NFL DFS Showdown Lineup Optimizer Values: DraftKings Picks for Browns-Steelers
NFL Showdown season continues with the Browns vs. Steelers on Monday Night Football. Our expert analysts are breaking down Draftkings Showdown picks with our in-house NFL DFS lineup optimizer. Sign up for RotoGrinders Premium for full access to our NFL lineup optimizer and fantasy football projections all season long.
We have two MNF games tonight with the Browns and Steelers facing off at 8:15PM ET, while the Saints and Panthers will overlap for the final couple of hours as they kickoff at 7:15PM ET. I’m going to focus on the CLE-PIT game in this article as the showdown contests on DraftKings have much bigger prize pools compared to NOS-CAR, but make sure to check out LineupHQ for everything you need to build lineups for the Saints/Panthers game.
The Browns are looking to go 2-0 after dominating the Bengals 24-3 last week, while the Steelers were on the opposite end of that last week getting crushed by the 49ers 30-7. The Steelers will be down a top WR, as Diontae Johnson is out with a hamstring injury, while the Browns could be without Amari Cooper who is a GTD with a groin injury. This is a big opportunity for Elijah Moore and George Pickens to establish themselves as reliable top options for their QBs, while DPJ and Robinson will step in to bigger roles as well.
NFL DFS Showdown Picks: Browns vs. Steelers Week 2
Currently, this game is sitting at a 38.5 total, with the Browns favored by 2.5 points. These teams are pretty similar overall, as they have solid RB1s that share time with more than capable RB2s, have 4-5 strong WRs, and have great redzone TEs in Njoku and Freiermuth who should be relied on more with each team missing a top WR. CLE has the edge at QB in Deshaun Watson, as his rushing upside gives him a much higher floor/ceiling combo compared to Pickett, and the CLE DST also has the edge led by Myles Garrett. Overall, I’m expecting a pretty low scoring game, with a couple of big plays from the WRs and Chubb being the difference.
Quarterback
Deshaun Watson only had to throw 29 times last week as the Browns dominated the entirety of their game with CIN, and he contributed on the ground with 45 rush yards and a TD. On the road in another divisional matchup against a team desperate for a win should produce a more competitive game, so Watson will likely have a floor similar to what he did last week (21+ FP), and a ceiling that we know can be elite. As the second most expensive play, he is the first guy I’m locking in to cash games, and you should have plenty of him in your captain spots.
Kenny Pickett drew a brutal Week 1 matchup with the 49ers, and turned 46 pass attempts in to 1 TD, 2 INT, and just 11.68 FP. Now down Diontae Johnson it’s going to be a tall task for him against a Browns defense that just held Burrow and company to 3 points. As the fourth most expensive player, he isn’t a must-play for me like Watson is, but I’d still have at least some exposure to him in GPPs.
Running Back
Nick Chubb is poised for a monster year with Hunt out of the picture, and he kicked it off with a great 127 total yards on 22 touches in Week 1. The most exciting part of last week was his 4 receptions, and that was with a lead for most of the game, so if the Browns ever fall behind, we could see some insane receiving numbers for Chubb. The Steelers just allowed 188 rush yards to the 49ers, so this game is set up for Chubb to go bonkers in, and I would do everything possible to fit him in your cash game lineup and have plenty of him at the captain spot in all formats. His backup Jerome Ford is only $400, and after seeing 15 carries last week (mainly due to the blowout), I would absolutely have him on a couple GPP teams if you’re doing MME (mass multi-entry).
Najee Harris expectedly struggled against a top 49ers run defense last week, and now gets another tough matchup against a Browns defense that held Mixon to just 73 total yards Week 1. He is also in a timeshare with Jaylen Warren, as they each saw 8 touches last week, and if the Browns get a lead like the Bengals did, we’d likely see more Warren as the game goes on. Basically, I have very little interest in Harris at his $9,400 price outside of GPPs, but Jaylen Warren $3,000 salary puts him in play as a decent flex play in all formats.
Wide Receiver
If Cooper ends up out we’re going to see a lot of Elijah Moore and Donovan Peoples-Jones, while Goodwin, Bell, and Tillman should each see a couple targets here and there. At $6,600, Moore is the WR I’m most interested in tonight, as he saw 7 targets last week with Cooper active and the Browns leading all game, so if the Steelers can keep this game relatively close, I’m expecting at least 8-10 targets for Moore, making him a cash game lock for me. DPJ is more of a boom-or-bust type WR and only saw 2 targets last week, but at the low price of $5,000, I would definitely have some exposure to him in GPPs, mostly on lineups that include Watson but not Moore. The other three CLE WRs are all minimum price ($200), so if you’re doing MME, I would have each of them on at least a couple of lineups just in case one can find the endzone. If Cooper does manage to suit up I will be fading him, as his risk of re-injury and potential for just being a decoy out there is too great at an elevated salary.
George Pickens is the Steelers player I’m most interested in from this game, as he’s easy to fit in a flex spot for $8,000. He should be looking at 8+ targets with Johnson out, and assuming the Steelers’ run game struggles again, he will likely be relied on heavily tonight. Allen Robinson saw 8 targets last week and should be looking at a similar amount this week as the WR2, and at $6,200 makes for a pretty strong flex play, especially on any lineups you build without Pickens for max leverage. Calvin Austin will step into a WR3 role after a strong 6 catch Week 1, and at $4,800 he’s worth using on a few GPP teams.
Tight End
Between David Njoku and Pat Freiermuth I like having more exposure to Freiermuth tonight, as I think he’ll see more targets and comes at a $1,200 discount to Njoku. Game script is more likely to favor the Steelers’ passing game, and the strong Browns pass rush should produce a lot of quick, short throws from Pickett to security blankets like Freiermuth. Neither TE are cash game must plays for me, but both are worth some GPP exposure, with Pat being my preferred guy to use a bit more.
Defense/Special Teams
The Browns DST is worth considering for cash games at $4,600, as they held the Bengals to just 142 total yards last week, and the Steelers are an even worse offense on paper, especially without Diontae Johnson. If you’re doing MME, I would absolutely do some lineups with the Browns D in the captain spot, while the Steelers D I have no interest in outside of maybe 1 or two GPP flex spots.
It’s a similar story with the kickers, as I have very little interest in Chris Boswell, but Dustin Hopkins at $4,200 should be good for 8-12 FP, as I think the Browns will be in the redzone more often than the Steelers tonight.
Monday Night Football NFL DFS Strategy
It’s looking like a lot of 4-2 Browns stacks is the way to go tonight, with a lot of Chubb, Watson, and Moore in the captain spots. Pickens, Robinson, and Freiermuth are all looking at target bumps with Johnson out, and using a couple as bring backs seems like a smart way to go, assuming PIT will have more success through the air than the ground tonight. The Browns DST is also worth having a good amount of exposure to on your 5-1 and 4-2 CLE stacks, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see them in winning lineups at the captain spot.
DraftKings DFS Showdown Rankings
1. Nick Chubb – As road favorites against a defense that allowed almost 190 rush yards last week, Chubb is the guy most likely to absolutely smash tonight.
2. Elijah Moore – He’s a must-play on any lineups you build without Chubb, as he should easily see the most targets in the CLE passing game if Cooper is out or limited. I think he still has a high ceiling on lineups with Chubb, especially as the 9th most expensive player on the board who should have a pretty safe floor regardless of game script.
3. George Pickens – We have to use at least one Steelers player in lineups, and Pickens is the guy I would go with in cash games. He is by far the most talented PIT pass-catcher, and if the Steelers keep this game close, I think it will be because Pickens has one of his signature insane long catches once or twice.
4. Deshaun Watson – He’s cheap enough to easily fit in a flex spot with Chubb at captain, and if a couple of short passes to Chubb go for long TDs, that stack will be a must for any shot at a GPP win. I’d make sure to have some Watson captain lineups along with plenty of Watson-Moore stacks on lineups without Chubb.
5. Browns DST / Freiermuth / Robinson / Ford – I’m grouping these four together as I like having exposure to all of them on a variety of lineups, but none are must plays in cash games for me.
NFL DFS Lineup Optimizer for Monday Night Football
Check out LineupHQ for this Showdown slate! It’s your one-stop shop for all of the tools you need to build and edit multiple lineups with one click, such as excluding certain players, adjusting your ownership and stack preferences, and doing any mass late-swap edits.