This article is part of our Showdown/Single Game DFS Breakdown series.
Pittsburgh finds themselves the surprise owners of a 3-1 record, and the current lead in the AFC North. Dallas went into the season with higher expectations, but at 2-2 with mounting injury issues the Cowboys find themselves in a perilous spot in Week 5. Playing the Pittsburgh defense is never easy, but playing them in Pittsburgh is a heightened danger all the same. Justin Fields will start again at quarterback for Pittsburgh, while Dak Prescott will try to play hero for a Cowboy squad without Micah Parsons. The Steelers are favored by 2.5 points and the over/under is set at 44.0.
QUARTERBACKS
Dak Prescott ($10800 DK, $15500 FD) has a tough matchup here against a ferocious Steelers defense, and he has to play without Brandin Cooks at receiver. There could be both sacks and turnovers in Prescott's future. For the purposes of the single-game slate, though, there's reason to pay for Prescott anyway. Dallas is unlikely to run much or well in this game, so while there might be ugly tape for Prescott there should also be a high number of pass attempts, even if only in garbage time. Prescott is probably a candidate to throw more than 40 pass attempts in this game.
The first three games were not productive for Justin Fields ($9800 DK, $15000 FD), and his play wasn't perfectly clean even in Week 4, but at least it was a monstrous fantasy performance with thee touchdowns (two rushing). That Dallas is without their top pass
Pittsburgh finds themselves the surprise owners of a 3-1 record, and the current lead in the AFC North. Dallas went into the season with higher expectations, but at 2-2 with mounting injury issues the Cowboys find themselves in a perilous spot in Week 5. Playing the Pittsburgh defense is never easy, but playing them in Pittsburgh is a heightened danger all the same. Justin Fields will start again at quarterback for Pittsburgh, while Dak Prescott will try to play hero for a Cowboy squad without Micah Parsons. The Steelers are favored by 2.5 points and the over/under is set at 44.0.
QUARTERBACKS
Dak Prescott ($10800 DK, $15500 FD) has a tough matchup here against a ferocious Steelers defense, and he has to play without Brandin Cooks at receiver. There could be both sacks and turnovers in Prescott's future. For the purposes of the single-game slate, though, there's reason to pay for Prescott anyway. Dallas is unlikely to run much or well in this game, so while there might be ugly tape for Prescott there should also be a high number of pass attempts, even if only in garbage time. Prescott is probably a candidate to throw more than 40 pass attempts in this game.
The first three games were not productive for Justin Fields ($9800 DK, $15000 FD), and his play wasn't perfectly clean even in Week 4, but at least it was a monstrous fantasy performance with thee touchdowns (two rushing). That Dallas is without their top pass rushers (Micah Parsons, Demarcus Lawrence) could make this a favorable matchup for Fields, who has slate-breaking upside on his good days.
RUNNING BACKS
Najee Harris ($8800 DK, $12000 FD) has had a brutal season so far, but he should see a big workload here with both Jaylen Warren and Cordarrelle Patterson hurt. Aaron Shampklin ($2000 DK, $5000 FD) is the apparent top backup to Harris, though fellow practice squad callup Jonathan Ward might get involved too. Shampklin and Ward are both small running backs, so they're unlikely to see extended usage behind Harris.
Rico Dowdle ($8200 DK, $11500 FD) has been playing more than Ezekiel Elliott ($4400 DK, $8500 FD) for some reason, but this is a brutal matchup for both of them. Plus, Dallas dilutes both of their usage by giving snaps to Deuce Vaughn ($400 DK, $5000 FD) and Hunter Luepke ($1000 DK, $6500 FD) on occasion. If Dowdle does well it would probably require garbage time.
WIDE RECEIVERS + TIGHT ENDS
CeeDee Lamb ($11800 DK, $16500 FD) is a borderline must-play, or at least if you don't pick Lamb it should be under the assumption that Dallas gets obliterated here. There just isn't much Dallas can do to move the ball against this defense – Lamb is truly almost the only way. There should be viable matchups for the Cowboys to arrange for Lamb, moreover. With that said, Jake Ferguson ($7600 DK, $10500 FD) is a very effective tight end, and Jalen Tolbert ($5600 DK, $10000 FD) has something of a breakout opportunity on his hands with Cooks out. Luke Schoonmaker ($1600 DK, $7500 FD) sometimes pops up as the second tight end, while wideouts like KaVontae Turpin ($3000 DK, $7000 FD) and Jalen Brooks ($2400 DK, $5500 FD) are also candidates to pop up more with Cooks out.
George Pickens ($9600 DK, $12500 FD) is pretty much the only game in town among Pittsburgh wide receivers, though big-play specialist Calvin Austin ($3600 DK, $7500 FD) is sometimes able to get loose for a long-range strike, though his snap and target counts are always volatile. Pat Freiermuth ($6600 DK, $8500 FD) at tight end is probably the better threat to emerge as the second pass catcher behind Pickens. Darnell Washington ($2600 DK, $7000 FD) plays a lot at tight end himself, but he mostly sticks to blocking. Van Jefferson is probably the second or third-leading wide receiver specifically, though the Steelers might at some point look to get Scotty Miller and/or Roman Wilson involved more at his expense. Generally, these are not depths worth scouring after Pickens, Freiermuth and maybe Austin.
KICKERS
Brandon Aubrey ($5800 DK, $9500 FD) is a menace on a single-game slate, with the reliable ability to post double-digit fantasy points. Aubrey's range and accuracy are both unmatched, so the simple rule is that if he's in a showdown slate he is worth the pick.
Chris Boswell ($5400 DK, $9000 FD) is one of the league's best kickers himself, even if not quite on the Aubrey level. Boswell hasn't hit double-digit fantasy points since Week 1, but in that game he went for a 26-point eruption while making six field goals.
DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS
Dallas ($4800 DK, $9000 FD) would normally be looking good in a spot like this, and even despite their injuries they might be able to coax a bad game out of Fields, but Parsons more or less is the Dallas defense and now it will likely look different. It might be worth keeping in mind that KaVontae Turpin is one of the league's better returners, and you could stack the Dallas DST with Turpin in the event that he returns a touchdown.
The Steelers ($4000 DK, $9500 FD) are without standout pass rusher Alex Highsmith, but the rest of the Pittsburgh defense is strong, too, and Prescott has a history of committing road turnovers in tough settings. The Dallas offense is unlikely to run well, which could tee up some sack and turnover opportunities for the likes of TJ Watt.
