Sunday Showdown Week 3

Photo: USA Today Sports

OVERVIEW

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 is going to have a heavy DraftKings lean simply because the decision-making process is more interesting given the salary premium attached to the Captain spot. On FanDuel, the pricing is the same for both MVP and Flex spots. You are usually going to need the slate’s top scorer at MVP, so FanDuel's 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-rostered player.

GAME THEORY

The Pittsburgh Steelers are heading to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders as 3-point underdogs. The total is set at 43, and it still feels high for these two offenses. Pittsburgh pulled off an unlikely victory last week over the Cleveland Browns, but the offense was of little help. An incredible long touchdown by George Pickens masked what was an otherwise wretched night for the Steelers' offense. Pricing will gravitate the field towards Pickett stacks, even as a road underdog. The Raiders will come with a lower roster percentage than they should, and they have a slightly higher scoring ceiling. Neither quarterback is particularly enticing, and we've found ourselves in yet another slate where we feel comfortable omitting the quarterbacks entirely from some builds.

INJURY ROUND-UP

Diontae Johnson – Hamstring – Out

CAPTAIN CONSIDERATION

1. Davante Adams
2. Josh Jacobs
3. Jimmy Garoppolo
4. George Pickens
5. Kenny Pickett

STEELERS OFFENSE

QUARTERBACK

Kenny Pickett $9,800 – Captain or Flex

Pickett threw three interceptions through his first two games. He was bailed out in the showdown slate against the Browns by a long Pickens touchdown. He would have otherwise been nowhere close to the optimal lineup. It’s hard to point the finger entirely at Pickett, or Matt Canada, but the offense is difficult to invest in either way. With such a low total and cheap stacking options, Pickett just barely makes the cut for Captain consideration.