On Saturday night, the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers play a meaningful matchup in their season finale.
The pregame narrative: Both teams have playoff-related implications that will require them to play at full strength. I’m backing yardage overs for one player per side, Pittsburgh’s Russell Wilson and Cincinnati’s Mike Gesicki.
Check out my Bengals vs. Steelers prop picks for their Week 18 game on Jan. 4.
Bengals vs. Steelers prop picks
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Best Bet: Gesicki over 30.5 yards (-118)
Gesicki had a massive day last weekend to help the Bengals keep their season alive. He should stay involved enough to cash this over in Week 18.
Last Saturday against the Denver Broncos, Gesicki enjoyed season highs in targets (12) and receptions (10). He turned that opportunity into 86 receiving yards, including a pair of catches in overtime.
It’d be rash to assume Gesicki will see that kind of work again, but he doesn’t need anything close to it to cash this bet.
- Since Week 8, Gesicki has 30+ yards in 6/9 games.
- He’s averaged 5.7 targets and 46.3 yards in that span.
- On Dec. 1, Gesicki had five catches for 53 yards vs. PIT.
Chase Brown (ankle) was a non-participant in practice to start the week. If he’s out — or at least limited — that should cement a greater role in the short-yardage passing game for Gesicki.
Key stat: Pittsburgh has allowed the seventh-most receptions per game to opposing tight ends (5.8).
Quick picks
Wilson over 225.5 passing yards (-120): Let’s see if a date with the Bengals can get Wilson out of a funk.
Wilson has thrown for fewer than 220 yards in four consecutive games. The Steelers have also lost three in a row, scoring 17 or fewer points in each of those matchups.
But let’s not forget how porous Cincy’s defence has been — and the fact that Wilson did his best work against that group last month.
The Bengals rank 29th in points allowed and 27th in yards allowed this season. In Week 12, Wilson carved them up for 414 yards and three TDs on 29-of-38 passing.
Pittsburgh’s top receiver, George Pickens, missed three of the team’s past four games. That’s a critical piece of Wilson’s recent woes.
With a healthy Pickens and a juicy matchup, I like Wilson to put up some solid yardage.
Picks made at 3:50 p.m. ET 01/01/2025.
Jordan enjoys writing data-driven game previews and analysis articles — especially for MLB markets or NFL/NBA props. And as a proud Ohio University grad, he’ll always have a soft spot for college sports (especially if the Bobcats are involved). Previous stops include mlb.com, Sportsnet and The Athletic.