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Thunder Dan's top NFL DFS lineup picks for FanDuel, DraftKings - Steelers vs. Ravens showdown slate on 1/1. His Sunday Night Football daily fantasy football advice.
It's already Week 17 of the 2022-2023 NFL season and it's officially 2023 as we rang in the New Year last night. There's nothing like a full slate of NFL games to start off the new year and tonight's late game between AFC North rivals will conclude the day's action in style. It could be an ugly game, as these matchups often are but especially this season as neither team has been very good offensively and both defenses are getting healthy and playing pretty well. These teams just met a few weeks ago with the Ravens holding onto a 16-14 win.
If you're looking for John Brubaker, our resident showdown expert, he's crawling out from behind some water, Gatorade, and Excedrin after attending a wedding last night and that leaves me as the backup QB being summoned off the bench to guide you to the green. A lot of actual backups are taking the field today, including the Ravens' second-team QB, Tyler Huntley, who continues to fill in for Lamar Jackson
I will be providing you with daily fantasy football picks on FanDuel and DraftKings for the Steelers vs. Ravens NFL DFS showdown slate on January 1st. These NFL DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks on both DraftKings and FanDuel.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
- Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
- Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
- Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- NFL rookie fantasy football rankings
- Best ball fantasy football rankings
- Superflex fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
MVP/Captain Plays
Tyler Huntley - QB, $14,100 (DK), $14,500 (FD)
Huntley left the first matchup early with an injury, but he had played pretty well before exiting the game as he completed 9-17 for 115 yards and a score while running for 26 yards on 11 attempts. His mobility is a huge advantage and should help him escape a solid Pittsburgh pass rush. Of the two QBs, he definitely has the best floor and the better matchup as the Steelers' pass defense has been well below-average all season. If the Ravens win today, it's likely behind a strong performance from their dual-threat signal caller.
Kenny Pickett - QB, $13,800 (DK), $15,000 (FD)
Here's your leverage! The Ravens' defense will be chalky in these contests, especially considering the fact that they forced three interceptions against the Steelers in the first matchup. But it was Mitch Trubisky who threw those picks in relief of Pickett, I will point out! I mean, Pickett certainly is mistake-prone, too, but he's shown some growth this year and improvement, too, and has moved ahead of Trubisky in terms of his ability to keep this offense moving the chains. The Ravens are stout against the run and will force Pittsburgh to throw. Trubisky did throw for 276 in that first game and this offense moved the ball, they just couldn't convert red zone trips and kept turning the ball over. Pickett has upside and will be the lower-owned QB of the two.
Other Captains/MVPs: Mark Andrews, Diontae Johnson
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DFS Flex Plays
Mark Andrews - TE, $8,800 (DK), $11,500 (FD)
The Ravens' top pass-catcher is underpriced compared to where we are used to seeing him and has had a really disappointing second half of the season. That being said, he's still the top target in the passing game and a guy that Huntley has targeted a ton in the past. He caught only two of six targets in their first meeting, but he should be a factor here today and Baltimore would be wise to find ways to scheme him the ball. I like pairing him with Huntley and he's arguably the only receiver you can feel at all confident about using from Baltimore at this point.
Diontae Johnson - WR, $8,600 (DK), $13,000 (FD)
It was really starting to look like George Pickens was the top dog in Pittsburgh for a while, but Johnson has re-emerged as the WR1 and has double-digit DK points in four straight games, including a 6-82 line against the Ravens in their first meeting. Pickens is certainly playable, too, but I think Johnson has the safer target floor and he's shown he can win these matchups on the outside against Baltimore's corners. If Pickett is able to get into some rhythm, he could feed Johnson as his top target and they pair nicely as a stack.
Pat Freiermuth - TE, $7,200 (DK), $11,000 (FD)
It's no secret that Freiermuth is one of the most important parts of the Pittsburgh offense and that both Pickett and Trubisky have relied on him as their safety blanket to help move the chains. He's been very good again this year, just a little less consistent than he was last year and he's struggled in some of the tougher matchups. But he turned six targets into a 3-33-1 line against Baltimore in their first meeting and he should continue to be a solid red zone target for Pickett. I like him a lot for this price and while he will be popular, it's really hard to make an argument against using him.
Other Flex Options: J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, George Pickens
DFS Value Plays
Justin Tucker - K, $4,400 (DK), $9,500 (FD)
This is definitely a "kickers and defense" type game as Vegas has this one pegged for something like a 19-16 finish with Baltimore slightly favored. Tucker is one of the best kickers in NFL history and the Ravens' offense stalls out plenty often on drives, leaving him plenty of opportunities to make kicks. I would definitely have at least one kicker and one defense in your DK builds and all of these plays in this section are solid on FanDuel as well.
Chris Boswell - K, $4,200 (DK), $8,500 (FD)
Boswell has been a really solid kicker in his career, too, despite his 68% made FG rate this season, and has some solid range out past 50 yards. The Steelers are likely going to end up settling for some field goals in this one, too, as Baltimore's red zone defense has been stingy. Double-kicker builds are not out of the question here, and consider that Bos and Tucker both average far more fantasy points per game than other position players priced in this range.
Steelers D/ST, $4,600 (DK), $9,000 (FD)
The Steelers' defense is coming off a huge outing against the Raiders last week, forcing Derek Carr into three picks and basically ending his career in Vegas as a result. Huntley can be forced into turnovers, too, and the Steelers have historically had a knack for creating them with a solid pass rush and some opportunistic defensive backs.
Ravens D/ST, $5,000 (DK), $10,000 (FD)
Here's your chalk defense, and it makes sense, I get it. The Ravens are solid all-around and aren't likely to give up too many points to this mediocre Steeler defense. But are they going to be able to replicate that three-INT game? I say no, and I would again point out that the Steelers did move the ball up and down the field on them in that one. So while playing the Ravens' defense in cash games makes sense, I think they could be a fade in GPPs, especially if you go the route of stacking Pickett with some pass-catchers.
Other Value Plays: Jaylen Warren, Isaiah Likely
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