Week 12 Monday DFS Lineups: Getting Creative to Include Christian McCaffrey, Tetairoa McMillan and George Kittle

After going over the top fantasy football options for the Monday night game between the Panthers and 49ers, let's now put DFS lineups together for the contest.

The first lineup from DraftKings has a $50,000 salary and six roster spots - a captain and five flex spots. The second lineup is a single stat contest, where I am trying to choose three players with the highest total yards in this game.

Let's dive in!

Check out player prop bets, prop bet rankings and public betting splits on FantasySP all season! 

Six-Player Lineup

Captain - Matt Gay ($7,500)

There's some really good fantasy options from this game, but they also are pricey, so I decided to save some money here to splurge elsewhere.

Gay is the Niners' kicker tonight with Eddy Pineiro out with an injury. Gay averaged 7.4 fantasy points in his time with the Commanders earlier this season.

I think San Fran wins this game, giving Gay a chance to score several points. I see him in double figures easily after factoring in the 1.5 times captain multiplier. Let's see if my strategy pays off.

Flex - Christian McCaffrey ($12,400)

I have CMC as the top fantasy player in tonight's game, so I was getting him in my lineup one way or another. He was too pricey for the captain spot, so he gets my top flex spot.

He's averaging 26.4 fantasy points per game so far, and scored 35.1 last week. I hope he has a nice game, but nothing too crazy, as those who chose him as their captain would be in great shape then.

CMC has a pretty favorable matchup too, so he should be in store for a big fantasy outing.

Flex - Tetairoa McMillan ($9,400)

McMillan has a chance to lead the Panthers' offense in fantasy points tonight. Rico Dowdle is another choice, but I like McMillan's matchup more, and the game flow could favor Carolina passing over running, so he gets the nod over Dowdle.

McMillan is averaging 14.4 fantasy points per game this season, and is coming off a 36-point showing. Let's hope he has another big game in him in what's a pretty nice matchup.

We'll see if the rookie can keep things rolling.

Flex - George Kittle ($8,600)

I have Kittle as the top Niners' pass catcher tonight - if he scores a couple times, he could be the top fantasy player overall.

He's averaging 13.6 fantasy points per game, but has scored 24.7 and 23.4 over the past two weeks. That made it tempting to take him as my captain.

Kittle's matchup is pretty average, but the way he's going, no matchup was going to stop me from using him.

Flex - Jauan Jennings ($7,000)

Jennings is the top San Fran wideout in my eyes, as Ricky Pearsall works his way back into the mix.

Jennings is averaging 9.9 fantasy points per game so far. He scored 9.4 last week, but had 18.1 and 14.1 in the two weeks before that.

The matchup against the Panthers is tough on paper, but I'm trusting him to get the job done and be the No. 1/2 pass catcher alongside Kittle.

Flex - Jalen Coker ($4,000)

I didn't have a ton of salary left, and left $1,100 on the table while taking Coker.

He's averaging only five fantasy points per game, but scored 11.2 last week. I'm hoping for another showing like that this week, and debated him as my captain as well.

I chose a more stable fantasy floor with Gay over the volatility of Coker. In a good matchup, I hope Coker doesn't make me regret my decision. 

Final Thoughts

I am also skeptical of not taking an offensive player as my captain, but overall, I really like this DFS lineup.

I'm expecting Gay to score double-digit fantasy points, and hopefully outscore Coker without the multiplier factored in. If both are in double figures, I should be in good shape.

CMC, McMillan and Kittle are the big dogs with this lineup, and I need all of them to perform up to their averages or better. If you can find a way to get them into your captain spots, then kudos to you, because it's just too risky in my eyes.

If Jennings can also tack on a handful of fantasy points, I like my chances with this lineup!

Total Yards Contest

I don't have a salary with this lineup, so it's truly about who has the most total yards, so we are looking at running backs, wide receivers and tight ends.

I decided to go with the trio of McCaffrey, McMillan and Kittle, so all players who were in my other lineup.

CMC averages the most total yards (130.8) of any player in this contest, and it's not remotely close. His matchup is slightly above-average, and on volume alone, he usually racks up the yards, so I think he will easily be in the top three in total yards tonight.

McMillan is averaging 68 yards a game, while Kittle is at just 41, which ranks them third and eighth, respectively, among any options from this game.

McMillan I like over Dowdle because of the matchup and likely game flow. I have Kittle as the top Niners' pass catcher, so he makes the most sense to grab after CMC.

I feel pretty safe about McMillan being a top-three finisher in total yards tonight, but Kittle is a bigger question mark. Dowdle, Pearsall, Jennings, Coker and Xavier Legette are also guys I think could finish in the top three.

A big play or two could throw Chuba Hubbard, Kendrick Bourne, Brian Robinson, Demarcus Robinson or Ja'Tavion Sanders into the mix, so there's a ton of viable options for this contest.