NFL DFS Lineup Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings - Steelers vs. Bengals Thursday Night Showdown

October 16, 2025

Koby's top NFL DFS lineup picks for DraftKings, FanDuel -- Steelers vs. Bengals TNF slate for Week 7 Thursday Night Football (Oct. 16, 2025). His NFL daily fantasy sleeper picks.

Welcome back, RotoBallers! No way for the third week in a row we get an upset, right? These Thursday Night Football games have turned everything upside down. The Giants beating up on the Eagles last week wasn't on my bingo card for sure. Can Joe Flacco and the Bengals make it happen here against the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers? Let's dive in!

The best part of the NFL schedule is that we have only two days off between Monday Night Football and Thursday Night Football, so we are back at it tonight as the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals. The Steelers got the win over the Browns, while the Bengals were handled by the Packers in Week 6. 

I will provide you with daily fantasy football picks on DraftKings and FanDuel for Thursday Night Football in Week 7 -- Steelers vs. Bengals on October 16th, 2025. These NFL DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks. For questions, follow me on X @DFSKoby, or sign up for RotoBaller premium to chat with me and other NFL analysts anytime!

MVP/Captain - NFL DFS Lineup Picks

DK Metcalf- WR, $15.6K (DK), $18.3K (FD)

It is looking like Calvin Austin III is going to be out for the second consecutive game for the Steelers. This puts Metcalf right back into the driver's seat and should continue to see as many targets as he can handle. Last week, he saw nine targets, and although he only caught four of them, that didn't stop him from getting 95 yards and a touchdown. He has had a touchdown in four consecutive weeks, and with being the primary target, he should continue this streak into this week against the Bengals.

The Bengals have been mediocre against WR1s this season. Justin Jefferson, Courtland Sutton, and Amon-Ra St. Brown all managed 75+ yards on 6+ targets in their matchups against the Bengals secondary. This is a killer spot for Metcalf, who should continue to eat in the primary role.

Ja'Marr Chase - WR, $18K (DK), $19.8K (FD)

Ja'Marr Chase has had a rough year, with now three QBs throwing to him; it has been difficult. He had one of his better games of the season, though, last week, where he saw his second-most targets of the season with 12! He caught 10 of those for 94 yards and a touchdown. Chase will continue to be the primary target for Joe Flacco as he continues to get used to the offense.

WHAT A CATCH BY Ja'Marr Chase

CINvsGB on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/fsvj2I2BAT

— NFL (@NFL) October 12, 2025

Chase gets a solid matchup as he should see the majority of work against Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey, who haven't had their best seasons so far. Slay is giving up .26 fantasy points per route run, and Ramsey is giving up .30.

Chase is truly matchup-proof and should have no issue against this secondary. Even with a few bad floor games, his ceiling outweighs everything else and should be highly considered as the top option on this slate.

Other Captains/MVPs: Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco

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Flex Plays - NFL DFS Lineup Picks

Jaylen Warren - RB, $8.4K (DK), $9.2K (FD)

The Steelers have been a bit annoying in the running department. Jaylen Warren doesn't get as much run as he should, but he gets an elite matchup against a Bengals run defense that gives up the most fantasy points to opposing RBs this season. They also give up the most receiving TDs to RBs and the fifth-most rushing TDs. The nice thing about the Steelers is that in the red zone, they are running the ball 60% of the time.

With that, Warren has over an 85% red-zone rush share despite only having one touchdown on the season. This means he is due for some positive regression, and with a weak run defense on deck for him, he should be able to get into the end zone this week.

Jaylen Warren is one of the biggest reasons the Steelers are 4-1. Does so much.

Stuns MYLES GARRETT in pass protection, rides him past Rodgers, then leaks out in scramble drill and makes a diving catch on 3rd-and-3 to move the chains pic.twitter.com/AOKl3lwrLa

— Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) October 13, 2025

With all this being said, it would probably be smart to have a line or two with Kenneth Gainwell as well, just in case the Steelers elect to use him in goal-line situations and steal all the TDs away from Warren.

Evan McPherson - K, $5K (DK), $6.2K (FD)

McPherson might have his best game of the season here against the Steelers defense. The Steelers defense has been specifically great when it comes to teams getting in the red zone and scoring. Teams are scoring TDs only 50% of the time when in the red zone, which is good for fourth best in the league this season.

This could lead to multiple field goals in this game. McPherson was perfect going into last week, where he missed two field goals, both of which were from 50+, though.

McPherson has a career-long of 59, and has been basically automatic from within 50 in his career. If the Steelers defense proves to be strong in the red zone as much as it has been, McPherson could be in for a big game and see his first double-digit fantasy game of the season.

Other Flex Options: Chase Brown, Chris Boswell, Kenneth Gainwell

Value Plays - NFL DFS Lineup Picks

Jonnu Smith - TE, $4K (DK), $5.6K (FD)

Outside of DK Metcalf, Jonnu Smith is really the only one seeing meaningful targets for Pittsburgh. He has seen three or more targets in all five games this season.

Darnell Washington is cutting into those snaps, and if you are looking to take a risk on a cheap guy, then by all means go for it. Washington had a big catch at the beginning of the game last week and benefited from it the rest of the game. Smith is still the more reliable guy in TE sets.

The Bengals are a great matchup to show who the true TE1 is in the offense. The Bengals have given up the most fantasy points to opposing TEs this season. Without Austin in the lineup, Aaron Rodgers is going to continue to need a reliable guy to throw to, and I think Smith is that guy outside of Metcalf.

Noah Fant - TE, $3.6K (DK), $5K (FD)

Mike Gesicki is down with a pectoral issue. That just opened up a big spot for Noah Fant to take advantage of. Last week, Drew Sample took over a large snap share in Gesicki's absence.

Sample isn't much of a pass-catching TE. Fant, however, saw immediate chemistry with Joe Flacco, catching all four of his targets for 27 yards last week against the Packers. For only $5K on FanDuel, I think we get incredible value for someone who can be a big target for the Bengals.

The Bengals may get down early, which could end up making this a straight passing attack from Flacco and company. Having an early chemistry with him is going to be big for Fant, who should continue to see an uptick in snaps as long as Gesicki is out.

Other Value Options: Scotty Miller, Darnell Washington, Andrei Iosivas

Sample NFL DFS Lineup

Here is a lineup option I like for tonight's slate on FanDuel. Note that sample lineups are not intended to be used in contests by readers, but instead to show the type of roster construction that I am considering when building my lineups tonight.

More DFS Analysis and Lineup Picks