With the Pittsburgh Steelers just a few weeks away from their opening game against the Buffalo Bills, I figured now would be a good time to release my season long prop bets. Last season, we cashed in on the Steelers making the playoffs at -134 and over 9 wins at -110. Our prop bets throughout the season hit at over a 70% win rate and we are 2-0 so far this preseason. A lot of the success we have had over the past year is due to our diligent research on the Steelers. Sportsbooks don't always do their due diligence on proposition bets, so it's our job to find where they are giving us an edge and expose them. I have three bets for the 2021 season that I feel very good about and will discuss them below.
[incontent2]
1. Over 8.5 wins (-110)
This seems like a no brainer, but I can see why some would be apprehensive to put money on the Steelers to finish over .500. For one, they have never had a losing season under head coach Mike Tomlin. Secondly, Ben Roethlisberger has had a full offseason to rest his arm and reports out of camp are that he looks much improved from last year. The Steelers also fired their offensive coordinator who many believe severely handicapped their offense and refused to take shots down the field. They also added a dynamic playmaker at the running back position in Najee Harris who will allow the Steelers to become much more balanced and less predictable. Lastly, they have never had a losing season in Tomlin's fifteen seasons in Pittsburgh. If you couldn't tell by the sarcasm in my writing, this is a no brainer. The Steelers will win 9 games and this bet will easily cash.
2. To make the playoffs (+170)
I could not find previous season data on when the odds have been so low for the Steelers to make the playoffs, but it hasn't been plus money in a long time. The Steelers were the #3 seed in the AFC playoffs last year and won the division for the 3rd time in 5 years. Even with the subtractions of Mike Hilton, Steven Nelson and Bud Dupree, this Steelers defense has the ability to be a top 3 NFL defense in 2021. Couple that with a veteran head coach and quarterback, a top five wide receiving core and a dynamic running back, there's no reason the Steelers shouldn't be back in playoffs this season. The offensive line is a definite question mark, but from what we have seen so far in the preseason, there's no reason to think they can't be sufficient in 2021.
[incontent3]
3. Diontae Johnson over 950.5 receiving yards (-110)
This is one of my favorite prop bets of any player in 2021. Johnson has clearly established himself as the top receiver in a dominate receiving room for the Steelers. He also has gained the trust of Roethlisberger and Tomlin and has crafted his game to become a threat at all three levels. Johnson eclipsed 900 receiving yards last year while leading the NFL in drops with 16. Johnson also only played in 15 games while missing the entire half of two games. Add two entire games to the schedule and cut the drops in half and Johnson will eclipse 1,000 yards easily. Roethlisberger will easily be able to support a 1,000 yard receiver and the Steelers may likely have two 1,000 yard receivers by the end of 2021. Barring injury, Johnson will likely contend for the league lead in catches and I predict him to have well over 1,150 yards in 2021.
What are your favorite prop bets for the 2021 season? Sound off in the comments below!
#SteelerNation
