The Steelers and Bengals are both riding winning streaks, and they meet Sunday night with control of the AFC North up for grabs. Pittsburgh took the first meeting in September, and Cincinnati has been waiting to answer ever since. Two offenses that can score from anywhere on the field are about to test two defenses that have both been leaking big plays.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL Showdown $1M Sunday Night Showdown [$250K to 1st] (PIT @ CIN)
Steelers at Bengals DraftKings Showdown Captain Picks
Joe Burrow ($15,900 CP): Cincinnati is a 3.5-point favorite, and the Bengals score most of their points through their quarterback. Burrow leads the NFL in completion percentage at 74 percent and has 23 touchdown passes in eight games. In the first meeting with Pittsburgh, he went 28-of-37 for 282 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Last week in Madrid, he completed 24 of 29 passes for 271 yards and also ran for a score. The risk is a Steelers defense with 26 sacks, but PFF notes that Cincinnati offensive tackle Amarius Mims held T.J. Watt to zero QB pressures in the first matchup.
Steelers at Bengals DraftKings Showdown UTIL Plays
Ja’Marr Chase ($11,000): Ten catches for 155 yards and a touchdown against Atlanta showed that Chase is still the first read on this offense. Chase had 90-plus yards and a touchdown against Pittsburgh in the first meeting. The Steelers are expected to give up a lot of receptions and tackle after the catch rather than stop the ball from arriving. That is the kind of defense where a 10-catch game is realistic.
Jaylen Warren ($9,600): Warren leads the NFL at 5.9 yards per carry and has run for 90 or more yards in five of his six games. Four of those were 100-yard games. In the first meeting, he piled up 176 total yards — 127 rushing and 49 receiving. Since that game, the Bengals have ranked near the bottom of the league against the run, and Tennessee’s Tony Pollard and Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson both topped 100 yards on them. Pittsburgh is coming off a bye with a plan to run. The danger is game script, since a Bengals lead would pull the Steelers away from the ground.
Aaron Rodgers ($9,000): Pittsburgh has to keep pace with the Bengals offense, and that is a good setup for a quarterback who threw for roughly 290 yards and three touchdowns in the first meeting. The Bengals defense has been very average and gives up the most yards after the catch in the league. That helps Rodgers because Warren and the tight ends are strong after the catch. The Steelers have allowed 23 sacks in eight games and rank 25th in red-zone offense, so a stalled drive that ends in a field goal is the way this pick loses.
Steelers at Bengals DraftKings Showdown Fades
DK Metcalf ($7,400): The Steelers want to win with the run. Metcalf and the other receivers may be used more as blockers on the edge than pass catchers. He has not had the impact the Steelers expected when they acquired him, and dropped passes have been a problem. Pat Freiermuth ($4,600) and Darnell Washington ($3,600) cost far less, and both are strong after the catch. With Warren, Rodgers and the tight ends all in better matchups against this Bengals defense, Metcalf has the lowest ceiling of the Pittsburgh skill players.
Steelers at Bengals DraftKings Showdown Strategy and Prediction
Cincinnati’s offense gets the last big drive, and the Steelers’ run game keeps it close until then.
