Thursday Showdown Week 3

Photo: USA Today Sports

NFL Showdown can be a fickle beast. These contests do not rely on median projections so much as leverage and uniqueness. Fading the highest-owned plays can be a risky proposition. Typically, your edge is going to come by identifying the best low-owned plays and finding clever ways to pair them with the juggernauts of the slate.

This article will have a heavy DraftKings lean simply because the decision-making process is more interesting given the salary premium attached to the Captain spot. FanDuel's pricing is the same for both MVP and Flex spots. You will usually need the slate’s top scorer at MVP, so FanDuel strategy revolves around unique Flex builds.

Advice in this article will pertain predominantly to tournament lineups and strategy. For cash lineups, build around median projections. For head-to-head contests, continue to lean into the median projections, but if two options project closely, give the nod to the lowest owned player.

Game Theory

The Pittsburgh Steelers are heading to Cleveland to take on the Browns as 5-point favorites. The game total is set at a lowly 38.5. Neither team has a starting caliber quarterback under center, so the total is not surprising. This game environment typically results in higher-than-average roster percentages for the running backs and defenses. We will have a leg up on the field if we can identify a couple of pass catchers or even a quarterback who can outperform their median projection. Mitchell Trubisky is on bench alert with the Kenny Pickett chants raining in, which should keep his roster percentage low. I do not believe Pickett will see a start in year one, especially not in Week 3, so that would not be amongst my concerns on this slate. Jacoby Brissett started to get in a groove in Week 2, but the Jets' defense is far inferior to the Steelers'.

Injury Round-Up

• Harrison Bryant – Thumb/Thigh - Questionable

Captain Consideration

1. Nick Chubb
2. Diontae Johnson
3. Amari Cooper
4. Kareem Hunt
5. Najee Harris

Steelers Offense

Quarterback

Mitchell Trubisky $8,600 – Flex

Mitchell Trubisky has had a poor start to his Steelers career, but he is priced well. Through two games, he has two touchdowns and one interception. His attempts are reasonable given his price, but his completion percentage is not ideal. With such a low total, even the worst quarterbacks can find their way into the optimal lineup with only one touchdown. Trubisky is not in play at Captain but fits well in the flex with Diontae Johnson at Captain and no other Steelers receivers.