To conclude an entertaining Week 15 in the NFL, we have a not so appealing matchup tonight between the 11-2 Pittsburgh Steelers and the 2-10-1 Cincinnati Bengals. These two AFC North opponents played in Week 10, and even with Joe Burrow under center for the Bengals, the Steelers came away with the easy win, 36-10. The Steelers are fighting for the top seed in the AFC playoffs, while the Bengals are hoping to play spoilers.
The team’s fan base and fantasy football players will have their eyes glued to the game, watching every play with the utmost attention. For gamblers, their only rooting interest is whatever will lead to money in their pocket. However, which bets should they place? Here are my five favorite prop bets for tonight’s game.
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Ben Roethlisberger Over 1.5 Passing Touchdowns (-222)
The payout on this prop bet is far from ideal, but it doesn’t matter how bad it is if it’s a lock to cash. Big Ben is averaging 2.2 passing touchdowns per game this season, throwing for two or more touchdowns in all but two games. Furthermore, Big Ben has thrown for two or more touchdowns in seven of his last eight games, including four against the Bengals in Week 10. Meanwhile, the Bengals gave up two passing touchdowns on only 23 pass attempts last week to Andy Dalton. They have given up an average of just under two passing touchdowns per game. The Steelers will end their losing streak tonight, and don’t be surprised if Big Ben has three or more passing touchdowns.
Tee Higgins Over 40.5 Receiving Yards (-115)
While Bengal fans should be excited about the future with Joe Burrow at quarterback, Higgins has been just as impressive this season. Since Week 4, Higgins is averaging 70.3 receiving yards per game, recording at least 44 receiving yards in all but one game. Meanwhile, the Steelers have struggled against the pass this season, giving up an average of 164.5 receiving yards per game to wide receivers. In the Week 10 matchup against the Steelers, Higgins had 115 receiving yards on seven receptions. He should have no trouble going over 40.5 receiving yards tonight.
JuJu Smith-Schuster Over 5.5 Receptions (-105)
JuJu hasn’t produced the receiving yards per game many had expected entering the season; however, he has become a trusted target of Big Ben’s. Smith-Schuster is averaging 6.1 receptions per game this season, recording six or more in 69 percent of his games, including seven of his last eight. Meanwhile, the Bengals have given up an average of 11.9 receptions per game to wide receivers this season. JuJu had a season-high nine receptions on 13 targets in the Week 10 matchup, and he should hit the over on this prop bet before the start of the fourth quarter.
Giovani Bernard Under 29.5 Rushing Yards (-115)
Star running back Joe Mixon hasn’t played since Week 6 because of a foot injury, and since the Bengals have nothing to play for, it’s likely we won’t see Mixon till next season. The veteran Bernard stepped in for Mixon and had success early on. However, over the last five weeks, Bernard has struggled, averaging eight rushing attempts for 22 rushing yards per game. Furthermore, during that span, Bernard has rushed for under 33 yards in every game. Meanwhile, the Steelers are giving up only 76.7 rushing yards per game to running backs, holding them to an average of 59.5 per game over their last four contests. In their Week 10 matchup, Bernard had only 30 rushing yards, and he will be lucky to 25 in this time.
Diontae Johnson Over 5.5 Receptions (-150)
Last week Johnson was benched in the first half as he had three drops. However, this week head coach Mike Tomlin said that he intends to give Johnson a clean slate this week. Assuming Johnson doesn’t end up in the dog house again, he is in line for a big game tonight. Johnson is averaging 6.8 receptions per game, recording six or more in 80 percent of the games he’s finished this season. Meanwhile, in the Week 10 matchup, the Bengals gave up a season-high 23 receptions to the Steelers’ wide receivers, six of which went to Johnson. Look for Johnson to bounce back tonight and record six or more receptions for the sixth time in his last seven games.
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