Welcome to the Monday Night Showdown Slate for NFL Week 13!

We have an interesting matchup here between the Washington Football team who last played on Thanksgiving and the Pittsburgh Steelers who last played on Wednesday. One team with a quick turnaround and one that hasn’t played in a while. The Steelers are currently the league's lone undefeated team but they will face a stiff test against a Washington defense that has a fearsome defensive line led by rookie Chase Young and Montez Sweat who will be looking to get after Ben Roethlisberger and slow down the Steelers passing attack.

Before we start, please allow me to reiterate that while we all love having a little skin in the game, these showdown slates are basically lottery tickets. Sure, there are times when the chalk hits and everyone shares in the prizes, but more often than not, you need that random, differentiated yourself from the herd dart-throw to hit in order to claim that top prize. As a result, we are encouraged to play responsibly. Stick to the GPP contests (single-entry preferred), don’t blow your whole bankroll and understand that, unless you are a max-entry player, you should prioritize having fun.

OK, lecture over. Let’s get to tonight’s action.

Washington Football Team vs Pittsburgh Steelers

Spread: Steelers -6.5

O/U: 43.5

Weather: mid 30’s, partly cloudy but no precipitation; winds NNW 8 mph

Notable Injuries:

Washington:

Terry McLaurin , WR (ankle - questionable)

Broncos:

Ben Roethlisberger , QB (knee – questionable)

Steven Nelson , CB (knee – doubtful)

James Conner , RB (Covid-19 IR – doubtful)

 

Defensive Rankings (Using DVOA):

Washington:

vs Pass: 3rd

vs Run: 13th   

Steelers

vs Pass: 1st

vs Run: 3rd   

 

Please note that if a player is not listed that does not mean they are a full fade and players listed below can all have captain considerations.

MVP/Captain

Steelers Defense – These two defenses today are top notch which will make points tough to come by if the 43.5 game total didn’t already alert you of that. The Steelers defense has been an elite unit in recent seasons, especially at home and especially when it comes to getting after the quarterback. On the year they have 41 sacks, 16 interceptions and three fumble recoveries. Alex Smith has already been sacked 15 times this season which would have him on pace for 48 sacks this year. He has also only thrown three touchdowns to five interceptions.

Diontae Johnson – The man is just a target monster and when healthy is an automatic play. Now, I know he is expensive so you will need to get a bit scrubby to fit him in as an MVP/CPT but we are talking about a guy who has seen at least 10 targets in every game he has played from start to finish and those targets are what leads to fantasy production.

J.D. McKissic – A dart throw Captain player here, I don’t see the Washington Football team being in position to have a lead and run the football with Antonio Gibson which likely means more work for McKissic out of the backfield.  In games where Washington played from behind we have seen McKissic see as many as 15 targets with Alex Smith opting for the check down.

Mid-Tier

Washington Defense – We saw the Ravens defense give the Steelers offense some fits in Week 12 and while Washington doesn’t have the elite talent in the secondary that the Ravens have, they do have one of the best defensive lines in football. Washington has 36 sacks on the year with 10 interceptions and three fumble recoveries. Washington has notched at least four sacks in four of the last five games.

Benny Snell Jr. – James Conner is not looking like he will be activated in time for today’s game which means it is likely going to be another Benny Snell game. Snell rushed for 60 yards and added three catches for 33 yards against the Ravens. Similar production should be pretty easily attained today.

Eric Ebron – Drops have plagued Ebron this season, but the targets continue to go his way this season and those targets lead to the potential for production. Washington has struggled against the tight end position this season and if I can get a player at his price tag that will see six-plus targets then he is worth the showdown lineup spot.

Chase Claypool -  Has as much upside as anyone on this slate with his big play touchdown potential. The rookie has 10 touchdowns already this season and the Washington secondary has given up some big plays at time this season.

Dart Throws

Terry McLaurin – Now, no, McLaurin isn’t a dart throw in terms of talent but given the fact that he is not 100-percent and is dealing with this real tough Steelers defense I think using him is definitely a boom or bust play and therefore he makes the dart throw section.

James Washington – A guy that makes the occasional play here for the Steelers. Everyone focuses on the “Big 3” receivers for the Steelers and that makes sense but in a showdown you need to be different and a long touchdown from James Washington could be what breaks you away from the competition.

Logan Thomas – Steelers are very strong against opposing tight ends, but Thomas gets the targets and in a game where Washington expects to be trailing they will have to throw which brings Thomas some additional upside.