Two QB legends will face off in the Week 7 opener, with Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers taking on Joe Flacco and the Bengals on Thursday Night Football in Cincinnati. It's an NFC North duel we couldn't have predicted a year ago, but one that should yield plenty of daily fantasy statistics.
Pittsburgh probably couldn't be much happier with its 4-1 record. D.K. Metcalf has been awesome for Rodgers, Jaylen Warren has held down the running back room and T.J. Watt and company have maintained the fourth-best red-zone scoring defense in the NFL.
Of course, the Bengals have more weapons than most teams — even with Joe Burrow on the mend from his foot injury. Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins remain one of the best receiving tandems in the game, and Chase Brown seems due for his 2025 breakout sooner than later.
The majority of DFS and fantasy football enthusiasts will be constructing lineups for this divisional showdown, so we've put together what we feel is the optimal squad for both DraftKings and FanDuel. Keep reading if you're interested in how to play DFS single-game tournaments or just want to see which stars and sleepers made our TNF cut.
MORE: Fantasy rankings this week | Start 'Em Sit 'Em Week 7 | Week 7 Sleepers | Week 7 Busts
Steelers vs. Bengals NFL DFS picks: Optimal DraftKings TNF Showdown lineup
Before we get into our lineup and strategy, here are the key scoring settings for DraftKings Showdown contests: They're full-point PPR, and they feature three-point bonuses for 300 passing yards, 100 rushing yards, and 100 receiving yards. The Captain pick costs 1.5 times a player's original price, but he also gets his point total multiplied by 1.5.
| POS | PLAYER | TEAM/OPP | SALARY |
| Captain | Jaylen Warren, RB | Steelers at CIN | $12,600 |
| FLEX | Ja'Marr Chase, WR | Bengals vs. PIT | $12,000 |
| FLEX | D.K. Metcalf, WR | Steelers at CIN | $10,400 |
| FLEX | Aaron Rodgers, QB | Steelers at CIN | $9,800 |
| FLEX | Noah Fant, TE | Bengals vs. PIT | $3,600 |
| FLEX | Roman Wilson, WR | Steelers at CIN | $1,200 |
Captain: Jaylen Warren, RB, Steelers ($12,600)
Putting Warren in the Captain's chair works in two different ways: It allows us to capitalize on a solid RB1 vs. a bad defense, and his cheap price tag allows us to afford other more studs at our other flex spots.
Warren missed a game in Week 4 due to a knee injury, and Pittsburgh had a bye in Week 5. It's safe to say that after his 13-touch, 63-yard effort last weekend against Cleveland, he's feeling healthy. Now he gets to beat up on a Cincinnati unit that has surrendered the most PPR points in the NFL this season. Let's go, J-Dubs!
FLEX 1: Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Bengals ($12,000)
Chase in a standalone game with Joe Burrow would cost about $6,000 more, but with Flacco he comes at a discount. We're fine with whatever he costs, because he's the best fantasy asset in this football game no matter who's under center for Cincy.
Chase caught 10-of-12 Flacco targes for 94 yards and a tuddie last week. A week prior, he hauled in 6-of-10 looks for 110 yards and two TDs. You could stick Russell Wilson out there and he would probably put up 20. Don't get cute and try leaving this guy in the player pool.
FLEX 2: D.K. Metcalf, Steelers ($10,400)
Death, taxes, and Aaron Rodgers slinging it to his WR1 — these are the three certainties of life. Metcalf has enjoyed a resurgence in Steel City, putting up 11-plus PPR points in every game as a Steeler.
What has D.K. Flex done for fantasy managers lately? How about a monster 95-yard, one-touchdown performance vs. an elite Browns defense? Just imagine what he can do to the lowly Bengals in primetime.
FLEX 3: Aaron Rodgers, QB, Steelers ($9,800)
We want the better quarterback facing the worse of the two defenses, so we're grabbing the four-time MVP and praying he doesn't lay a stinker on national television.
Pittsburgh is the road favorite, which gives us pause on a short week, but it's tough to pick the QB going against the Steelers over the one facing the Bengals. Pick between them as you wish — Flacco costs $9,400 — but make sure you have at least one of the two QBs.
FLEX 4: Noah Fant, TE, Bengals ($3,600)
Fant has looked pretty good of late, and his usage should remain now that Mike Gesicki is on the IR with a pec injury (ouch!). We'll take a guy averaging 6.3 PPR points with fresh usage upside at this modest price.
FLEX 5: Roman Wilson, WR, Steelers ($1,200)
Well, here's the dart throw! The second-year wideout caught his sole target for a 12-yard gain last week, and if Pittsburgh gives him some more run this time around we might just strike it rich. We won't hold our breath — Roman NFL careers aren't built in one game — but for $1,200 we're fine with Wilson as a sleeper. (In best Tom Hanks voice) WILSON! Win us some money!
Steelers vs. Bengals NFL DFS picks: Optimal FanDuel TNF single-game lineup
Here are the key scoring settings for FanDuel single-game tournaments: They're half-point PPR with three-point bonuses for 300 passing yards, 100 rushing yards, or 100 receiving yards. The MVP pick multiplies that player's total by 1.5 and, for the first time, the MVP pick also costs 1.5 times that player's salary.
| POS | PLAYER | TEAM/OPP | SALARY |
| MVP | Jaylen Warren, RB | Steelers at CIN | $13,800 |
| FLEX | Ja'Marr Chase, WR | Bengals vs. PIT | $13,200 |
| FLEX | Aaron Rodgers, QB | Steelers at CIN | $12,600 |
| FLEX | D.K. Metcalf, WR | Steelers at CIN | $12,200 |
| FLEX | Noah Fant, TE | Bengals vs. PIT | $5,000 |
| FLEX | Kaleb Johnson, RB | Steelers at CIN | $2,600 |
Our FanDuel lineup is similar to our DraftKings' one, with the wing-and-a-prayer approach of putting Warren in the boost spot.
It's a bold strategy, but we know Cincinnati has been absolutely destroyed by the run all year and we also equipped ourselves with Pitt's backup RB, rookie Kaleb Johnson. Hopefully we monopolize the Steelers' ground scores between Warren, Johnson and Rodgers.
This feels a little like a boom-or-bust lineup, and a little like a stars-and-scrubs (I prefer "stars-and-sleepers," but let's not split hairs). In any event, fortune favors the bold in DFS — and we'd like to go into the weekend as Daily Fantasy success stories, so let's press submit and cross our fingers!