13, but the free safety may need to play back more to account for the 49ers’ receiving weapons. When San Fran runs the ball, though, Okereke will be there more often than not to be involved in either solo or assisted tackles.
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