Sunday Night Showdown Strategy: New York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 7 of the NFL season continues with a bang as the Jets take on the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. In this article, I’ll share my top DFS showdown picks and strategies for DraftKings and FanDuel, helping you build winning lineups.

For a deeper dive into general showdown rules, make sure to check out David Jones’s “Daily Fantasy Football Showdown: Strategy for Building Winning Lineups” article. It’s essential reading for anyone crafting MME lineups, as player salary and team dynamics can impact each game’s approach.

Link: https://windailysports.com/daily-fantasy-football-showdown-strategy/

Note on Quarterbacks:

I will not write up the quarterbacks because the wide receiver and tight end section tend to cover the matchups. The QB rankings are at the bottom of the article. 

New York Jets

Running Back

• Steelers have given up 444 rushing yards (7th fewest in NFL)
• They have given up 215 receiving yards to running backs (11th most)
• Giving up 18.5 DK to running backs (8th fewest)

Breece Hall had been having a bad spell of games prior to last week (10.5 DK previous two weeks combined). On Monday night, he once again became one of the better running backs in the league. Hall is a priority for me if you are fading the Jets wide receivers. Pittsburgh has given up the 11th most receiving yards to running backs, and Hall is second in receiving yards for running backs with 204.

Hall’s backup, Braelon Allen, isn’t a priority for me on this slate. Every week he is playing about a third of the snaps Hall plays, and outside of his breakout game Week 2, he has not done much. At his price, I would take a shot at him in a multi-entry contest, but in SE, I would not use him.

Tier 1: Breece Hall

Tier 2: Braelon Allen

Wide Receiver

• Pittsburgh has allowed 865 yards to opposing wide receivers (16th most).
• They are giving up 29.5 DK (9th fewest).

Picking a Jets wide receiver for the slate could not be easier this week. I love Garrett Wilson (really want to see him paired with Jefferson in Minnesota), but he has been downgraded to WR2 in New York. The star of the show will be newly acquired Davante Adams, who has miraculously recovered from his injury. He is Aaron Rodgers best friend; they had a great connection in Green Bay and will probably continue that in New York. Adams knows how Rodgers plays, which will benefit him this week while he gets adjusted to the Jets.

Wilson and Lazard are both also in play for me, but they are behind Adams in my list of wants for showdown.

Tier 1: Davante Adams

Tier 2: Garrett Wilson/Allen Lazard

Punts/Fades: Xavier Gipson

Tight End

• Pittsburgh has given 288 receiving yards to tight ends (11th most).
• They are giving up 12.5 DK (9th most).

Tyler Conklin is the main tight end for the Jets, having almost two and a half times more snaps played than backup Jeremy Ruckert. Conklin seems to have found a connection with Rodgers, as he has seen 20 targets over the past three weeks. I like Conklin this week, as he should continue to get the bulk of the workload of all Jet tight ends. Unlike Lazard and Wilson, Adams shouldn’t eat up too many of the targets that Conklin has been seeing.

Tier 1: Tyler Conklin

Tier 2: Jeremy Ruckert

Pittsburgh Steelers

Running Back

• Jets are giving up 20.1 DK per game (11th fewest).
• They have allowed 611 rushing yards (14th most).
• They have allowed 205 receiving yards (14th most).

Najee Harris is going to get the majority of carries on Sunday. He is the only Pittsburgh running back that I will probably roster for this game. Warren came back from injury last week, and while he did get the second-most snaps of the Steelers running backs, he only had six carries for seven yards. In SE, he is not in play for me and will only be in my player pool if I am running a lot of lineups. Harris should be the workhorse for this team on Sunday, and with the success he had last week, I think he can do damage to this Jets defense.

Tier 1: Najee Harris

Tier 2: Jaylen Warren

Wide Receiver

• The Jets have given up 625 receiving yards to wide receivers (4th fewest).
• They are giving up 24.8 DK to receivers (4th fewest).

George Pickens was by far the number one target for Justin Fields the first six weeks of the season. With Russell Wilson slated to start on Sunday, the wide receiver room gets a bit murky as we don’t know who he has a connection with as this will be his first game as a Steeler quarterback. Because of the bit of uncertainty and with how good the Jets have been against wide receivers, I am not really prioritizing Pittsburgh wideouts for this slate.

Pickens, Van Jefferson, and Calvin Austin are the top three receivers for the Steelers. If I am targeting any of them, then it would probably be Pickens, who has 44 targets this season compared to Jefferson’s 13 and Austin’s 17. For a second pass catcher on the Steelers, I would rather focus on their tight end instead of Jefferson or Austin.

Tier 1: George Pickens

Punt: Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin

Tight End

• Jets have given up 191 receiving yards to tight ends (6th fewest).
• They are allowing 7.9 DK per game (7th fewest).

Pat Freiermuth is my favorite TE for the Steelers. The big-body tight end should be an intriguing part of the offense tonight due to how tough it is to throw on the Jets corners and the lack of pass-catching options for the Steelers. He is the main lineup-worthy. Freiermuth is second on the Steelers in targets (26), 18 behind leader Pickens, and he is only four behind him in receptions. I trust Freiermuth a lot more than Jefferson and Austin as my number two Steelers pass catcher.

The Steelers have used three other tight ends, but none of them are in my player pool. Heyward and Washington have not done much outside of their one touchdowns.

Tier 1: Pat Freiermuth

Punt/Fade: Darnell Washington, Connor Heyward

FanDuel MVP and DraftKings CPT Picks—SNF Showdown 

I want a high-usage player at MVP on FanDuel like a quarterback or a workhorse running back. You need the highest-scoring player, not the best value. The salaries do not change from flex to MVP on FanDuel, so the value at the MVP is not a priority. Take the points up top. 

On DraftKings, you look for the best “value” in the mid to high price range. 

FanDuel

DraftKings

Flex Tier 1:

• Davante Adams
• Najee Harris
• Aaron Rodgers
• Breece Hall
• Russell Wilson
• Garrett Wilson
• George Pickens
• Pat Freiermuth
• Braelon Allen
• Allen Lazard

Flex Tier 2/Punts:

• Jets D/ST
• Steelers D/ST
• Chris Boswell
• Greg Zuerlein
• Tyler Conklin
• Jaylen Warren
• Van Jefferson
• Calvin Austin
• Jeremy Ruckert
• Darnell Washington

Best Rules for the slate:

• Play Davante Adams if using Jets passing game
• Don’t play more than 1 defense.
• Don’t play more than 2 skill positions against your defense.
• Don’t play a kicker against your defense
• Don’t play your MVP QB against the opposing defense
• Stack your kicker with at least one skill player, someone has to move the ball down the field

Favorite prop for the game: Breece Hall Over 24.5 Receiving Yards (-120)