Week 7 of the 2025 NFL season is already here and it doesn’t feel real but we are inching closer and closer to the halfway point of the season. Injuries have been racking up each week and by now we have enough of a sample size to know whose performances are legitimate and who has been a real disappointment thus far.

For our latest TNF DFS picks on DraftKings and FanDuel we get a matchup from the AFC North on a short week and this game just reeks of a 17-14 final score. The Pittsburgh Steelers will visit the Cincinnati Bengals. The Steelers enter this matchup on a three-game winning streak while the other teams in the AFC North are riding three-or-four-game losing streaks. It’s far from the most impressive matchup we’ve seen in primetime this season but there’s always money to be made. Let’s a look at our Steelers vs. Bengals DFS picks and lineup building strategies to kick off Week 7!

 

 

 

Steelers vs. Bengals DFS Picks & Preview: Thursday Night Football, 10/16

The big storyline heading into this matchup is the combined age of the two starting quarterbacks. Aaron Rodgers (turns 42 in December) and Joe Flacco (turns 41 in January) are well past their prime. This is only the third time in NFL history where the starting quarterbacks in a regular season NFL game were both over 40 years old.

In his first season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Rodgers isn’t racking up yardage numbers but he’s completing 68.8% of his pass attempts while throwing for 10 touchdowns. He has the Steelers in position for a playoff run and on an easy path to winning the AFC North.

Joe Flacco started the season with the Cleveland Browns but was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals prior to Week 6 and he got the start this past Sunday with just a few days to learn the playbook. Flacco helped pull off a surprising upset win over the Green Bay Packers when he was with the Cleveland Browns. However, he wasn’t able to beat the Packers on Sunday in his debut with Cincinnati. He did throw for 219 yards and a pair of touchdowns and that’s better than what the team was getting out of Jake Browning.

The AFC North is a mess. You get the sense that if the Steelers win this game then it’s smooth sailing to a division win. The Cleveland Browns are 1-5. The Baltimore Ravens are shockingly also 1-5. If the Bengals can win this game they can pull within a game-and-a-half of the Steelers for the division lead and possibly tread water for a potential Wild Card spot until Joe Burrow can possibly return in December.

For our Steelers vs. Bengals DFS picks, we have plenty of great skill position players in elite matchups, but the short week always throws a wrinkle into our strategies and even setting lineups for our season-long leagues. Hopefully these two Super Bowl winning quarterbacks can deliver an exciting matchup. Let’s dig into the top TNF DFS picks to kick off Week 7!

 

 

 

Steelers vs. Bengals TNF Odds at DraftKings & FanDuel

DraftKings Sportsbook

  • Spread:
    • Steelers -5.5 (-110)
    • Bengals +5.5 (-110)
  • Money Line:
    • Steelers (-278)
    • Bengals (+225)
  • Game Total:
    • Over 43.5 (-110)
    • Under 43.5 (-110)

FanDuel Sportsbook

  • Spread:
    • Steelers -5.5 (-108)
    • Bengals +5.5 (-112)
  • Money Line:
    • Steelers (-250)
    • Bengals (+205)
  • Game Total:
    • Over 42.5 (-115)
    • Under 42.5 (-105)

 

 

 

NFL Weather: Steelers vs. Bengals TNF, October 16th

We’re looking at good autumn weather in Southwest Ohio for our Steelers vs. Bengals DFS picks. Temperatures will be in the mid-40’s with clear skies around kickoff with very light winds that shouldn’t exceed five miles per hour.

 

Steelers vs. Bengals Injuries: Thursday Night Football Week 7

As of Tuesday night, it’s hard to really tell who could be inactive. Monday’s injury reports are only estimates, so we’re mostly working with Tuesday’s reports. As always, be mindful of inactives leading up to roster lock. 

Calvin Austin missed last week’s game for the Steelers and he did not practice on Tuesday so given the short week, I’m not anticipating he’ll play. The Steelers do tend to give their starters an additional rest day which is why Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf appeared on Monday’s estimated injury report, but they’ll be ready to go for this game.

The Bengals could be down a couple tight ends. Mike Gesicki hasn’t practiced because of a pectoral injury and Tanner Hudson is dealing with a concussion. On the defensive side we’ll need to monitor the status of Trey Hendrickson who is dealing with a hip injury at the moment.

 

 

 

NFL Thursday Night Football DFS Picks: MVP/Captain

Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals - DraftKings: $12,000 | FanDuel: $13,200

You don’t need me to make much of an argument for Ja'Marr Chase. The upside is huge and with Jake Browning getting replaced, we can feel good about utilizing Chase once again. In half his performances this year he’s gone for over 25 fantasy points so that’s obviously the upside we’re chasing by recommending him as a Captain.

In his first game with Joe Flacco as his quarterback, Chase caught 10-of-12 targets for 94 yards and a touchdown. The best part is that Chase saw a 44.4% first-read target share so Flacco knows to put the ball in his best player’s hands.

The Steelers have been very good against opposing rushing attacks. Because of that, since Week 3, they’re first in pass rate over expected allowed and this is likely to be a negative game script for the Bengals offense and Pittsburgh has struggled to contain the WR1 for the opposing offense. Justin Jefferson racked up 126 yards against them. Jaxon Smith-Njigba went for 103 yards. Garrett Wilson even went for 95 yards and we know how bad the Jets offense is. This is another smash spot for Ja'Marr Chase in primetime.

DK Metcalf, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers - DraftKings: $10,400 | FanDuel: $12,200

DK Metcalf had a pretty hilarious stat line this past Sunday. He caught just 4-of-9 targets, but all four receptions were for at least 20 yards and three of them were for 25. So he finished with 95 yards on four receptions and a touchdown. What do we think he’s capable of against arguably the worst secondary in the league?

Over half of his targets last week were deep and Aaron Rodgers even missed him on what would have been a walk-in touchdown for Metcalf. But despite that miss, the Steelers WR1 has found the end zone in four straight games.

We know the upside is there especially in a matchup like this. He has 221 yards on just nine receptions in his last two games. We haven’t even seen what he can do this season with more than five receptions in a game especially when he’s averaging 18.7 yards per catch. It’s a smash spot for Metcalf to possibly have his best game of the season Thursday night.

Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals – DraftKings: $10,000 | FanDuel: $8,600

Higgins is an absolute steal on FanDuel. He’s the third-most expensive play on the DraftKings Showdown slate. On FanDuel he’s priced below both starting quarterbacks (Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco), Jaylen Warren, and Chase Brown. Higgins won’t see the target share of Ja'Marr Chase, but he still had eight targets last week in Joe Flacco’s first game as the quarterback for the Bengals.

Flacco was credited with 45 pass attempts last week but he had five throwaways. Chase and Higgins accounted for half the targets on the other 40 attempts. The Steelers are surrendering 245 passing yards per game through the air which is sixth worst in the league. Joe Flacco understands the assignment and he’s targeting the right players. We could be looking at Tee Higgins’ first 100-yard game of the season on Thursday.

 

 

 

NFL Thursday Night Football DFS Picks: Core Plays

Aaron Rodgers, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers – DraftKings: $9,800 | FanDuel: $12,600

Rodgers is perfectly fine to play at the Flex for this Thursday Night Football DFS slate. Surprisingly, the passing volume has been minimal so far. He doesn’t have a game with 35+ pass attempts. In fact, he has two games with fewer than 25 attempts. And he doesn’t have rushing upside. Because of that, I’m not interested in playing him at Captain because I’m not entirely confident he gets the 300-yard passing bonus.

The Bengals are allowing 258.5 passing yards per game which is second worst in the NFL and they’re allowing the third most points per game. Over his last two games, Rodgers is averaging nearly 8.4 yards per attempt and 3.8% completion percentage over expected. Those are some nice trends heading into this particular matchup against a weak secondary.

Joe Flacco, QB, Cincinnati Bengals – DraftKings: $9,400 | FanDuel: $11,200

Given that Flacco had just a few days to learn the playbook and develop chemistry with the Bengals skill position players, we can probably live with 219 passing yards and two touchdowns. We should still proceed with a little caution because in four starts with the Browns he had eight turnovers.

The Steelers have a strong pass rush that’s gotten better of late. And that’s obviously concerning for Flacco because the Steelers just sacked Flacco’s old teammate, Dillon Gabriel, six times this past Sunday. Flacco was only sacked once in his debut with Cincinnati but that could change Thursday night.

Perhaps some words of caution are necessary because most of my early lineup builds have utilized just one quarterback, and not both. I prefer Rodgers slightly because Flacco had just a 71.1% catchable throw rate last week and 129 of his 219 passing yards came in the fourth quarter according to Dataroma.

 

 

 

NFL Thursday Night Football DFS Picks: Mid-Tier Plays

Jaylen Warren, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers – DraftKings: $8,400 | FanDuel: $9,200

Warren missed Week 4 with injury and the team was off during Week 5. In Week 6 he returned with 13 touches and 63 total yards. He has 13 receptions in four games and provided a good range of 13-17 fantasy points in Weeks 1-3. He probably lacks the upside of the three receivers listed in the Captain section. And with the Steelers still leaning on Kenneth Gainwell coming out of the Bye, I’m not expecting a significant share in touches for Warren.

The good news is that the matchup is about as good as you could ask for. The Bengals have allowed 152.3 rushing yards per game in their last three games so there’s an opportunity for one of these running backs to pop for a big run and a score.

Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals – DraftKings: $8,000 | FanDuel: $10,600

Chase Brown has done nothing to really warrant a spot in any NFL DFS article you see published on Fantasy Alarm. But at the same time, he’s still seeing double-digit touches each week. The offensive line is doing him no favors. They’ve been terrible all year long, and Brown is averaging 2.7 yards per carry. To his credit, over his last three games he’s averaging 4.0 yards per carry, but he still hasn’t found the end zone since Week 1 and he’s not exactly a bell cow running back.

The Steelers defense has been much better against the run of late. In Week 3 they benefitted from five total turnovers against the New England Patriots, but they held the Patriots running backs to 74 rushing yards on 22 carries. They held Jordan Mason to 57 rushing yards in the NFL’s Dublin game. And last week they kept Quinshon Judkins in check to the tune of just 36 rushing yards on 12 carries.

Brown sees involvement in the passing game with multiple receptions in all six games this year. That’s probably his saving grace and the only reason I’m including here in case Cincy’s playing from behind. The receptions raise his floor but even then, he isn’t breaking off any big plays. He has just 102 receiving yards on 20 receptions. And the Bengals haven’t registered a single explosive rushing play (15+ yards). They’re the only team in the NFL yet to do so through Week 6.

 

 

 

NFL Thursday Night Football DFS Picks: Value Plays

Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers – DraftKings: $6,400 | FanDuel: $6,600

Gainwell’s not quite a true “value” on DraftKings, but at $6,600 on FanDuel he’s going to be a popular salary saver over there. As we’ve touched on plenty of times by now for our Steelers vs. Bengals DFS picks, the Bengals are bad against almost every position. The defense can’t stop a cold.

Even with Jaylen Warren returning after the team’s Bye week, Warren only touched the ball 13 times. Gainwell was still involved with 12 touches of his own and six of those were receptions. That marked his second consecutive game with six receptions and in four-of-five games this year for Pittsburgh he’s seen at least four targets out of the backfield.

The Bengals are terrible everywhere on defense. If we’re going to highlight Gainwell’s ability to catch passes, we should also touch on what the Packers have allowed to pass-catching running backs. Last week Josh Jacobs caught five passes for 57 yards. Jahmyr Gibbs caught a receiving touchdown back in Week 5 against this defense. In Week 4, RJ Harvey caught four passes and found the end zone. At this price on both sites, Gainwell’s receiving upside has him firmly in play as an affordable Flex option.

And if you need an absolute punt at the position, this backfield has been so ugly to look at because even Kaleb Johnson has seen six carries in back-to-back games. Gainwell has more appeal because of the receptions, but this is looking like an ugly committee in Pittsburgh.

Samaje Perine, RB, Cincinnati Bengals – DraftKings: $4,400 | FanDuel: $3,200

Through Weeks 1-4, Chase Brown commanded 85.9% of the rush share while Perine was under 10%. Over the last two weeks, things have shifted. Brown’s rush share is down to 63% and Perine is at 37%. Perine hasn’t necessarily done much with the opportunity but he’s a cheap source of receptions.

In Game 1 of the Flacco Era, Chase Brown only played 53% of the snaps. Perine saw 75% of the snaps inside the 10-yard line. This may not be such a terrible spot to fade Chase Brown and go a bit overweight in terms of exposure on Perine if he’s going to see the high value touches near the goal line.

Jonnu Smith, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers – DraftKings: $4,000 | FanDuel: $5,600

We close out the value section of our Steelers vs. Bengals DFS picks with a pair of affordable tight ends. Smith has seen regular involvement in the offense and the passing game. He’s seen at least three targets in every game this season with at least three catches in all but one game so far.

He hasn’t found the end zone since Week 1 and honestly the yardage totals haven’t been great. He’s lacking the big play upside that made him so endearing a year ago with the Miami Dolphins. But the Bengals have allowed an opposing tight end to find the end zone in three of their last four games but that’s also an argument we can apply towards playing Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington.

Noah Fant, TE, Cincinnati Bengals – DraftKings: $3,600 | FanDuel: $5,000

Noah Fant is one of my favorite players to target for DraftKings Pick6 contests Thursday night. As of Tuesday evening, his receiving yardage prop was at 25.5 yards and he’s gone over that in four-of-five games this year.

But the Steelers rank 31st among all NFL teams in receiving yards allowed to the tight end position at 71.8 yards per game. He’s caught at least three passes in four-of-five games this season and we know Joe Flacco wasn’t shy about throwing the ball to the tight ends earlier this year in Cleveland. Even last week, Fant caught all four of his targets from Flacco and if he can find the end zone it’s possible he’s returning double-digit fantasy points.

And don’t forget, Mike Gesicki (pectoral) and Tanner Hudson (concussion) haven’t practiced on the short week so that could keep Fant on the field a good amount.

 

 

 

TNF DFS Picks: Kickers & D/ST

The Steelers come into this matchup as road favorites by 5.5 points. The Bengals have an implied team total of 19 points. In no way do I want to play the Cincinnati Bengals defense in this matchup. They’re allowing over 30 points per game (third most) and 394.2 yards per game (second most). They have just 11 sacks through six games and Trey Hendrickson is credited with four of them. Even at such an affordable price on both sites, the Bengals D/ST poses a big risk to our NFL DFS Showdown lineups.

The Steelers defense is certainly in play when you just see how they’ve trended after a sluggish start to the 2025 NFL season. In Weeks 1 and 2 the Steelers defense allowed 63 total points and 789 total yards of offense to the Seattle Seahawks and New York Jets. In their last three games they’ve allowed a total of 44 points to the likes of the Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings, and New England Patriots. In that span they’ve accumulated 17 sacks and seven takeaways. Against a bad offensive line like Cincinnati’s, the Pittsburgh D/ST could be looking at their fourth straight game returning double-digit fantasy points.

Chris Boswell has missed a kick for the Steelers in each of his last two games. However, I’m not willing to hold that against him. He’s attempted 11 field goals in five games. He’s made nine of them and eight of those have been from 40+ yards out. So when he’s making field goals, there’s a good chance they’re coming from deep. And the Steelers have an implied team total of 24.5 points. In three-of-five games this year, Boswell has returned 12+ fantasy points so he’s a great correlation play at the Flex position.

Evan McPherson has just eight field goal attempts in six games. The good news is that with Joe Flacco under center last week he did have three attempts. He did miss two of those attempts but those came from 56-and-67 yards out respectively. If he makes just one of those he’s returning double-digit fantasy points in Week 6. So I do think if Cincinnati keeps this game close, McPherson has some upside and most casual DFS players will see that he’s averaging 5.5 fantasy points per game and try to stay away from this play. 

 

 

 

Steelers vs. Bengals DFS Player Pool: TNF, 10/16

Player Pool

$ Tier {{pos.alias}}

Stacks

{{stack.team.name}} {{player.name}}
DraftKings {{player.fantasy.price.value[8]}}-
Fanduel {{player.fantasy.price.value[6]}}-