The Titans and Steelers are expected to be involved in a low-scoring game when they open Week 9 on "Thursday Night Football" (8:15 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video). With an over/under of 37 points and two, young volatile quarterbacks, it's a hard game to predict from a reality and fantasy football standpoint.
Titans rookie QB Will Levis is coming off a stellar debut against the Falcons in Week 8, throwing the ball downfield well for four TD passes, including three to DeAndre Hopkins. Meanwhile, Steelers QB Kenny Pickett is stuck on only one career game with multiple passing TDs and is coming off a rib injury that knocked him out against the Jaguars on Sunday.
There are not a lot of inspiring plays here, even with two teams that have been weakest in downfield coverage and have allowed big games to wide receivers. Here's looking at the start-sit advice as a whole for Tennessee vs. Pittsburgh on TNF:
MORE THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:
DK lineup | FD lineup | ATS pick | Best props | Hopkins update
Titans: Who to start, sit in fantasy football on TNF
Sit: QB Will Levis
Levis is a buzzy pickup, but be careful of chasing the points. He shellshocked pressure-less Atlanta in Nashville last week with his aggressive downfield passing, playing to his deep-arm strengths. He won't have time to sit back and pick apart the Steelers downfield with their bevy of pass rushers. The Steelers will have crammed on studying his debut film and be prepared, forcing Levis out of his comfort zone.
They are vulnerable in the secondary for sure, especially without Minkah Fitzpatrick (hamstring) at home, but they'll cool Levis with the extra emotional energy in pressuring him at night.
WEEK 9 FANTASY ADVICE:
Sleepers | Busts | Projections | Start 'em, sit 'em
Start: RB Derrick Henry
The threat of Levis throwing downfield and the Steelers protecting against it without Fitzpatrick means more favorable running lanes for Henry. The Titans are still a running team at heart when the matchup allows. The Steelers are No. 27 against the run, allowing 137.1 rushing yards per game. Henry should hit a century again with at least one TD.
Start: WR DeAndre Hopkins
Hopkins (toe) must love getting fed often from the aggressive Levis with three big-play TDs last week like he was in his early days in Houston or Arizona. Nuk won't go nuclear here, but he can still torch the Steelers for another century through the air with heavy targets from Levis.
WEEK 9 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Sit: WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
Westbrook-Ikhine scored on the other shot play from Levis vs. the Falcons, but he's hard to trust as he flashes in the offense once a month or so. You're also not rolling the dice on any Titans wideout not named Hopkins.
Sit: TE Chigoziem Okonkwo
He got Chiggy with it for a whole four catches for 23 on six targets against the Falcons. That was a great game (for him) in a good matchup. The Steelers don't allow much to the tight end, and it's still risky to think they will without Fitzpatrick.
WEEK 9 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Sit: RB Tyjae Spears
Spears keeps looking explosive with limited touches when spelling Henry, but there's not enough there yet to put together even reliable flex value, even in a low-scoring game.
Start: K Nick Folk
Believe it or not, the Folk hero is a K1, ranking ninth at the position. He's been under double-digit kicking points only twice (Week 3 and Week 8). So, yeah, if you really need him in what could be a field-goal fest, go for it.
Sit: Titans D/ST
The Titans tried to get after it against the Falcons but still ended up leaking too much in the end to be a good play. This is risky on the road, even with Kenny Pickett and the Steelers on the other side.
WEEK 9 DFS:
DK lineup | FD lineup | Best values | Best stacks
Steelers: Who to start, sit in fantasy football on TNF
Sit: QB Kenny Pickett
Pickett is playing through his injured ribs, and we don't think he can deliver two-TD passing games even when healthy. This feels like another grinding game. The total and the body of work both scream "no."
Start: WR Diontae Johnson
Johnson had eight catches for 85 yards on 14 targets last week with a combination of Pickett and Mitchell Trubisky. He's all the way back as a smooth all-around receiver getting looks everywhere, and he'll have a solid matchup vs. either Kristian Fulton or Sean Murphy-Bunting outside.
Start: WR George Pickens
Pickens benefits well when Pickett starts. He kind of disappeared vs. the Jaguars, but he still came through OK as a WR3 with a TD. The Titans also don't have the cornerback coverage to slow him down much.
Sit: RB Najee Harris
Harris is the cumulative RB33 for the season in half-point PPR. He has only two double-digit games in that format (Week 4 and Week 7). He needs a TD to pay off, and the Titans run defense is nasty. So, no, unless you're desperate in a deeper league for an RB2/flex.
Sit: RB Jaylen Warren
Warren is the cumulative RB32 for the season in half-point PPR. The Steelers don't think he can be a tough runner as a smaller guy, so his role remains stagnant despite Harris and the current running game's ineffectiveness.
Sit: K Chris Boswell
Boswell has been OK, but the scoring isn't there in general with limited opportunities for field goals. It's usually either TD-or-bust often for the Steelers.
Start: Steelers D/ST
The Steelers have gone four-for-seven through their games in being a reliable starting fantasy defense. With massive performances in Week 2 and Week 5, they are a top-half D/ST in most league formats. They should rack up some sacks and have a good shot to pressure Will Levis into a big mistake or two in a low-scoring game.
Titans vs. Steelers: DraftKings Showdown lineup
- Captain (1.5X): Steelers WR Diontae Johnson $12,600
- FLEX: Titans RB Derrick Henry $11,600
- FLEX: Steelers QB Kenny Pickett $9,200
- FLEX: Steelers WR George Pickens $8,800
- FLEX: Steelers D/ST $5,600
- FLEX: Steelers WR Calvin Austin $1,800
You probably will need to use either Levis or Pickett in his format, so we're going with the QB at home with the better overall passing matchup. We're then attaching him to all of his key passing game playmakers, with Austin being the cheap pivot with a shot at 3X return. Henry is the best Titan, and the Steelers' D should tee off on Levis.
Titans vs. Steelers: FanDuel single-game lineup
- MVP (1.5X): Steelers WR George Pickens $14,000
- AnyFLEX: Titans RB Derrick Henry $16,000
- AnyFLEX: Titans WR DeAndre Hopkins $13,000
- AnyFLEX: Steelers D/ST $9,500
- AnyFLEX: Steelers WR Calvin Austin $6,500
This is a similar lineup except the change here is getting Pickens into the top spot and drawing Hopkins in instead of Johnson. You want strong wide receiver exposure beyond Henry. Plus, investing in the Steelers' D is also investing in the playmaking of T.J. Watt.
