Week 7 of the NFL campaign kicks off with an AFC North clash on Thursday Night Football. The Cincinnati Bengals host the Pittsburgh Steelers with hopes of keeping their season alive after a poor stretch without Joe Burrow under center. With Joe Flacco now starting at quarterback, can Ja’Marr Chase post another big game to propel his team to a win?
Here are the best Ja’Marr Chase prop bets to consider for Bengals vs. Steelers on Thursday Night Football in Week 7.
Best Ja’Marr Chase prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
This hasn’t been the most pleasant season for Ja’Marr Chase. The Bengals’ offense began the season in poor form with a rough showing in Week 1 which saw the star wideout record just two catches for 26 yards, but he posted a massive 14-catch, 165-yard outing with a touchdown to follow it up. Joe Burrow suffered a potentially season-ending injury during that contest and hasn’t played since, and after three weeks of Jake Browning under center, Cincinnati pivoted to Joe Flacco at quarterback. Over six total games, Chase has tallied 42 receptions for 468 yards and four touchdowns, a respectable line, and he showed every bit of his star-caliber self with a 10-94-1 receiving line while catching passes from Flacco for the first time last week.
The glimpse of hope does feel good for Bengals fans, and it gives bettors reason to feel optimism for Week 7 as well. Chase saw a staggering 12 total opportunities in the aerial attack with Flacco at the helm as the veteran hyper-targeted his top receiving option. The quarterback also threw 45 passes in the loss to the Green Bay Packers as Cincinnati played catch-up throughout the contest in a negative game script. The opportunity for double-digit targets as well as high pass volume both feels high as the Bengals enter a matchup against a division rival.
The Steelers allow 355.6 total yards per contest, a mark which ranks 25th in the NFL. When it comes to the pass defense in particular, Pittsburgh concedes an average of 245.0 yards through the air as well as 7.1 yards per pass and 38.0 passes per game — those numbers come in at 27th, 20th, and 30th among all units. What’s the lesson here? Despite Jalen Ramsey lining up as the team’s top cornerback with Joey Porter Jr. alongside him, the pass defense doesn’t look all that hot. To further contextualize things, opponents may often play from behind, driving up the passing volume and overall production against this group.
The Bengals are in do-or-die mode at this point with time running out to save their season. Against the better team with far better coaching from Mike Tomlin, Cincinnati finds itself outmatched in this contest. These favors all set up plenty of pass attempts for Flacco, so it makes sense he’d look Chase’s way early and often. There’s a great chance for the wideout to see double-digit targets from the gunslinger, and while over 6.5 receptions feels rather safe at -142 odds, bettors can find better value with 8+ receptions at +121 odds instead on DraftKings Sportsbook. Watch for Chase to continue building rapport with his new quarterback and haul in a ton of receptions on Thursday Night Football.
