Squirrel’s Nuts & Bolts: Steelers - Browns TNF Showdown Strategy (Week 4 NFL DFS)

Oct 01, 2026

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Week 4 of the NFL season kicks off with an AFC North Showdown between the Steelers and the Browns at Huntington Bank Field. Kickoff is 8:15 p.m. ET, and the Steelers are favored by 2.5 points on the road, with the total set at 38.5 points.

The Steelers beat the Falcons 20-13, lost 20-3 in New England, and then beat the Bengals 30-27 on Sunday. Aaron Rodgers threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns against Cincinnati after throwing one touchdown pass in the first two games. Rico Dowdle (toe) missed that game and is out again tonight. Without him, Jaylen Warren ran 17 times for 127 yards and added three catches for 49 yards, and his 176 yards from scrimmage were a career high. Warren had 21 carries in the first two games while Dowdle took 15, and against the Bengals, backups Travis Homer and Lew Nichols got one carry apiece. DK Metcalf has 11 catches for 98 yards and a touchdown on a team-high 24 targets. Michael Pittman Jr. had three catches for 58 yards in his Steelers debut and caught two of five targets for 16 yards against the Bengals in his return from a foot injury.

The Browns are off to a surprising 2-1 start, their first winning record since the 2023 season, after winning as underdogs in each of the last two weeks, including as 8.5-point underdogs in Tampa Bay. After missing all of last season following two Achilles surgeries, Deshaun Watson has completed 56 of 82 passes for 587 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception, with 105 rushing yards on 24 carries. Both of his touchdown passes against Carolina went to Harold Fannin Jr., including the game-winner with 1:48 left. Rookie Denzel Boston leads the team with 195 receiving yards and has two touchdowns on nine catches, and fellow rookie KC Concepcion has a team-high 20 targets. Quinshon Judkins has 124 yards on 42 carries. The Browns will be without starting center Elgton Jenkins (concussion) and guard Teven Jenkins (back).

This Showdown gives us two teams that rank in the bottom 10 in the league in scoring and a total under 40. Let’s break down this Thursday night AFC North Showdown, highlight the key plays, and uncover the strategies that could help you climb the leaderboards.