How to watch, what to watch for Steelers vs. Cowboys in Week 9

The Pittsburgh Steelers extended their winning streak to seven games in Week 8 and remain the only undefeated team in the NFL heading into Week 9. They’ll aim to improve to 8-0 on the year against the struggling Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Week 9.

Ben Roethlisberger has an abundance of reliable targets out wide in Chase Claypool, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Diontae Johnson. The lack of a true WR1 makes defending the Steelers’ passing attack difficult and James Conner has been one of the most productive backs in the NFL. Pittsburgh’s versatile offense is matched by its electric defense and are bound to give the Cowboys’ lackluster offense a hard time.

Dallas hopes Andy Dalton can return from injury after sitting out for Week 8 with a concussion. While he was terrible before getting hurt against the Washington Football Team in Week 7, he’s a better option the rookie quarterback Ben DiNucci. The Cowboys have scored one touchdown since Prescott and could be in for another blowout loss if they can’t get the ball to skilled star receiver Amari Cooper or get Ezekiel Elliott going. Dallas has scored just one touchdown since Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending leg injury and gives up more points per game (33.2) than any team in the NFL.

TV Info

Date: Sunday, Nov. 8
Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
Channel: CBS
Broadcast map

Notable Statistical rankings (Football Outsiders)

Steelers: #2 Overall — #14 offense, #2 defense, #7 special teams
Cowboys: #30 Overall — #26 offense, #24 defense, #16 special teams

DraftKings Sportsbook odds

Steelers: -14, -910
Cowboys: +14, +600
Total: 41.5

Fantasy football start/sit advice

Steelers

Ben Roethlisberger, QB, $6,500

Roethlisberger doesn’t have the best fantasy numbers but everyone seems to get a boost against the Cowboys. He’s only failed to throw for at least two touchdowns once this season and could light up the Dallas’s porous secondary.

Chase Claypool, WR, $5,700

Claypool has been the Steelers’ highest-scoring wideout three times in the last four weeks. Only Seattle is worse than Dallas against wide receivers on DraftKings so I expect the rookie to break loose and continue using his size to create ideal red zone looks.

Cowboys

Ezekiel Elliott, RB, $6,600

Elliott’s price has dropped $1,000 amid his cold streak but has to turn things around at some point. The Cowboys’ star back has a tough matchup probably won’t be rostered at a high percentage, but the Ravens dominated Pittsburgh on the ground after losing two starting linemen. Elliott still has big-game potential.

Dalton Schultz, TE, $3,600

Dallas has looked bad on offense but Schultz has arguably been the Cowboys’ most consistent pass catcher since Prescott went down. The tight end has hauled in 14 catches in his last three games for over 100 yards and could have his value increased while his team struggles to stretch the field by throwing the long ball.