Raiders vs. Steelers SNF Start 'Em, Sit 'Em - Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren, Josh Jacobs, George Pickens, Pat Freiermuth

September 24, 2023

Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em, and lineup advice for the Raiders and Steelers on Sunday Night Football in Week 3 (2023). Detailed player breakdowns and TNF matchup analysis.

Week 3 has been a fun one but there's still more left, starting with the Sunday Night Football matchup. In this article you'll find out Sunday Night Football matchups analysis article, this time for the Raiders vs. Steelers.

With more injuries and boom performances, fantasy football managers have had an exciting week. And now you'r are looking for big performances in the Sunday Night Football game between the Las Vegas Raiders vs. Pittsburgh Steelers.

Read our matchups analysis, player breakdowns, and lineup recommendations for the matchup and set those winning lineups. Good luck RotoBallers!

Pittsburgh Steelers at Las Vegas Raiders

Spread: Steelers -2.5 
Implied Total: Steelers (22.75) vs. Raiders (20.25)
Pace: Steelers (3rd) vs. Raiders (28th)
Steelers Off. DVOA: -37.7% Pass (32nd), -38.2% Rush (28th)
Raiders Off. DVOA: 31.9% Pass (9th), -58.1% Rush (32nd)
Steelers Def. DVOA: -7.5% Pass (10th), -4.1% Rush (21st)
Raiders Def. DVOA: 32.3% Pass (26th), 8.6% Rush (26th)

Fantasy Football Matchups Analysis

Normally I have a section for "Matchups We Love" and "Matchups We Hate", but not for this game. I don't love or hate any of the fantasy-relevant players, as they all fall in the same bucket for me this week.

Davante Adams (WR, LV)

I worry we're going to be subjected to another low-scoring, dissatisfying contest in prime time. Only this time on Sunday night instead of Monday night. The Raiders offense is decent but faces a difficult Steelers defense. While the Raiders' defense is terrible, so is the Steelers' offense.

Nevertheless, Adams, who thankfully cleared the concussion protocol, is one of the two primary Las Vegas players you'll want to start. Jakobi Meyers has returned to practice from his concussion, signaling he should be active. His volume in Week 1 was fantastic, but the Denver defense turned out to be a plus matchup, so he's a flex option.

Josh Jacobs (RB, LV)

The other one, as you probably guessed, is Jacobs. Turning nine carries into negative three yards would normally relegate you to the bench. However, Jacobs hauled in five of his targets for 51 yards to somewhat salvage his day.

Pittsburgh is without one of their top run defenders, Cameron Heyward, which has allowed teams to exploit them on the ground. They've given up a league-high 5.6 rush yards per attempt. Jacobs goes back in for a redemption game.

Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren (RB, PIT)

It took everything in me not to list this duo in a "matchups we hate" section of their own, but the Raiders' defense is also allowing over five yards per carry and currently sits as the best matchup for fantasy running backs.

Jaylen Warren looks spectacular. He averaged 8.6 yards per touch last week compared to Najee Harris's 3.9. He's also 12th in elusive rating. Furthermore, their total touches are almost identical, with a slight edge (11-10) for Harris.

I'm willing to start both and hope the offense can move the ball, but I'd rather go with Warren because he doesn't need the same amount of volume to come through. He's expected to see more carries this week, so it may be a bigger opportunity.

George Pickens (WR, PIT)

Pickens took a short pass 71 yards to the house, popping off for a big day. Outside of that, he had three receptions for 56 yards, which is decent. Diontae Johnson was placed on Injured Reserve, so Pickens should continue to be the No. 1 target moving forward. The matchup is very good, keeping him in the top 36.

Pat Freiermuth (TE, PIT)

Much like the running backs, this is a close-your-eyes-and-pray sort of situation. He has two receptions through two games, one of which he scored on, but you'd have to believe Kenny Pickett looks his way more often against the Raiders. He's a high-risk, high-reward type of streamer.

Notable Injuries

Diontae Johnson (hamstring)

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