Steelers vs. Browns: Picks, Lineup Tips for Daily Fantasy Fanduel, DraftKings
Thursday's renewal of the AFC North rivalry between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns does not have a ton of optimism attached to it.
Neither side has looked great in the first two weeks of the NFL season, and the over/under at DraftKings Sportsbook sat at 38 points as of Wednesday night.
The showdown in Cleveland still has a few star players in the fold, and they could be the ones who make it an interesting clash to kick off Week 3.
The running back position has been the lone consistent piece of the Cleveland offense. Kareem Hunt had two touchdowns in Week 1, and Nick Chubb followed that up with three scores in Week 2.
Pittsburgh's ground game has not been as effective, but Mitchell Trubisky has been able to work the ball around to Diontae Johnson and others.
Chubb, Hunt and Johnson will likely be at the top of many daily fantasy football lineups on Thursday.
The victorious lineups on FanDuel and DraftKings may have one value play within them, but finding the gem in either offense is tough with so many touches going to the top players.
Start with at Least One Cleveland Running Back
Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt will likely see a ton of touches on Thursday night. That high volume comes with a large roster percentage in any daily fantasy football contests.
Chubb should attract more fantasy players in Week 3 because he is coming off a three-touchdown performance in a losing effort against the New York Jets.
The 26-year-old has had at least 58 rushing yards in six of the seven games he has played against the Steelers. He had 61 rushing yards at home against them last season and 58 in the road contest.
Hunt has three 40-yard rushing performances in six clashes with Pittsburgh. He also has a trio of outings with five or more receptions against the Steelers.
Pittsburgh gave up over 100 rushing yards to each of its first two opponents, so there is a path for both running backs to succeed in support of Jacoby Brissett.
Both players enter with the clear edge over Najee Harris, who has 25 carries for 72 rushing yards through two games. Harris found the end zone once through the air. That is a stat that should concern DFS players looking to get the maximum points total out of their RBs.
Cleveland's rushing defense has also been better than Pittsburgh. The Browns held the Carolina Panthers to 54 yards on the ground and limited the Jets to 93 rushing yards.
The Browns' stronghold in the running game will likely lead you to some type of stack from within the Pittsburgh passing game.
Look at Pittsburgh Passing Game for Lineup Stack
You are better off trusting Trubisky than Brissett in the passing game.
Yes, it was painful to write any part of that sentence because neither quarterback strums up a ton of fantasy football intrigue.
The matchup suggests Trubisky will have to do more work through the air in order to get his offense running.
Cleveland's stout rushing defense and Harris' slow start could force the Steelers into airing the ball out through Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and others.
Johnson leads the Steelers with 22 targets, 13 receptions and 112 receiving yards. He has the potential to run rampant through the Browns defense, as Garrett Wilson did during his two-score performance for the Jets in Week 2.
Tight end Pat Freiermuth is second on the Steelers roster in targets and receptions. He has caught one of two touchdown passes thrown by Trubisky this season.
The 2021 second-round pick could be a better stack option than Claypool because of his target rate and Cleveland's average defending against tight ends.
Tyler Conklin totaled 40 yards on six catches for the Jets in Week 2, and Ian Thomas earned 53 yards on two catches for Carolina in Week 1.
Freiermuth is a better tight end than both of those players and may be able to exploit the gaps in the Browns defense better than they did.
Claypool may be a solid option to stack with Trubisky, but there are one or two deeper options that could round out your roster nicely.
Find Value in Wide Receiver Depth
George Pickens is the player to watch inside the Pittsburgh passing game.
If Cleveland continues to give up big gains, the rookie wide receiver could be poised for a breakout game either alongside Johnson or in place of him.
Pickens only has two receptions on six targets for 26 yards, but those totals could increase if Trubisky finds pockets of space inside the Cleveland secondary.
The 21-year-old is far from the only value option in either passing game to choose from on Thursday, though.
Donovan Peoples-Jones is second to Amari Cooper in targets on the Cleveland roster and is the only other wideout with more than 10 targets.
The 23-year-old could have a decent night if the Steelers focus on stopping Cooper with their top defensive backs.
The problem with trusting Cleveland's wideout depth is that a bulk of the pass-game touches could go to Hunt, especially if the Steelers put Brissett under pressure.
Harrison Bryant is another name to watch, but he could be a reach as a value play for the same reason that may hamper Peoples-Jones' production.
Bryant has more targets and catches than David Njoku from the tight end spot, but he may not have a ton of volume coming his way compared to Freiermuth because of Hunt's pass-game presence.
You are taking a risk with any of the potential value plays because of how often the stars touch the ball inside each offense. It may just take one big play from the likes of Pickens, Peoples-Jones and Bryant to make a difference in your lineup.
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