NFL DFS Showdown Lineup Optimizer Values: DraftKings Picks for Steelers-Raiders
NFL Showdown season continues with the Steelers vs. Raiders on Sunday 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.
If Diontae Johnson were healthy, I think we’d probably see the Steelers favored here, but as he’s still out, the Raiders are slight favorites at home. Jakobi Meyers will return from his concussion after missing last week and should be a big boost to the offense after his massive 9-81-2 line week 1, while George Pickens will look to build off his huge 4-127-1 game last week. Both QBs have a lot to prove, as Pickett is still trying to get in to that next tier of QBs we consider top fantasy options regularly, while Garoppolo is still proving he has something left in the tank after a lot of mediocre starts the last couple years. Najee Harris continues to have Jaylen Warren breathing down his neck for playing time, so this is a big spot for him to show he can still be an RB1, while Josh Jacobs is coming off one of the worst games of his career against the Bills last week where he had -2 rush yards, so he’s hungry to get a big game under his belt.
NFL DFS Showdown Picks: Steelers vs. Raiders Week 3
Currently, this game is sitting at a 43 total with the Raiders favored by 2.5 points. Both of these defenses have really struggled against the run this year, as both have allowed 270+ total rush yards over their first two games, with PIT having allowed the second most in the league at 386. This should be a big bounce-back spot for Josh Jacobs as a slight home favorite against a team you can beat on the ground, while Harris and Warren are going to be interesting players this showdown slate as far as ownership goes since one of them should have a solid game. Adams and Pickens headline the WRs here, and both are probably the highest-upside plays from this game. However, the return of Meyers could put a slight ceiling cap on Adams.
Quarterback
Jimmy Garoppolo is one of the least exciting QBs we have in the league right now, as he his immobility along with his lack of a huge ceiling really makes him hard to trust in any fantasy contest, especially when he’s the third priciest of this game. I’m also expecting the Raiders to lean more on the run game to get Jacobs back on a track after his terrible game last week along with the way PIT has been destroyed on the ground through two weeks. I am not interested in Garoppolo for cash games, and I honestly have a hard time going too heavy on him in GPPs unless you’re doing MME where it’s always smart to cover both QBs in a variety of ways.
Kenny Pickett is the QB I want from this game. Unlike Jimmy G, he actually has two games of 30+ pass attempts this year. Pickett has had two tough opponents in SF and CLE so far, so this Raiders team will be a much easier defensive opponent, and if he doesn’t put up at least 250+ yards and a couple TDs here, I would really start to worry about him and this offense. I will absolutely find a flex spot for him in cash games, and he should be a captain in a few GPP lineups.
Running Back
Josh Jacobs is the third-priciest player from this game but someone I think is poised for a monster game. Pittsburgh leads the league in rushing yards allowed per game (193), and Jacobs’ involvement in the passing game always gives him a pretty high floor as shown last week with a 5-51 receiving line. Opening the year on the road against Denver and Buffalo was a tall task for Jacobs, but back at home as a slight favorite against the worst rush defense in the league so far is a recipe for a huge game, and I will be making sure Jacobs has at least a flex spot if not the captain spot in my main build.
Najee Harris continues to lose touches to Jaylen Warren, especially in the passing game where Harris has just 3 targets and Warren has 12. Harris also only has 7 more rush attempts than Warren on the year, so on a full-PPR site like DraftKings, I am much more interested in Warren than Harris if I’m targeting a higher floor along with a higher ceiling. Warren is also $2,400 cheaper than Harris as a flex play, which makes him a better target in all formats, so I like doing about a 75-25 split in Warren’s favor if you’re doing MME in tournaments. Warren is my pick in cash games if you’re set on using one of them.
Wide Receiver
George Pickens saw 10 targets last game, and I’m expecting that to be his floor here with Johnson still out and an even better matchup compared to CLE last week. As the fifth most expensive option, I think he is an absolute must play in cash games, and I think he makes a ton of sense as your captain as well. Robinson and Austin combined for 7 total targets last week, and I will only be considering them as GPP plays if you’re doing some PIT stacks without Pickens.
Davante Adams is the most expensive player from this game, so fitting him in the captain spot is going to be tough, but he should absolutely be part of your lineups builds for tournaments. Even fitting him in a flex spot at $11,600 with at least one of the QBs is going to be tough, as you’ll likely need someone like Warren or even a kicker in the captain spot to fit players in your last three flex spots. Right now I’m leaning towards Jacobs as my must-play Raider, and the return of Jakobi Meyers also has me a bit hesitant on Adams’ ceiling. Speaking of Meyers, I think he is definitely cash game viable at $8,600, as you get the $3,000 savings from Adams to build an overall more solid lineup. If Week 1 was any indication of his regular role, he has a similar weekly ceiling to Adams as well. Hunter Renfrow is completely off my radar, as he’s seen 1 total target the first two weeks, and he’s just a dart throw GPP play at this point.
Tight End
All three playable TEs from this game are pretty unappealing, especially the Raiders options in Austin Hooper and Michael Mayer, as they’ve combined for just four total targets through two games. Mayer is just $200, so I get the appeal of using him a bit in GPPs, but I won’t be on either for cash games. Pat Freiermuth is also looking too expensive at $6,200, as he showed his floor last week with just 1 catch and 2 yards, and his ceiling is very dependent on a TD, as he just doesn’t get the volume to pile up the catches and yards. I won’t be using him in cash games, but if you’re doing MME, I like stacking him with Pickett and Robinson / Warren on lineups without Pickens for max leverage.
Defense/Special Teams
The Raiders DST is a pure GPP play for me, and even then I’m not much of a fan at their $4,000 price tag. The Steelers DST actually has some upside as shown by their 26 FP game last week, so I would absolutely use them a bit in GPPs. If your cash game lineup has one flex spot for $5,600 left, I think they’re a fine choice.
Both kickers are also pretty appealing for value in cash games, as they’ll be playing in a dome, and both of these offenses struggle to finish drives.
Sunday Night Football NFL DFS Strategy
My favorite build right now is a 3-3 with Pickens in the captain spot stacked with Pickett, and then Jacobs and Meyers for Raiders skill player exposure, plus both kickers in the final two flex spots. This leaves exactly $0 salary remaining, so it’ll likely be heavily duplicated in GPPs, but I think for h2hs and double-ups, it’s a very well-rounded team that should get over the cash line. I like mixing Jacobs / Adams / Meyers in the captain spot as well if you’re doing MME, while Warren is my favorite sneaky captain play.
DraftKings DFS Showdown Rankings
1. George Pickens – Huge upside with Johnson out and by far my favorite p/$ play from his game, especially as a captain play.
2. Josh Jacobs – Another must play in cash games for me, as he draws the best possible matchup for an RB so far this year, and I think Vegas will do everything possible to get him back on track after two tough weeks.
3. Kenny Pickett – Most winning GPP lineups have at least one QB, so Pickett is definitely my preferred option over Garoppolo, especially for cash games.
4. Jakobi Meyers – I’m a big fan of his price discount to Adams, and he showed a similar ceiling to him Week 1.
5. Chris Boswell / Daniel Carlson – Both are great ways to save salary in lineups, and I love that they’re playing in a dome for offenses that can move the ball but struggle to finish drives.
NFL DFS Lineup Optimizer for Sunday Night Football
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