derrick-henry-usatsi-cbs.jpg
USATSI

NFL Week 9 opens with a Thursday Night Football matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET. The NFL DFS player pool will be headlined by Derrick Henry, DeAndre Hopkins, Najee Harris, George Pickens, and Diontae Johnson. Quarterbacks Will Levis and Kenny Pickett will be guiding the offenses on TNF, and both will likely be popular NFL DFS picks. Should you build your NFL DFS lineups around either quarterback? Or would it make more sense to build around the running back or wide receiver position? Before locking in any NFL DFS picks for Titans vs. Steelers on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel, be sure to check out the NFL DFS lineup advice, strategy and player stacks from SportsLine NFL daily Fantasy expert Jimmie Kaylor. 

Kaylor is a NFL and DFS expert for SportsLine, who opened the 2022 NFL season by winning DraftKings' NFL Showdown Thursday Kickoff Millionaire contest. He edged out over 355,000 other entrants in the contest and also has multiple five-figure tournament wins on his DFS resume. Kaylor, who cashed big all season in 2022, has covered the NFL and college football for over a decade as a member of the Pro Football Writers of America, and his background as a former college and NFL player gives him a unique perspective when building his fantasy lineups and locking in his betting picks.  

Kaylor hit on epic NFL DFS picks all season in 2022. He was all over Travis Kelce's four-touchdown performance against the Raiderson Monday Night Football, Kirk Cousins' 460-yard, four-TD performance on Thanksgiving Day, and T.J. Hockenson's 13 catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns in Week 15.

This year, Kaylor has been all over players like Justin Jefferson (11-159), D'Andre Swift (175-1), DeVonta Smith (4-132-1), T.J. Hockenson (7-66-2), D.J. Moore (8-230-3), David Montgomery (121-3), Ja'Marr Chase (12-141), Alvin Kamara (12-91, 76), Jordan Addison (7-123-2), and Jahmyr Gibbs (152-1, 5-37) in single-game slates.  Anyone who followed his picks cashed in big.

Now, Kaylor has turned his attention to Titans vs. Steelers on Thursday Night Football Week 9 and just locked in his top daily Fantasy football picks. You can only see his picks and analysis at SportsLine.

Top NFL DFS picks for Titans vs. Steelers on TNF

One of Kaylor's favorite NFL DFS picks for TNFl is Tennessee All-Pro Derrick Henry. The two-time NFL rushing champion has averaged 91 rushing yards per game over the last four weeks, and will be facing a Pittsburgh defense that ranks 27th in the NFL allowing 137.1 rushing yards per game in 2023. With the Titans inexperience at the quarterback position, Kaylor expects a heavy workload for Henry on Thursday.

"Every time I think Derrick Henry is starting to slow down, he quickly proves me wrong. Henry is no stranger to success on Thursday Night Football either, with 564 yards and seven touchdowns in six games on TNF in his career. With Will Levis making his second start for Tennessee, I expect the Titans to lean heavily on Henry and their rushing attack. This is the type of matchup Henry thrives in, and I expect him to be highly productive again on Thursday night," Kaylor told SportsLine.

Part of Kaylor's MNF DFS strategy also includes rostering Titans quarterback Will Levis. The rookie second-round pick out of Kentucky made his first career start last week against the Atlanta Falcons and was outstanding. Levis completed 19 of 29 passes for 238 yards, four touchdowns, and zero turnovers. While he may not replicate those numbers on Thursday night, Kaylor still expects another strong fantasy performance from Levis against the Steelers.

"Will Levis exceeded expectations in his first career start against the Falcons in Week 8. The talented rookie threw for four touchdowns, and with a shortened week for the Pittsburgh defense to prepare, I expect him to stay hot. Tennessee will likely look to establish its rushing attack early, which will take a lot of pressure off Levis and allow him to push the ball downfield like he did in his debut," Kaylor said. You can see the rest of Kaylor's NFL DFS picks here.

How to build NFL DFS lineups for Steelers vs. Titans on TNF

Kaylor is also targeting another undervalued player who could explode for huge numbers for Thursday Night Football. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is, and the rest of Kaylor's TNF DFS picks, at SportsLine. 

So who is Jimmie Kaylor including in his optimal NFL DFS lineups for Thursday Night Football, and which under-the-radar NFL DFS picks offer huge value? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NFL DFS picks, rankings, advice, and stacks, all from a DFS expert who already won a single-game millionaire maker tournament, and find out.