Browns vs. Steelers is a game that could go any number of ways if played on a normal Sunday afternoon. Throw in the fact that it's on Thursday Night Football and we might just have madness. Cleveland could win by 30. Pittsburgh could win by 30. It could be a tie. Putting together a DraftKings Showdown lineup for Thursday night presents us with that wide range of possibilities, so there's some NFL DFS hair splitting to do.
It starts with a combo of Cleveland running backs, Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb. We pair them with Baker Mayfield and the Browns D/ST as we put our hat in the Cleveland side of the ring. Pairing Cleveland with James Conner should get us most of the scoring action on Thursday night.
WEEK 11 DFS LINEUPS:
Y! cash | Y! GPP | DK cash | DK GPP | FD cash | FD GPP
DraftKings Showdown Picks: Browns vs. Steelers
CAPTAIN (1.5x points, 1.5x price): RB Kareem Hunt, Browns ($8,700)
Hunt played more than half the Browns' offensive snaps in his Cleveland debut, carrying the ball four times and receiving another nine targets. His workload should only rise, not fall, so I like the big-play explosiveness with double-digit touches at this price point.
FLEX: RB James Conner, Steelers ($10,800)
There would've been more fun things to do with this lineup if Conner (shoulder) was once again inactive, but alas, it looks like he'll play. With him active, he's easily the most trustworthy option in the Steelers' offense, and it doesn't feel like we can just totally fade Pittsburgh in this game.
WEEK 11 NON-PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
FLEX: RB Nick Chubb, Browns ($10,600)
I'm hoping that the Hunt-Chubb combo will be one that just a few people go for, as most will choose only one. Chubb received 20 carries for 116 yards Sunday despite Hunt's involvement last week, so nothing is stopping them from both having good fantasy games.
FLEX: QB Baker Mayfield, Browns ($9,000)
Instead of trying to decipher which aspect of the Cleveland passing game might click, we'll just lock in Mayfield and ensure we have a piece of any passing action. With Hunt, Chubb and Mayfield, every Cleveland touchdown should go through us.
WEEK 11 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end
FLEX: WR James Washington, Steelers ($5,600)
Washington has put together two productive weeks in a row, and he might get the best matchups in the Cleveland secondary on Thursday as JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson are matched up with strong cornerbacks on the outside.
FLEX: D/ST Cleveland Browns ($4,600)
This is a weird price point. You could go with Browns TE Demetrius Harris if you prefer to not play the defense against Conner. But Conner can have a good game while Cleveland's defense does, too, because Mason Rudolph should be prone to a few each of sacks and turnovers.