Week 12 of the 2025 NFL season wraps up tonight with a showdown featuring the Carolina Panthers visiting the San Francisco 49ers. San Francisco enters as a 7.5-point home favorite, with an over/under of 49.5. With the Buccaneers getting blown out by the Rams on Sunday, the Panthers could jump into first place in the NFC South with a win tonight. Meanwhile, the Niners are currently clinging on to the final NFC Wild Card spot and they would stay afloat in the playoff hunt with a victory here.
Below, we will take a look at the best DFS plays for this Monday night showdown.
Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers (FLEX $13,600, CPT $20,400)
McCaffrey is coming off yet another impact performance against the Cardinals last week, where he accounted for 81 yards rushing, 40 yards receiving, and three touchdowns total in the 41-22 road victory for the 49ers. It marked the third time this season where he has recorded both a rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game and DFS managers were certainly pleased with his performance as he racked up 32.6 fantasy points.
The multi-time All-Pro has kept the injury-battered San Fran offense afloat throughout the year and it’s a bit surprising that he’s currently considered a longshot in MVP odds. Not only is he among the league’s elite ball-carriers, but he’s also among the league’s elite pass-catchers with 74 receptions for 732 yards, and five touchdowns on the year. You’re going to get your money’s worth with C-Mac as your captain and he should be heavily considered for the spot this evening.
Rico Dowdle, RB, Carolina Panthers (FLEX $11,800, CPT $17,700)
Tonight is a big opportunity for the Panthers and could provide an outlet for Dowdle to shine in front of a national audience. The veteran back totaled 100 yards from scrimmage in their 30-27 overtime victory over the Saints last Sunday and while that wasn’t a super explosive day for him, it was notably his third straight game with over 20 touches on offense.
That uptick in Dowdle’s production is reflected by the fact that he has firmly supplanted Chuba Hubbard as RB1 with the snap percentage widening between the two backs with each passing week. I fully expect him to get plenty of work in this important showdown and think he’s definitely worthy of a captain nod.
George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers (FLEX $9,800, CPT $14,700)
Kittle has returned to form since returning from his hamstring injury last month and dominated the Cardinals by pulling down two touchdowns in their blowout victory last Sunday. The multi-time All-Pro has been especially locked in over the last two weeks, combining for 15 receptions, 151 receiving yards, and three TD’s in their mid-season tilts against the Rams and Cards.
Tonight, he’s going up against a Panthers defense that has been a bit vulnerable against opposing tight ends with Kittle’s contemporaries averaging 12.1 fantasy points in DFS in these matchups. If you want a captain with some value in order to really flesh out the rest of your lineup, then the Niners’ TE is your guy.
Brian Robinson Jr., RB, San Francisco 49ers (FLEX $5,400, CPT $8,100)
Robinson registered just eight carries for 24 yards against the Cards last week, which was actually his highest percentage of offensive snaps for the season. The fourth-year veteran scored a touchdown in each of the two weeks prior and has emerged as a proper backup for McCaffrey, ranking towards the top of both rushing EPA and success rate stats among running backs with at least 50 carries this season.
Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE, Carolina Panthers (FLEX $5,000, CPT $7,500)
Sanders is quietly becoming more of a consistent presence in the Panthers’ passing game as he has caught all nine of his targets for 54 yards over the last two weeks. Like Carolina, San Francisco has also been vulnerable against opposing tight ends and have yielded seven touchdowns to the position this season. There’s a chance that we could see the second-year Texas product get his first touchdown of the season tonight.
Kendrick Bourne, WR, Dallas Cowboys (FLEX $4,600, CPT $6,900)
Bourne has cooled off since his back-to-back 142-yard performances in early October, but he’ll still pop in with a few important grabs for the Niners’ offense each week. It would not be a surprise to see a surprise explosive game out of him in a big spot like tonight’s game, so I think he’d be worth a flier in your lineup as a low-cost, high-upside option.
