The second game of the Saturday NFL doubleheader features the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Bengals need a win and some help to make the NFL playoffs, while the Steelers jostle for playoff positioning and potentially the AFC North title if the Baltimore Ravens lose (an unlikely but not impossible scenario).
Let’s get stuck into my Bengals vs. Steelers props for Saturday night.
Bengals vs. Steelers Player Props
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Joe Burrow Over 25.5 Passing Completions (-130)” subtext=”” center=”false” logo1url=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nfl/100/cin.png” link1=”” link1follow=”true” logo2url=”” link2=”” link2follow=”true” trailinglogourl=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/859377_Bet365@1x.png” trailinglink=”https://www.actionnetwork.com/online-sports-betting/reviews/bet365″ trailinglinkfollow=”true”][/subheader]
The MVP race is currently a battle between Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, but if it weren’t for the Bengals’ record, then surely Joe Burrow would be in the mix given his incredible individual season.
Burrow has completed 26 or more passes in eight of his last nine games, including 28 when these teams met in Week 13.
The Bengals’ season is on the line, and they will put all their hopes on Burrow. The Steelers defense is good, and their pass rush is excellent, but this is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, so he’ll be doing everything in his power to win on Saturday
_InlineAdBlock
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Pat Freiermuth Over 32.5 Receiving Yards (-110)” subtext=”” center=”false” logo1url=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nfl/100/pit.png” link1=”” link1follow=”true” logo2url=”” link2=”” link2follow=”true” trailinglogourl=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/859377_Bet365@1x.png” trailinglink=”https://www.actionnetwork.com/online-sports-betting/reviews/bet365″ trailinglinkfollow=”true”][/subheader]
As excellent as Burrow has been this season, it hasn’t been enough to get the Bengals safely into the playoffs. Much of the blame is on their defense, which has been terrible.
Burrow has overcome the odds to get them this far, given no other team with a bottom-10 defense in DVOA is still in contention.
One area in which the Bengals defense has really struggled is against tight ends. Only two teams have allowed more yardage to the position, with TEs accumulating 1,029 yards against Cincinnati this season.
That averages out at over 64 yards per game, well above Freiermuth’s line. The Steelers’ TE managed 60 yards against the Chiefs last week, one of two teams worse than the Bengals. A similar total this week wouldn’t be a shock.
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Pat Freiermuth Over 3.5 Receptions (+100)” subtext=”” center=”false” logo1url=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nfl/100/pit.png” link1=”” link1follow=”true” logo2url=”” link2=”” link2follow=”true” trailinglogourl=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/859377_Bet365@1x.png” trailinglink=”https://www.actionnetwork.com/online-sports-betting/reviews/bet365″ trailinglinkfollow=”true”][/subheader]
Normally, I wouldn’t double down with two different ways to bet on a player’s receiving output, but it feels necessary for this game.
This really is a prime matchup for Freiermuth given the Bengals are tied for the most receptions allowed to tight ends this season. They’ve given up an average of 6.4 per game.
When the Steelers faced the Chiefs last week, Freiermuth was targeted eight times — he caught seven of them. You should expect them to target the Bengals’ soft underbelly once again.
[procard imageurl=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/736824_ActionPRO_promo_1500x844.jpg” cta=”Premium picks, tools & analysis” firstupsell=”Real money percentages” secondupsell=”Top prop & TD edges” thirdupsell=”Real-time expert pick alerts” buttontext=”SAVE 66% NOW!” buttonurl=”/pricing”][/procard]
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Andrei Iosivas Over 27.5 Receiving Yards (-113)” subtext=”” center=”false” logo1url=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nfl/100/cin.png” link1=”” link1follow=”true” logo2url=”” link2=”” link2follow=”true” trailinglogourl=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/122955_FanDuelSportsBook@1x.jpg” trailinglink=”https://www.actionnetwork.com/online-sports-betting/reviews/fanduel” trailinglinkfollow=”true”][/subheader]
Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins get all the plaudits, but we’ve seen Andrei Iosivas develop into an important option during his sophomore season. He’s caught six touchdown passes and comes into Saturday’s game with a low line of 27.5 receiving yards.
We’ve seen the 25-year-old end up with 50+ receiving yards in each of the past two weeks, although he’s been impressive all season.
Iosivas averages 13.7 yards per catch and has had 28+ receiving yards in six of his past seven games, including 35 yards and a touchdown when these teams met in Week 13.
[expertpickswidget league=”nfl” gameid=”228630″ date=”20250105″ week=”” seasontype=””][/expertpickswidget]
_InlineAdBlock