The Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1. Here are the three best prop bets you could make this week.
It’s captivating enough to watch a slugfest between two AFC North division rivals to begin the 2022 season, but this contest becomes even more interesting with a little extra incentive. The Pittsburgh Steelers play host to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1 in a game that could cause an early ripple effect in the end-of-year standings.
Fans are curious to know which best prop bets to take for this contest. The Steelers look very different in 2021 than they did a year ago, but the writing is still on the walls. Here are the three best prop bets to make for Steelers vs Bengals in Week 1:
Mitch Trubisky OVER 225.5 Passing Yards Prop Bet (-114)
This one seems relatively easy to me. Though I think Pittsburgh’s passing offense will struggle at times, the Steelers were not able to get anything going on the ground against the Bengals last year — forcing them to air it out. In fact, Ben Roethlisberger threw a combined 99 passes vs Cincinnati in two games last season.
While I don’t think the game plan is to pass nearly this much, Mike Tomlin will be forced to turn to Mitch Trubusiky if the rushing attack falters. Betting the ‘over’ on 225.5 yards seems like a pretty safe bet. Fanduel Sportsbook has this prop bet set at -114.
Joe Mixon OVER 72.5 Rushing Yards Prop Bet (-114)
I fully expect the Steelers run defense to be better in 2022 than the unit that finished dead last in the league in yards allowed and yards per attempt surrendered last season. However, I think think that it’s very reasonable that Bengals RB Joe Mixon could rush for over 72.5 yards in this contest.
In his two games vs Pittsburgh last year, Mixon rushed for 90 yards and 165 yards, respectfully. The second contest was in a blowout win in which Joe Burrow didn’t have to pass much in the second half, but the results would have been the same. I think the Steelers hold Mixon to under 100 yards, but surpassing 72.5 at -114 odds is a good bet this week.
Pat Freiermuth Anytime Touchdown Scorer Prop Bet (+250)
If you want to place a bet that can produce a better payout, taking Pat Freiermuth as an ‘anytime touchdown scorer’ is a good bet this week. Diontae Johnson is nursing a shoulder injury. If he does play against the Bengals this week, Tomlin could have him on a pitch count. This could potentially mean more targets for Freiermuth — who happened to be Pittsburgh’s safety blanket as a rookie last year.
In his rookie season, Freiermuth caught 7 touchdown passes despite beginning the season behind Eric Ebron on the depth chart. Two of those touchdowns came against the Cincinnati Bengals. Even with a QB change this season, I would expect Freiermuth to be targeted in paydirt.