NFL DFS Week 7 DraftKings: Saints-Steelers Showdown

Jaylen Warren is my starting point for Steelers–Saints, with Chris Olave the strongest receiving-led alternative. Pittsburgh can win through Warren’s rushing and receiving work; New Orleans can answer through a concentrated Olave game. Those are different lineups, and forcing both ideas into the same six-man build is where the decisions get difficult.

The NFL Week 7 Paris game kicks off Sunday, October 25, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. ET at Stade de France. This is a separate DraftKings Showdown slate, not part of the Sunday afternoon main slate. Week 7 schedule

DraftKings Showdown salaries and the key tradeoffs

One Captain and five FLEX players must fit under $50,000, with both teams represented. Captain earns 1.5 times the fantasy points and costs 1.5 times the FLEX salary. The prices below are for the full-game Paris Showdown on October 25.

The biggest decision is not simply Warren versus Olave. Moving from Warren Captain to Olave Captain costs $1,200, exactly the savings from moving Germie Bernard to Pat Freiermuth in FLEX. That is the two-player comparison I want to make: which combination better matches the touchdowns and targets I am projecting?

My Captain order starts Warren, Olave, Metcalf, then Rodgers. Shough is an alternative when backing a Saints-led game, while Kamara is a more speculative receiving-touchdown build. Freiermuth and Washington interest me more as affordable FLEX pieces than as default Captains.

Projected ownership

CTS expert estimates for large-field DraftKings GPPs. These estimates are uncalibrated and are not measured contest ownership. They are conditional on entries using this 30-player pool; low-volume roles carry greater uncertainty.

Rico Dowdle is active. Eli Heidenreich and Treyton Welch are inactive and excluded. Active status does not guarantee workload.

Player	FLEX salary	Captain ownership	FLEX ownership
Chris Olave	$11,200	12%	40%
Jaylen Warren	$10,400	14%	39%
Tyler Shough	$9,800	14%	48%
DK Metcalf	$9,400	7%	30%
Aaron Rodgers	$9,000	19%	52%
Devaughn Vele	$7,200	3%	20%
Alvin Kamara	$7,000	<1%	9%
Germie Bernard	$6,800	12%	43%
Juwan Johnson	$6,400	3%	21%
Pat Freiermuth	$5,600	3%	21%
Rico Dowdle	$5,400	2%	18%
Kendre Miller	$5,000	3%	21%
Chris Boswell	$4,800	1%	21%
Daniel Carlson	$4,600	<1%	17%
Steelers	$4,400	<1%	15%
Darnell Washington	$4,200	2%	19%
Saints	$3,600	<1%	14%
Noah Fant	$3,400	<1%	12%
Bryce Lance	$3,000	<1%	10%
CJ Donaldson	$2,400	<1%	10%
Kaden Wetjen	$2,200	<1%	<1%
Barion Brown	$2,000	<1%	2%
Oscar Delp	$1,600	<1%	2%
Travis Homer	$1,400	<1%	<1%
Brandon Smith	$1,200	<1%	6%
Robert Tonyan	$600	<1%	2%
Lew Nichols	$200	<1%	1%
Riley Nowakowski	$200	<1%	<1%
Cedric Tillman	$200	<1%	1%
Brandon Johnson	$200	<1%	2%

This table covers 30 modeled players; reserve, inactive and unresolved roles are not assigned percentages. Values below 1% are shown as <1%; rounding can affect column totals.

Captain picks: where the ceiling comes from

Jaylen Warren: the best fit for Pittsburgh control

Warren has 84 carries for 460 yards and 21 catches for another 258. His receiving work matters as much as the 5.5 yards per carry: he can remain useful when a drive changes from runs to short passes. New Orleans has allowed 4.8 yards per rush and 11 rushing touchdowns. At $10,400 FLEX and $15,600 Captain, that puts Warren first in my pool. Pittsburgh statistics · Saints statistics

The caution is touchdown distribution. Warren has only one rushing touchdown, while Pittsburgh has thrown 12. I do not want to pay for a guaranteed goal-line monopoly that the results do not show. A Warren Captain lineup is a bet that the scoring tilts toward him this week, not simply that the Steelers win.

My preferred supporting structure starts with a Saints pass catcher who can collect receptions while Pittsburgh plays from ahead. Rodgers is optional in that story. Warren can be the best fantasy scorer through rushing touchdowns without his quarterback having a ceiling game. If the build instead depends on several Warren catches and a receiving touchdown, Rodgers fits much more naturally.

Chris Olave: the clearest Saints receiving ceiling

Olave leads New Orleans with 43 receptions and 580 receiving yards. Vele follows at 28 catches for 294 yards, with Johnson at 25 for 248. My preference for Olave is about where the receiving production has concentrated, not an assumption that the Saints will score easily. New Orleans receiving totals

Olave is the most expensive player at $11,200 FLEX and $16,800 Captain. Olave Captain normally points me toward Shough at $9,800 in FLEX. Receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns can lift Olave above his quarterback while the same completions keep Shough useful. Warren or a Pittsburgh receiver makes a sensible opposing piece. If I leave Shough out, I need a specific reason, such as Olave dominating the catches while turnovers or a low passing-touchdown total cap the quarterback.

DK Metcalf and Aaron Rodgers: the alternative to a Warren-led game

Metcalf costs $9,400 in FLEX and $14,100 at Captain, $2,700 less than Olave in the multiplier slot. He has 30 catches for 318 yards, but only one touchdown. A Metcalf Captain build needs more than a routine chain-moving day. It needs his catches, yards and scoring to separate from the rest of Pittsburgh’s offense. Pairing him with Rodgers is my default; adding a second Steelers receiver is most persuasive when the plan is a genuinely productive passing game.

Rodgers at $13,500 Captain is a different bet: Pittsburgh spreads its passing touchdowns across multiple players rather than one receiver running away from the field. I would usually pair him with two pass catchers in that construction. That is a correlation preference, not a rule that makes a lineup automatically good.

In FLEX, Rodgers costs $9,000, $800 less than Shough. Shough’s 21 carries, 104 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns give him a path beyond his passing partners, but those season totals are not a promise of goal-line work. Choosing Juwan Johnson ($6,400) instead of Vele ($7,200) funds that $800 quarterback upgrade exactly. I would make it for a Saints-led script, not simply because Shough has the higher salary.

Germie Bernard, tight ends and the secondary pass catchers

Bernard’s 11 catches, 87 yards and touchdown against Tampa Bay deserve attention. Michael Pittman Jr. and Roman Wilson are on injured reserve, and Ben Skowronek is out. The depleted receiver group creates a credible reason to consider Bernard again, but last week’s 11 catches are not his new floor. At $6,800, he is a midrange role bet, not a punt that lets you ignore efficiency or touchdowns. Steelers receiver update

Freiermuth ($5,600) has four receiving touchdowns and Washington ($4,200) has two. Washington saves $1,400 against Freiermuth and $2,600 against Bernard. They are ways to build around Pittsburgh scoring through somebody other than the obvious wide receivers. Using both alongside Rodgers can work in a multiple-passing-touchdown script; putting both into every lineup just because the receiver room is thin ignores their competition for the same opportunities.

On the Saints side, Johnson and Vele offer different ways to move away from an Olave-only passing thesis. Johnson has three receiving scores, Vele two. I prefer choosing the secondary receiver who fits the whole lineup rather than collecting all of them and hoping the offense supports every slot.

Value picks: useful savings versus empty roster spots

Washington is my first deeper-salary comparison, not an automatic click. He costs $600 less than Boswell ($4,800) and $200 less than Steelers DST ($4,400). Washington needs catches or a touchdown; Boswell needs drives that stall in scoring range; the defense needs sacks, turnovers or a score. Pick the way those points arrive rather than treating three nearby prices as interchangeable.

Daniel Carlson ($4,600 FLEX, $6,900 Captain) is New Orleans’ first-team kicker. Charlie Smyth has the same listed salary but remains on the practice squad, with no game elevation established in the reviewed reports. Carlson is active. I would use him rather than treat the two names as interchangeable. Saints DST costs $3,600 and fits a pressure-and-turnover story better than an offensive shootout. Saints depth chart · Saints roster

Brandon Johnson ($200) and Brandon Smith ($1,200) are contingent tournament punts. Pittsburgh elevated both on Saturday, and both are active. Active status does not guarantee targets or a meaningful offensive role. Johnson can unlock an expensive core; he can also leave you with zero. I would not build a single-entry lineup around that salary relief without convincing role information. Do not confuse Brandon Johnson with Saints tight end Juwan Johnson. Saturday elevations

Cedric Tillman is the other $200 FLEX punt to review, not an automatic value play. New Orleans elevated Tillman from the practice squad for this game on Saturday. His Captain salary is $300, but elevation alone supplies no evidence of a meaningful target share or a Captain-level role. Tillman is active, but his actual offensive role still needs to justify the lineup spot. I would not assume he replaces Vele or takes a full-time receiving job. Saints’ Saturday elevations

Remove the unavailable names before comparing cheap players. Travis Etienne Jr., Roman Wilson and Michael Pittman Jr. remain on injured reserve; Jordyn Tyson remains on injured reserve with a return designation, not a confirmed activation. Mason Tipton is on reserve/PUP, and Ben Skowronek is out. Marquez Valdes-Scantling is on Pittsburgh’s practice squad; Saturday’s receiver elevations were Brandon Johnson and Brandon Smith. A listed salary does not establish game-day eligibility. Steelers roster · Saints roster · Steelers injury report

Cheap-player checks before lock

CJ Donaldson ($2,400), Bryce Lance ($3,000) and Noah Fant ($3,400) offer rostered offensive alternatives to the minimum-price punts. Donaldson is listed third at running back and has 17 carries and four catches this season; Lance and Fant still need receiving opportunities to make their prices useful. Zach Wood is listed at tight end in the DraftKings pool, but New Orleans identifies him as its long snapper. Do not mistake his $200 salary for an established receiving role. Saints depth chart · Saints statistics

Alvin Kamara: upside without a workhorse assumption

Kamara’s 31-yard receiving touchdown against the Giants showed how a short completion can become a slate-changing play. It also came on a swing pass against pressure, a useful reminder that his ceiling does not require a huge rushing total. Saints breakdown of the play

At $7,000 FLEX and $10,500 Captain, Kamara sits in the same midrange as Bernard and Vele rather than offering a huge salary discount. He remains a more conditional Captain choice than Warren or Olave. Kendre Miller ($5,000) and CJ Donaldson ($2,400) remain workload considerations; Etienne is on injured reserve, not part of this game’s available rotation. Kamara-heavy builds need receiving production or the touchdowns to land with him. One spectacular play should not erase the shared-backfield risk. Etienne roster move

Three tournament stories worth building

1. Pittsburgh controls the second half: Warren Captain, Olave, Washington and Steelers DST cost $35,400, leaving $14,600 for two FLEX spots. Olave supplies the Saints’ receiving response while Warren and the defense benefit from a Pittsburgh-led game. The last two spots should not turn that story into an unrelated Saints shootout.
2. New Orleans keeps answering through the air: Olave Captain with Shough and Warren costs $37,000, leaving $13,000 for three FLEX spots. Freiermuth and Washington would consume $9,800 of that, leaving only $3,200 for the final player. This is why the final role matters more than jamming in every premium name.
3. Rodgers distributes the touchdowns: Rodgers Captain, Bernard and Freiermuth cost $25,900, leaving $24,100 for three FLEX spots. That structure gives you room for a strong Saints response instead of relying on a minimum-salary player. It backs multiple Pittsburgh receiving scores without requiring Metcalf to catch them.

These are construction ideas, not complete lineups. Start with the scoring distribution you are backing, then compare the final two or three positions together. A different Captain with the same obvious supporting players can still produce a heavily duplicated tournament entry.

How I want to use leverage

I would rather be different about how the game is won than select a low-involvement player solely because few people may roster him. A receiving-led Pittsburgh build takes a different path from Warren scoring twice. A Johnson-led Saints passing game takes a different path from Olave dominating the touchdowns. The leverage comes from a different scoring distribution, not a low-rostered name with no plausible path to points.

Leaving salary unused can reduce overlap with common combinations, but it should be the result of a coherent build, not the purpose of the build. Giving up a meaningful role just to spend less is not a strategy. The same applies to a defense or kicker: each needs a game script that makes the opportunity cost sensible.

Injury and lock checklist

• Final inactive update: Rico Dowdle is active; Eli Heidenreich and Treyton Welch are inactive and excluded from the ownership table. Do not assume a normal Dowdle workload or a snap restriction without reporting that supports it.
• Kamara and Shough: both are active. Kamara was limited with a back issue during the week; active status does not establish an unrestricted workload.
• Saints line play: Cesar Ruiz and Nathan Shepherd are inactive. Their absences affect the blocking and interior defensive matchups; they do not establish a specific workload or scoring boost for any player.
• Pittsburgh defense: DeShon Elliott is active, and the Steelers confirm he will play after Saturday’s activation from injured reserve.
• Player-pool caution: a listed price or blank injury tag does not confirm an active player. Remove ruled-out and IR options, and verify every punt’s role.
• Before 9:30 a.m. ET: the final inactive lists are accounted for above. Check current wind conditions and each selected player’s actual role. Do not wait for the main-slate news cycle to finish this lineup.

Availability updated after the final Steelers inactive list and Saints inactive list. Earlier practice reports remain workload context, not the final availability decision.