Week 7 Best Bets: Cincinnati Bengals vs Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football

The Bengals are hoping to snap a four-game losing streak when they host the Steelers on Thursday night.

Jan 4, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) reacts after catching a touchdown pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Sometimes in betting, the process is right but the results just aren’t there, and that is exactly what happened in last week’s official bets. In the end, we finished 2-3 for -0.8 units, although the early injury to Mike Gesicki tanked one parlay and we needed  just 17 more yards from Tucker Kraft would have hit a +985 lotto and made for a very profitable day. All in all, we are 11-11 for +1.5 units so far this season.

Here are my favorite plays for the Thursday Night Football tilt between the Steelers and Bengals.

All bets are one unit plays unless otherwise specified.

Chase Brown 5+ 1st Quarter Alternate Rushing Yards + Jaylen Warren 5+ 1st Quarter Alternate Rushing Yards (+103 FanDuel)

Bengals Chase Brown (30) looks for an opening to take the ball down the field during their game against the Steelers at Paycor Stadium on Sunday December 1, 2024. Steelers won the game with a final score of 44-38. | Phil Didion/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As long as the Steelers don’t limit the Bengals to a single 3-and-out possession for the entire first quarter, I like the odds for this to hit. Note, to get these plus odds you will need to use the 30% profit boost on FanDuel.

My Bet Backers:

• Chase Brown has hit this mark in 4-of-6 first quarters this year
• Jaylen Warren averages over 15 first quarter rushing yards this season

Ja’Marr Chase 70+ Alternate Receiving Yards + Chase Brown 2+ Alternate Receptions (+104 DraftKings)

We have targeted Brown receptions and some variation of Chase props for weeks, and this week combining them can net us a 1+ unit profit.

My Bet Backers:

• Chase was targeted TEN times in his first action alongside Joe Flacco, with seven of those coming in the second half alone. The Steelers have allowed five pass catchers to exceed this line so far this season
• Seven running backs have caught two passes in a game against Pittsburgh this season, in just five games. Brown figures to remain an easy outlet for Flacco as needed

Joe Flacco OVER 1.5 Passing Touchdowns + Joe Flacco OVER 23.5 Completions (+252 DraftKings)

Oct 12, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco (16) throws the ball during the second half against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Call me delusional, but I was somewhat encouraged by Flacco’s play on Sunday. With a game with this offense under his belt and a few more practices, I expect him to play even better.

My Bet Backers:

• The Steelers pass defense has allowed 3-of-5 quarterbacks to pass for multiple touchdowns, with Dillon Gabriel and Justin Fields being the two exceptions
• Flacco threw two touchdowns last week in his Bengals debut, and 4-of-6 games last season as a starter in Indianapolis (yes, I choose to discount his Cleveland tenure to start this season)
• Vegas has Flacco’s pass attempts line set at 36.5. Over the past two seasons, Flacco has exceeded this completion line in 6/9 games season when attempting 35+ passes

Aaron Rodgers 230+ Alternate Passing Yards + Roman Wilson UNDER 15 Alternate Receiving Yards (+278 FanDuel)

Thank goodness the FanDuel ‘Your Way Parlay’ tool even gives us Roman Wilson props to bet on!

My Bet Backers:

• While Rodgers has only thrown for 230 yards twice this season, the Bengals have only allowed ONE quarterback to not exceed this line (Carson Wentz)
• Using negative correlation is what even allows us to get odds this jacked, but to be able to use Roman Wilson as a parlay piece to achieve that is insane. Wilson has 19 receiving yards in his career. Over the last three games, he has run a total of 15 routes and received just one target

Darnell Washington Anytime Touchdown Scorer (+340 FanDuel)

The Bengals seem to get burned by a tight end weekly. This week, I am betting (1/3 of a unit to win one unit) on that being Darnell Washington.

My Bet Backers:

• The Bengals pass defense has allowed five tight end touchdowns this season
• Washington has seen his routes run increase over the past two weeks, out-producing fellow tight end Jonnu Smith over that time
• The Steelers have split the 6’7” behemoth out wide and run a goal line fade on multiple occasions this season, creating a massive mismatch against a smaller corner

No Sweat Bet of the Week

Joe Flacco 2+ Passing Touchdowns + Ja’Marr Chase 80+ Receiving Yards + Tee Higgins 50+ Receiving  Yards + Game Total Points Over 44.5 Points + Cincinnati Bengals Moneyline (+2400 DraftKings)

Chasing +2400 odds is foolishness, but with DraftKings offering a No Sweat Bet on Thursday Night Football… let’s get wild. 

My Bet Backers:

• Chase has exceeded this line in three games with Jake Browning and Joe Flacco at the helm, and has hit this mark in his last four games against Pittsburgh
•  Tee had his first game of 60+ yards last week, and has hit this mark in his last three vs the Steelers
• The game total has exceeded 44.5 in 4/6 Bengals games this year
• There’s no REAL reason to pick the Bengals to win, but there is at least some history on our side. 

As always, don't forget to check out my X for more player props prior to the game. With sportsbooks adding more player lines and promos leading up to kickoff (especially in primetime), we will continue searching for value to capitalize on.

*DISCLAIMER* This is not intended to be betting advice, rather these are some props I like and will be placing my money on. While I use data and research to support my picks, there is no such thing as a sure bet. Always remember to only bet amounts you are comfortable losing.