The first game of the NFL season is not on Thursday night. It’s on Wednesday. However, we still have Thursday night football! The 49ers and Rams face off in Australia for a divisional showdown on September 10th at 8:35 PM Eastern. The 49ers have been out in Australia for over a week now, while the Rams just arrived. Let’s take a look at my best bets for the 49ers vs. Rams NFL Week 1 game in Australia!
NFL Week 1 In Australia – 49ers vs. Rams Best Bets
49ers Moneyline (+172)
I’m going to start off my best bets for the 49ers Rams game in Australia with the 49ers moneyline. I already gave my reasoning above, but let’s dive in more. This is a really long flight from California. It takes 14 to 16 hours. I’m sure the players are flying comfortably enough, and I know they are used to travel. However, that long of a flight is bound to cause a little jet lag, especially in the first week of the season.
The 49ers arrived in Australia last week. Their jet lag is gone. They’ve adjusted to the time change, the food, the weather, and everything Australia has to offer. They have already seen the sights and been able to be tourists. The Rams will arrive roughly 24 hours before the game kicks off. This will leave very little time to shake off the jet lag. It’s not enough time to adjust to the time difference.
I know the Rams are a really good team with plenty of veterans who can help weather this storm. However, I still think the 49ers are in a better position to win this game. This is the time to take the 49ers, when they’re still fully healthy. At +172, I’m all over this one.
Puka Nacua To Record 1+ Receptions In Each Quater (-105)
The next pick in my best bets for the 49ers-Rams game in the land down under focuses on the Rams’ best offensive weapon, Puka Nacua. You can get Puka Nacua to record 1+ receptions in each quarter at -105. I also like him to have 5+ receiving yards in each quarter at +135.
Nacua was targeted 166 times last year. That was good enough to be 28% of the target share. It’s no secret that Stafford likes throwing to him. On top of that, it seems that no matter what the defenses do, they can’t seem to stop him. He still gets catches and yards.
Last year, Nacua had a total of 15 catches on 18 targets against the 49ers. He had 149 receiving yards in the two games and a touchdown in each. He’s used to playing against this team, and Stafford knows how to find him. Taking him to have just one catch per quarter relies a little bit on the tempo of the game, but the price is close enough to even money that I’m taking it.
Christian McCaffrey Over 38.5 Receiving Yards (-114)
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple of years, you’ll probably agree with this next pick on my best bets list for the 49ers-Rams game. I’m taking Christian McCaffrey over 38.5 receiving yards at -114.
McCaffrey is one of the best receiving backs in the league. Last year, he had 102 receptions on 129 targets for a total of 924 yards. That’s an average of 9.1 yards per reception. Meaning four to five catches at that average would get the job done in this game. His over/under for receptions is 4.5, which is also a solid over.
Last year in the first game against the Rams, he had eight catches and 82 yards. The second game against the Rams saw him get eight catches again, this time for 66 yards. 38.5 receiving yards may sound like a lot for a running back. However, when that running back is Christian McCaffrey, it feels more like a cakewalk.
Blake Corum Over 10.5 Rushes (-118)
You could also play this next pick on my best bets for the 49ers-Rams game as Kyren Williams under 14.5 rushes at -148. However, I like taking Blake Corum to exceed 10.5 rushes at -118. Corum started getting more and more involved as the year went on last year.
In fact, after the bye week, Corum had six games out of 10 where he had over 10.5 carries. One of those was against the 49ers, when he ran the ball 13 times for 56 yards. He closed the season with over 10.5 carries in four of the last five.
It’s still Week 1. Kyren Williams is fresh. However, Corum did enough last year to earn more and more playing time. The Rams will take the same approach, and I see this backfield being more of a split.
Davante Adams Anytime Touchdown (+110)
The last pick for my 49ers-Rams best bets in the NFL Week 1 Australia game is Davante Adams to score a touchdown. He’s sitting at +110 to get in the end zone. Anytime I can get Adams plus money to score a touchdown, I feel obligated to take it.
Last year, led the Rams in red zone targets and touchdowns. He had 14 receiving touchdowns in 14 games played. The way I do my math, that works out to be one touchdown per game. He didn’t score a touchdown in the first game against the 49ers. However, he did score one in the second game.
In both games, he was targeted often, finishing with 11 total catches, 165 receiving yards, and a touchdown. He averaged a little over 15 yards per play. That big-play ability and his veteran presence will lead to Stafford throwing his way in Australia.
