NFL DFS Showdown Lineup Optimizer Values: Titans-Steelers DraftKings Picks
NFL Showdown season continues with the Titans at Steelers on Thursday 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.
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Coming off his fantastic NFL debut of four touchdowns and a win over the Falcons, Will Levis and the 3-4 Titans head to Pittsburgh to take on the 4-3 Steelers who are coming off a tough ten-point loss to the Jaguars. Kenny Pickett has said he will definitely play this game after he exited last week early, and with Tannehill officially ruled out, we will see Levis get his second career start. DeAndre Hopkins is officially questionable with a toe injury, but I’m fully expecting him to play.
NFL DFS Showdown Picks: Titans at Steelers Week 9
Currently, this game is sitting at a 36.5 total, with the Steelers favored by 2.5 points. Even after his stellar debut, Levis and the Titans are underdogs against a Steelers team that has scored over 17 points just once in their last four games and will also be missing top safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. I think if this game were in Tennessee, the line would be flipped, but since it’s in Pittsburgh, they’re getting the slight edge. Overall, this should be a super close, likely low-scoring battle.
Quarterback
Facing a Steelers defense allowing over 245 pass yards/game and over 380 total yards/game (ranked 30th of 32), Will Levis ($9,600) is pretty much a must play in cash games.
Kenny Pickett ($9,200) is dealing with a ribs injury, and against a pretty solid Titans defense (on top of the risk that he doesn’t finish this game), I’m not looking to use him in my main build. He’s also been pretty terrible this season when healthy, as he has zero games over 19 FP and just two games over 15 FP, so I will be getting my Steelers exposure elsewhere in cash games.
Running Back
Derrick Henry ($11,600) has gone for 19+ FP in three of his last four games and now draws one of the best matchups for RBs on the year, as Pittsburgh is allowing over 137 rushing yards/game. With Levis under center last game, Henry caught 4 of 4 targets to add on to his 22 rush attempts, so with a likely 20 touch floor and solid receiving upside, I’m considering Henry a cash game must play to stack with Levis to basically cover all the Titans’ offensive points. Tyjae Spears ($5,400) is way too pricey to consider using anywhere but in a few GPP teams.
Najee Harris ($7,200) has saved some terrible rushing lines with decent receiving numbers, but he still has only 1 TD on the year and just one game above 12 FP, so he’s off my cash game radar against a pretty solid Titans rush defense. Jaylen Warren ($6,400) is a much better play given his receiving upside on a full-PPR site like DraftKings, and he is easily my top Steelers skill player under $7,000 to use in cash games.
Wide Receiver
DeAndre Hopkins ($11,200) went nuclear with three TDs last week, but it was still on just 4 receptions (6 targets), so that TD ratio isn’t likely to continue. He is still miles ahead of any other pass catcher for Tennessee as far as usage and ceiling goes, so I’d have plenty of him in the captain spot in GPPs, and I would absolutely use him in cash games if you don’t go with Henry. Using all three of Levis / Henry / Hopkins with Levis as captain leaves you with just over $4,200 per flex spot remaining, so it is very doable if you want to totally cover all the ceiling players for TEN in your main build. Westbrook-Ikhine ($3,400) and Burks ($3,800) are super cheap and similarly priced, so they’re great hedges in various GPP lineups, but for cash games, I’d go with Westbrook-Ikhine if you’re set on using one for cheap.
George Pickens ($8,800) and Diontae Johnson ($8,400) are the clear best players from Pittsburgh to target in this game, and I would have plenty of them in various combinations with and without Pickett in GPPs. In cash games it’s almost impossible to use either along with the top three Titans players, but if you only go with two of three expensive Titans, then either will fit easily. Johnson saw 14 targets last game to Pickens’ 5, so I prefer him just on pure volume and a higher floor for cash games, while Pickens is a fantastic GPP play that I would definitely use plenty of in GPPs and in the captain spot.
Tight End
Chig Okonkwo ($4,200) saw 6 targets from Levis last game, so the volume should be there at a great price, and I prefer using him over the cheap WRs in cash games.
Connor Heyward ($2,800) is super cheap and had 5 catches on 6 targets last week, so he is a fine flex play and probably the most likely player under $3,000 to score a TD in this game.
Defense / Special Teams
I’m not interested in the Steelers DST ($5,600) at this high of a salary going against a more than capable Levis / Henry / Hopkins trio, especially without Fitzpatrick at safety. The Titans DST ($4,400) is pretty appealing against a likely less than 100% Pickett and makes for a solid flex play in cash games.
Chris Boswell ($5,000) and Nick Folk ($4,600) have missed just one FG combined on the year, and both have big legs with 50+ yard ranges, so with minimal wind expected in this game, I think either are fine cash game flex plays.
Thursday Night Football NFL DFS Strategy
Most builds are looking like 4-2 Titans stacks with at least two of Levis/Henry/Hopkins if not all three. Pickens and Johnson are excellent hedges in various GPP lineups for PIT, along with Okonkwo, Burks, and Westbrook-Ikhine for TEN. Heyward is the cheapest skill player I’d consider in cash games, and I don’t mind using the Titans D or either kicker to fill out the final spots in any lineup.
DraftKings DFS Showdown Rankings
1. Will Levis – Just too much upside as the third most expensive player in this game, and he makes a lot of sense as a captain play.
2. Derrick Henry – Excellent matchup for someone with 25+ touch upside and a great stack with Levis for maximum upside.
3. Diontae Johnson – He is beyond due for a TD, and after getting 14 targets last game (including a long drop that could have led to a potential TD), I prefer him over Pickens here.
4. DeAndre Hopkins – Should be used on any lineup you build that omits Henry for max leverage, and I don’t mind using all three expensive Titans in cash games.
5. Jaylen Warren – If you only use one of Henry & Hopkins with Levis, then Warren should easily fit in your lineup. His floor is much higher than Harris, and he’ll smash his salary if he finds the end zone.
NFL DFS Lineup Optimizer for Thursday 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.
Also make sure to check out RG’s brand new SimLabs tool for creating lineups based on game simulations and your custom settings!