The Tennessee Titans stood pat at the NFL Trade Deadline and are now on the road this week, taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers on Primetime on Thursday night. The Titans picked up a dramatic 28-23 win over the Falcons the last time out, while the Steelers are coming off a 20-10 loss to the Jaguars. Here are some players to target and a couple to avoid for this week’s Thursday Night Football game.
NFL DFS Showdown strategy: Titans vs. Steelers
Captain’s Picks
Derrick Henry, RB, Titans $17,400
Henry’s rushed for 198 yards over his last two games and appears to be finding his stride after a slower start to the season. He’s still a bruising runner and has had some success on Thursday night (564 yards in six Thursday night games), and could be in line for a high-volume game if the Steelers game-plan around shutting down quarterback Will Levis.
George Pickens, WR, Steelers $13,200
I’ll be honest, there isn’t a ton in the Steelers offense that excites me. That said, Pickens is a talented wideout who is good at creating separation and making tightrope catches in small windows. While he had a season-low in targets last season, he caught his third touchdown of the year last week.
FLEX Options
DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Titans ($11,200)
Hopkins caught four catches for 128 yards and three touchdowns last week in one of the best games of the season. He’s had an 100-yard game in two of his last three outings, and had big catches of 61 and 47 yards last week. I don’t see him having that big of a game this week, but he’s still worth inserting in your lineup.
Diontae Johnson, WR, Steelers ($8,400)
Johnson was able to turn 14 targets last Sunday into eight catches for 85 yards. This’ll be his third week back from a hamstring injury, and will likely get plenty of targets now that Kenny Pickett will be back under center after leaving last week’s game with an injury.
Players to Avoid
Najee Harris, RB, Steelers ($7,200)
Harris rushed for just 13 yards last week against the Jaguars, and hasn’t rushed for more than 57 yards in any game over the last three weeks. He’s only scored one touchdown this week and has added only 94 yards in the receiving game; I’d stay away from this week.
Will Levis, QB, Titans ($9,600)
I know, I know: Levis threw for four touchdowns last week. But I’m fading him this week, in large part due to the Steelers’ trend of shutting down rookie quarterbacks. Mike Tomlin’s defense will have an entire week to gameplan for Levis based off his tape from last week, so I’m expecting the rookie to struggle.
