While FanDuel has done away with the two-game Monday-Thursday slate, it looks like our friends over at Draft Kings are going to keep it alive this season and give us more than just a one-game Showdown mode. What we’ll do here and each subsequent week thereafter, is discuss the match-ups and expectations of game flow and see if we can’t create a write-up and some GPP lineup examples to help you win some money during the week. Now, Justin Mason will have already written up the Monday game in his Weekly Game Previews, so definitely check that out for an alternative or sometimes concurring opinion on what to expect.

Here’s what I’m thinking:

Pittsburgh Steelers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Steelers: Run D – 27th Pass D – 21st

Buccaneers: Run D – 23rd Pass D – 28th

The rankings above are based off current DVOA numbers, so obviously, neither unit is looking like a shut-down defense. The trick is to find out just where they are weakest in each department.

Passing:

Everyone is going to tell you Big Ben is horrible on the road and he is. But enough to dismiss him in this match-up? I’m not so sure. Vegas has the Bucs favored by one point with an O/U of 55 right now, so we’re expecting both quarterbacks to sling the rock heavily. If you’re playing the Showdown, you’ve got to pick one – Ben on the road versus everyone wondering when the FitzMagic runs out. If you’re playing the Mon-Thurs. slate on DK, do you pivot to either Kirk Cousins or Jared Goff ?

Rushing:

Neither team is really forcing the run as the Steelers are dead-last in rushing attempts with 48 while the Bucs rank 29th with just 57. But while the Steelers have run fewer times, they’ve also averaged 96 yards per game with four rushing touchdowns on the season. These numbers have also been inflated by James Conner ’s 100-plus yard performance in Week 1. His performance last week was less than stellar and that probably has something to do with their need for a shootout last week with the Chiefs as well as some pretty poor run-blocking ratings according to Pro Football Focus.

The Bucs have a higher rank for run-blocking, but not only have they been ineffective on the ground, but they are also quick to abandon it and get into a battle through the air with their opponents. Week 1 it was the Saints and then last week it was the Eagles. Maybe you can blame the coaching staff, but they’re also incredibly disappointed with the production of Peyton Barber and feel they can thrive through the pass.

Conner has the advantage over Barber, but would it surprise anyone to see neither perform well? If you want to know where the real edge might be, it’s the fact that the Bucs rank 27th against RB pass plays and Conner should see the extra work. The Bucs should be in pass-heavy mode once again, but they bring in Jacquizz Rodgers for that. With the Steelers ranking seventh against RB pass plays, he’s probably best used as a contrarian play to differentiate yourself from the rest of the herd.

Receiving:

Both passing attacks are high-flying and at their best right now. The key is to find out where the coverage is tightest on each side and see if we can exploit the softer match-ups.

The Bucs have been real soft on the outside given the injuries to Brent Grimes and Vernon Hargreaves . Both are expected to be back, but are we thinking either guy can contain Antonio Brown ? Probably not and if James Washington is on the outside on the other side of the field, he’s going to help keep the secondary nice and busy. Tampa’s pass coverage appears to be best against the slot, but the match-up between JuJu Smith-Schuster and slot corner M.J. Stewart appears to favor the receiver.

Meanwhile, the cornerback match-ups for the Steelers against the Bucs wideouts look pretty soft. The key to figuring out who’s going to be able to exploit it best is going to come down to where they line up Chris Godwin . Mike Evans spend most of his time on the left side, so if Godwin is on the right and DeSean Jackson is in the slot, I’m favoring Evans and Godwin. Yes, I know that’s blasphemy given DJax’s performance thus far, but you gotta lean where the coverage is softest and that seems to be on the outside.

As for the tight ends, both are fairly weak in coverage with the Bucs giving up significantly more yardage, on average. Of course, then the question is which guy do you like between Vance McDonald and Jesse James . You may want to just roll with O.J. Howard , but James could be an interesting pick.

Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams

Vikings: Run D – 12th Pass D – 6th  

Rams: Run D – 17th Pass D – 3rd  

We don’t have their Week 4 rankings as all the Week 3 data is still being compiled, so the numbers above are where they ranked coming into their Week 3 contests. It should be noted that the Vikings gave up 128 rushing yards and 196 yards through the air in a loss to Buffalo. The Rams coughed up 141 rushing yards and 226 receiving yards as they beat the Chargers.

Passing:

This should be a very interesting scenario, especially if you were hoping to save a few bucks and pay down at the quarterback position. To effectively use Kirk Cousins , a lot will have to do with the health of the Rams cover corners Marcus Peters (calf) and Aqib Talib (ankle). Peters seems to be the more injured and most-likely to be out for a few weeks. Talib seems more day-to-day but x-rays are pending. On the other side, Jared Goff did a great job throwing for 354 yards and three touchdowns against the Chargers vaunted secondary, though they’ve had their struggles as well. If there’s a lean, it’s towards Cousins should Peters and/or Talib be out.

Rushing:

Todd Gurley needs nothing more than a mention. He’s a stud both in the passing and rushing attacks, but obviously the Vikings have a tremendous run defense. Heading into this week, they had allowed just over 105 yards per game and while they coughed up some yardage this week to the Bills, I think that was more just taking an opponent for granted rather than believing Chris Ivory is suddenly a thing.

On the ground for the Vikings, we’re going to have to check in on Dalvin Cook ’s status. If his hamstring is better, he’s going to be well-rested and ready to attack a Rams defense that allowed 5.0 yards per carry before allowing 7.1 yards per carry to the Chargers. Latavius Murray will handle the workload should Cook not be available. He was a disaster this past week, but again, the whole Vikings team was a disaster and game flow took the ground game out of commission.

Receiving:

Again, we’re going to have to wait and see who the cover-corners are going to be for the Rams this week, but if there’s a match-up to exploit, it looks like Adam Thielen against slot-corner Nickell Robey-Coleman . Talib usually hangs out on the right side opposite Stefon Diggs while Peters would be on Laquon Treadwell . Either would be usable, with Treadwell being a contrarian option, if their opposing corner is out. The Rams could choose to shadow Diggs if one of their corners is able to play, but that’s all speculative right now.

For the Rams side, I would look at Cooper Kupp as the possible play from this game. Brandin Cooks vs Xavier Rhodes and Robert Woods vs Trae Waynes may not be the match-up you’d like to use. Contrarian? I suppose, but with so much available in the Monday game, it might be best to leave this one alone.

As for tight ends, both defenses have been roughed up. Kyle Rudolph over the middle against the Rams is worth looking at while Tyler Higbee or Gerald Everett could be used as contrarian options.

***Don't worry about the prices on the FD Single-Game contest. I've pluggedd in both the primary and pivot lineup and both fit. Same goes for the prices for the Rams and Vikings on the Thursday slate. Trying to get so many different prices on different slates is going to cause my computer, our servers and my head to explode.