RADIO
Monday Night Football has arrived and we get treated to an AFC North battle as the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Cincinnati Bengals. The Steelers are trying to keep pace with other top teams in the AFC as teams are jockeying for playoff seeding positions while the Bengals look to play spoiler and hand Pittsburgh a loss. This game features an over/under of 40.5 with the Steelers being favored by 12 points.
In this article, I will be providing you with daily fantasy football picks on FanDuel and DraftKings for the Monday Night Football slate on December 21st (Week 15). These lineups can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks on both DraftKings and FanDuel.
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DFS Quarterbacks
This looks to be a pretty easy choice when it comes to choosing to roster a quarterback on this showdown slate. No disrespect to Brandon Allen and Ryan Finley but it does not look like a great matchup to roster them in any format. The Steelers have one of the toughest defenses in the league and they make it very tough to move the ball on them as they allow 319 total yards per game and have one of the lower allowed point totals in the league The Bengals were only able to muster up 10 points in their first game and this was with a healthy Joe Burrow under center. The Pittsburgh defense leads the league with 45 sacks on the year and the Bengals offensive line has been horrible as they have allowed 46 sacks on the season so far.
On the opposite side of this game sits Ben Roethlisberger who has played well all season long. Big Ben had himself a field day in Week 9 as he threw for 333 passing yards and four touchdowns. The Bengals Defense did not have an answer for this Steeler passing attack and it is safe to assume that they still won't have an answer for it this week as well. The Cincinnati defense has only generated 15 total sacks on the season which is tied for the second-worst sack total in the league so Roethlisberger should have a clean pocket to operate out of. Big Ben gets the ball out of his hand really quick as he has the quickest time to throw metric in the league (2.29 seconds). The Steelers are using quick throws to keep the chains moving and keep Roethlisberger upright which has been the key to their offensive success all season long.
Analysis: Ben Roethlisberger is a top captain option on this slate and should be viable in all formats while it is best to fade Allen and Finley in this matchup.
DFS Running Backs
The Steelers and Bengals have really struggled all season long to run the ball efficiently as they both rank in the bottom four teams when it comes to rushing yards per game. The Bengals have missed their main bell-cow back in Joe Mixon as he has been in and out of the lineup all season long tending to injuries. Cincinnati has chosen to not activate him from IR so this means that this is another week that the Bengals will be relying on their backup running backs to carry the load. Gio Bernard has carried the rock the most during Mixon's absence but was benched early last week after he fumbled early on in the game. Samaje Perine and Trayveon Williams split the workload as they both had double-digit carries in Week 14 and could see an uptick in carries should Bernard find himself in the doghouse yet again. The Steelers Defense has been very good against the run as they hold opponents to 100 rushing yards which is the sixth-best in the league.
The Steelers have been a very pass-heavy team which has hindered their rushing upside. James Conner has taken close to 60% of the Steelers rushing attempts and is still the defacto number one back in Pittsburgh. Over the last eight games played, Conner has had double-digit rushing attempts and averages three targets per game. While the Steelers have a plethora of backs to use, Conner sees the bulk of the workload while Benny Snell Jr. usually comes in as the change of pace back. The Steelers' run game has been bad as they average only 3.7 yards per carry which is second-lowest in the entire league. The Bengals rushing defense has been porous as they allow 131 yards per game which give a bump to the Steelers rushing attack. The Steelers have not had a rushing touchdown in over three games straight so this could be a get right opportunity for the Steelers running backs.
Analysis: Conner is the safest running back play on the slate and could be used in all formats. Bernard should get the first crack for the Bengals and could rack up points in the passing game but the risk is also there for him to get benched should he mess up early. All Bengals running backs and Snell Jr. for Pittsburgh are viable for MME player pools.
DFS Wide Receivers
The Steelers were able to find success through the passing game in the first matchup against the Bengals earlier this season. Diontae Johnson led the group in receiving yardage as he accumulated 116 yards on six catches on 11 total targets. Chase Claypool hauled in two receiving touchdowns on four total receptions and JuJu Smith-Schuster led the team with nine catches on 13 total targets. This was a tough matchup for the Bengals Defense and we can anticipate them experiencing the same struggles as they did back in Week 9. Over the three most recent games played, JuJu has led the team with 26 targets and is arguably the safest receiving option from this group because of his role in this Steelers offense. Johnson struggled against the Bills as he experienced some drop issues but a guy with his talent can't be overlooked in a soft matchup against the Bengals. Claypool has been a little shaky with his overall target numbers but could end up being a good tournament play, especially if he gets looks in the red zone once again. James Washington has seen a slight increase in targets and would be a deep tournament option that saves some salary.
The Bengals have a solid receiving group themselves but this squad definitely misses their young quarterback in Joe Burrow and without him playing, it truly hinders their upside from a receiving perspective. Over the last three games played, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd have been the two main receiving threats for Cincinnati. They have combined for 39 total targets (20,19) and have recorded a combined nine receiving touchdowns on the season. The Bengals should be playing from behind in this game which makes them viable in all formats since they should see an increased volume in targets and opportunities. AJ Green rounds out the Bengals receiving trio and while he isn't the AJ Green of old, he still is averaging over six targets per game on the season and would be worth taking a stab on in tournament lineups. In their lone game against Pittsburgh, Higgins led the way with seven catches on nine targets for 115 receiving yards and a touchdown. Boyd was right behind him with six catches on eight targets for 41 yards and AJ Green saw five total targets but was unable to record a catch.
Analysis: There are plenty of receiving options on this slate and JuJu looks to be the safest option based on his consistent targets and role in this Steelers offense. Boyd and Higgins are the safest receiving options for the Bengals and both could be rolled out in all formats. Johnson and Claypool could be rolled out in cash games but also are a tad riskier so they are better suited as strong tournament plays from the Steelers offense. Green and Washington remain in play but would only be viable if making several lineups and are wanting to be unique with your builds.
DFS Tight Ends
With how loaded the receiving group is, the tight ends in this game could go overlooked, specifically in tournaments. Eric Ebron has really flourished as the main tight end in the Pittsburgh Steelers offense as he is seeing over five targets a game and has seen 27 total targets over the last three games played. He has four receiving touchdowns on the season and draws a very favorable match against a Bengals defense who have allowed the most receiving yards to tight ends (867) and the most overall targets to tight ends as well (108). Ebron had a quiet outing against the Bengals in Week 9 as he recorded two catches on six targets for 38 yards. On the other side of this game sits Drew Sample who has done a solid job filling in as the top tight end for the Bengals once CJ Uzomah went down with a season-ending injury. Sample is averaging five targets per game over his last four games played and is still searching for his first receiving touchdown on the season. The Pittsburgh defense has been very stingy when it comes to opposing tight ends as they have held them to just 496 receiving yards and two total touchdowns on the season.
Analysis: Ebron is the top tight end play on the slate and could be utilized in all formats while Sample could be a sneaky low-owned tournament option, especially if he is able to rack up a few catches and find the end zone.
DFS Defense/Special Teams
This game seems to be pretty one-sided and with the low total factored in as well, there is a defense that you can play. The Steelers Defense has been one of the top defenses in the league and despite their recent stumbles against Washington and Buffalo, they get a very good matchup against the Bengals. Cincinnati is only averaging 18.8 points per game and generating 319 total yards of offense per game which ranks 29th overall in the entire league. The Steelers defense is holding opponents to just 18.2 points per game and is tied for the league-lead in generating turnovers as they have caused 25 takeaways on the season. Cincinnati has allowed the 4th most giveaways as they have turned the ball over 22 times and it doesn't seem like their turnover problems will slow down anytime soon. With how lop-sided this game could be, Chris Boswell is certainly in play for Pittsburgh as the offense should be able to generate drives and put them into scoring position early and often.
Analysis: The Steelers defense is in a prime matchup and should be able to generate some turnovers against this Bengals offense. They could be used in the captain spot while Chris Boswell could be used in tournament lineups. It is a hard fade for the Bengals Defense as Pittsburgh should generate points and Randy Bullock could be used as a tournament play but carries major risk.
Good luck, RotoBallers, and remember to mix it up and don't be afraid to be different in these large field GPPs!
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