The Pittsburgh Steelers host the New England Patriots tonight on Amazon Prime Video. Five years ago this would have been the matchup of a lifetime. Fast forward to the present and we’ve got ourselves yet another TNF stinker. No matter the matchup our end goal remains the same. We’re here to make money. With fantasy glory and a hefty $300,000 on the line, it’s now more crucial than ever to assemble a winning DraftKings lineup that can dominate the competition. This article offers DFS insights on who should take the coveted captain slot, which core player should anchor your player pool, a value gem that can boost your salary cap flexibility, a sleeper pick with breakout potential, and one player to steer clear of – the dreaded bust. Get your smelling salts ready for a probably hard-to-watch DFS showdown on TNF.
TNF NFL DFS DraftKings Showdown Picks
*Disclaimer: These picks have been constructed with the mindset of building a single lineup. When building large field/multi-entry tournaments, if the player sees the field you’ll want to have a piece of him somewhere, my “busts” included.*
Captain
Jaylen Warren
DraftKings Captain Salary- $12,000
For a couple of weeks, it was actually Jaylen Warren who was the higher-priced Steelers running back on DraftKings. After a pair of solid performances by Najee Harris, the salary has since flowed back towards him. I am perfectly fine with that. After his breakout in Week 10 against the Green Bay Packers, many assumed that Warren would take over as the lead back. His 15 carries in Week 10 were met with just 9 in Week 11. To compare, Harris received 12 carries that same week. And even though Warren took his 9 carries for 129 yards and a touchdown, the team still chose to treat Harris as the lead back once again in Week 12. Here is where things get interesting. Najee Harris did not participate in Tuesday’s practice (a walkthrough) due to a knee injury. This knee injury was not mentioned on Pittsburgh’s Monday injury report, signaling that it could be a new ailment. Whether Harris plays or not, Warren should get a boost on TNF.
Core Play
Ezekiel Elliott
DraftKings Salary- $9,400
Starting running back Rhamondre Stevenson is believed to have suffered a high-ankle sprain in last week’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Stevenson left the game in the first quarter after recording 9 rushing attempts. With new signal caller Bailey Zappe under center, Bill Belichick and the Patriots elected to put a heavy emphasis on the running game. After Stevenson’s exit, Ezekiel Elliott promptly took over as the lead back, ceding just one carry to the third-string running back Ty Montgomery. Elliott would finish the game with 52 rushing yards on 17 attempts, adding an additional 40 yards on 4 receptions. Included in the Patriots’ Monday injury report, Elliott has since shaken off the thigh injury. He should be a focal point of the Patriots’ offense when the team takes the field on TNF.
Value
Demario Douglas
DraftKings Salary- $4,200
Perhaps the only major bright spot on the New England Patriots roster dating back since training camp, Demario Douglas has been through it in his first NFL season. From the moment he got his shot, the rookie out of Liberty has shown why the Patriots chose him at 210 overall in this year’s draft. Regardless of which scarecrow the Patriots have placed under center, Douglas has remained the top option when healthy. Catching passes from Mac Jones in Week 10’s loss to Indianapolis, Douglas caught 6 of 9 targets for 84 scoreless yards. The next week against the Giants, Mac Jones would be replaced by Bailey Zappe at halftime. Douglas immediately became Zappe’s favorite target catching 3 out of 3 targets on the opening drive. Unfortunately, Douglas sustained a concussion forcing him from the game. After missing last week’s game against the Chargers, Douglas’ TNF availability is still in doubt as he has yet to clear concussion protocol. Given that he will be eleven days removed from the injury, the chances of him suiting up are strong.
Sleeper
Allen Robinson II
DraftKings Salary- $3,000
Allen Robinson III finished last week’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals by catching all three of his targets for 19 yards. Why is this significant? Ordinarily, it wouldn’t be. However, in this case it is. Starting quarterback Kenny Pickett (ankle) has already been ruled out of TNF, leaving Mitchell Trubisky to start in his place. Pickett was injured right before halftime last week, forcing Trubisky to enter the game and complete 11 of 17 passes for 117 and a touchdown to Diontae Johnson. Now back to Robinson. Before Pickett’s exit Robinson looked like he was going to finish the game with zeroes across the board. Enter Trubisky (his former QB in Chicago) and Robinson wound up with three catches on the same amount of targets. The hope here is that Robinson and Trubisky can rekindle the old flame they shared as members of the Chicago Bears.
Bust
Bailey Zappe
DraftKings Salary- $9,000
What do you get during Zappe hour? Discounts. That’s exactly what you’re getting in Bailey Zappe, a discount Mac Jones. You wouldn’t want a top-shelf Mac Jones, so what is the point in shopping for the store-brand version? In his first start of the season, Zappe disappointed, throwing for just 141 scoreless yards. To make matters worse Zappe also took 5 sacks losing 32 total yards. Rhamondre Stevenson is likely out, and all three of Zappe’s starting wide receivers, Douglas, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Devante Parker are all questionable for TNF. Sending Zappe into this matchup against the Steelers DST without his core group is like sending a boy scout to Iraq without a weapon. It’s going to be a long night for Zappe and the Pats offense. Take that $9,000 that you were going to spend on Zappe and buy yourself something nice, like a kicker or a defense.
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