The opening game of the Week 18 slate is two AFC North rivals doing battle.
While the Ravens will be sitting starters in this game, the Steelers have full incentive to win to try and make the postseason. There are limited props available for the Ravens, but we have a full serving of prop bets for the Steelers, let's dive into them.
George Pickens has quickly emerged as Mason Rudolph's favorite target, will he go over his receptions total on Saturday? I got you covered with that and two other player props for this postseason-centric matchup below!
Best player props for Steelers vs. Ravens
- George Pickens OVER 3.5 receptions
- Jaylen Warren OVER 8.5 rushing attempts
- Mason Rudolph UNDER 19.5 completions
George Pickens OVER 3.5 receptions
Pickens has been the top target in the Steelers offense all season, but Rudolph has been all in on getting the Georgia product the pigskin.
He has 106 targets on the season, 15 of which have come in Rudolph's two starts. He had seven catches last week against the Seahawks and four against the Bengals.
While the Ravens defense is strong, the team is going to be sitting several starters and the Steelers will look to move the ball reliably through the air in a vanilla game script, meaning the ball will be in Pickens hands often.
Jaylen Warren OVER 8.5 rushing attempts
Warren continues to see plenty of work in the Steelers offense, a true timeshare with Najee Harris. This season, Warren has been on the field for 40% of snaps in each game, and has cleared 50% in the last four games, out-snapping Harris in three of them.
Warren has rushed the ball 13, 8, 10, 7 in the last four games, right around this number, but given that the total is low I expect to see more ball control and methodical drives from each team, meaning more run plays.
The Oklahoma State product has more juice than Harris, and in a must-win scenario, the Steelers have to feed him the rock. Take Warren to get over this pedestrian mark.
Mason Rudolph UNDER 19.5 completions
Rudolph has been pumping the ball down the field for the rejuvenated Steelers offense, but it hasn't been due to heavy volume.
While Rudolph has passed for 274 and 290 yards over the last two games, he has completed only 18 and 17 passes, respectively. The Steelers new starting quarterback hasn't been chucking the ball at a high rate, he has been efficient when called upon.
Even if the Ravens are sitting key players, the secondary should remain rock solid in a game with a total in the mid 30's. Over the course of the season, Baltimore stands second in EPA/Dropback, far ahead of Pittsburgh's two recent opponents, the Bengals (28th) and the Seahawks (26th).
I expect a more rush-focused approach in this road game.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Track Reed's bets here!