Rams-49ers in Australia: McClure's Top DFS Picks — SkimNews
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- Rams vs. 49ers face off Thursday in Melbourne, marking the NFL's first regular-season game in Australia — a country the league adds to a prior international slate that included the U.K., Brazil, Germany, and Mexico.
- Aaron Donald did not make the trip to Melbourne, leaving the Rams' defense — now featuring offseason addition Myles Garrett — without its marquee lineman for the international showcase.
- Mike McClure, a SportsLine DFS expert with more than $2 million in career winnings, locked in his optimal lineup using a prediction model that simulates every snap and factors in matchups, statistical trends, and injuries.
- Brock Purdy is McClure's top quarterback pick; he missed both games vs. L.A. last season (when Mac Jones posted 300-plus passing yards and 5 total TDs in those contests), ranked second in QBR last season, and averaged 27.5 rushing yards over his final six games of 2025 — more than Lamar Jackson's 26.8 yards-per-game season average.
- Christian McCaffrey is McClure's recommended stack partner with Purdy; he has recorded at least 96 scrimmage yards in all six career games versus the Rams (averaging 147.7 total yards), and Los Angeles allowed the fourth-most receptions and fourth-most receiving yards to opposing running backs last season.
- Puka Nacua and Matthew Stafford headline the Rams' side of the DFS player pool, which the source notes contains no actual Australian players despite the Melbourne setting.
Why it matters: DFS players following McClure's $2M+-tracked model get a Purdy-McCaffrey stack call for the first NFL game in Australia — but Aaron Donald's absence in the Rams' showcase strips the defensive matchup of its biggest name, sharpening the offensive upside the picks target.
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