Not many people back in August expected the Pittsburgh Steelers to be undefeated or the Washington Football Team to be in the middle of a division race when they met this year in Week 13.
Nonetheless, we are here and this matchup provides a few interesting and valuable sports betting opportunities. After diving into some research, a few have caught my eye and hold serious value if you are looking to make money this evening.
*Odds are provided by Parx Casino. My confidence meter will be next to the given line, 1 being not confident, 10 meaning it is most certainly going to cash.
Chase Claypool OVER 54.5 Receiving Yards (-112, 8)
Washington’s secondary has struggled this year when playing a team with multiple offensive weapons at receiver. The Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams being the most successful so far this season. The Steelers have seen great production from JuJu Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson and even Eric Ebron has been consistent enough. With that said, rookie Chase Claypool has absolutely been the most consistent and easiest to count on with bets like these. Any one of the Steelers play makers could certainly cash his over in receiving yards, but Claypool is the most valuable for a wager. He could even do it on just one play.
Chase Claypool Anytime TD Scorer (+130, 6)
The Steelers seem to want to get Claypool involved in the red zone and for good reason. The 6’4" rookie has eight touchdowns this season and it hasn’t always been a receiving TD. He is used in many different ways for this offense and the fact that the WFT has only allowed three rushing touchdowns all year, Randy Fichtner will do what he can to get the big man the ball near the goal line. I like him to get into the end zone tonight.
Antonio Gibson OVER 45.5 rushing yards (-110, 7)
Of course, Steeler Nation would rather not see this happen, but it is one of the most favorable bets of the night. Since playing the Tennessee Titans in Week 8, the Steelers defense has allowed over this number to a team’s lead running back each week aside from last week when Gus Edwards/Justice Hill only rushed for a combined 45 yards (Let’s not forget the 68 yards rushing from Robert Griffin III). The run defense has been hurting without Devin Bush and add the loss of Bud Dupree to the list and this number seems destined to go over. I also don’t see the WFT putting too much pressure on Alex Smith early on in this one.
Alex Smith OVER .5 interceptions (-118, 6)
Although I don’t envision Washington putting too much pressure on Smith early, he will have to throw the ball to beat the Steelers. He has thrown five picks in five games this season and we all know the Steelers defense will be put in many situations to get an interception tonight. I wouldn’t even be surprised to see it be a linebacker on a short screen pass.
Game Spread and Total
I am avoiding the current spread of Steelers -6.5 and the Over/Under of 43.5 for a few reasons. It is no surprise to Steeler Nation that, under head coach Mike Tomlin, this squad tends to play down to competition at times. Pair that with possibly looking ahead to the Buffalo Bills next Sunday night, I wouldn’t be all that shocked for the Steelers to win in a close one. In terms of the game total, if the Steelers play as they should, Washington shouldn’t score more than 10 points. There is too much uncertainty in these categories to make a strong, valuable pick.
Feel free to let us know what you think in the comments below!
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