Chris Rivers
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The Pittsburgh Steelers are back in the AFC playoff race after moving to 5-3 courtesy of 4 straight wins. They are favorites to bring up win number 5 when they face the hapless Detroit Lions at Heinz Field on Sunday, but things got a little trickier when QB Ben Roethlisberger was ruled out on Saturday. Mason Rudolph starts in his place.
The Lions were left licking their wounds entering the bye week after being embarrassed at home by the Philadelphia Eagles 44-6 in Week 8 and they could struggle to end their wait for a first win of the season in Pittsburgh.
However, that doesn’t mean the Lions won’t be competitive, in fact, we are counting on it as part of our same game parlay for the Week 10 matchup.
Below is the parlay with each leg broken down but before you dive into that, don’t forget to check out the full preview of Detroit Lions vs Pittsburgh Steelers here.
Detroit Lions +8.5 alternate spread (-170)
Pat Freiermuth anytime touchdown scorer (+270)
Najee Harris over 95.5 rushing yards (-110)
Amon-Ra St. Brown over 34.5 receiving yards (-110)
Parlay odds: +2935
Detroit Lions +8.5 alternate spread (-170)
The Steelers offense continues to be underwhelming and is still to crack the 30-point barrier in a game this season. Najee Harris is fast becoming the heartbeat of Pittsburgh’s conservative attack with Ben Roethlisberger taking a safety-first approach when it comes to passing the ball. He has gone 4 games without an interception but also failed to put up more than 270 passing yards in a game during the Steelers’ ongoing winning run. Now Mason Rudolph has to replace Big Ben at short notice, which won’t be easy.
Pittsburgh’s defense continues to be their strength but even they aren’t playing that well right now, ranking 13th in total defense (DVOA). It all adds up to Pittsburgh winning games but not in a convincing fashion, failing to cover in all 5 games this season when they’ve been the favorite.
The Lions have been frisky at times this year, going 4-4 ATS and coming off the bye there’s certainly hope they will be competitive. Pittsburgh’s biggest winning margin this year is 8 points so boosting the spread to 8.5 gives Detroit that extra wiggle room.
Pat Freiermuth anytime touchdown scorer (+270)
Eric Ebron is expected to return to the Steelers lineup this week but that shouldn’t adversely affect rookie tight end Pat Freiermuth’s production. The Penn State product has finished second in targets the last 2 weeks and comes into this game after grabbing 2 touchdowns in the win over the Bears.
He’s now scored 3 TDs in his last 2 games for the Steelers and given he’s been getting plenty of looks in the red zone, there’s a good chance he can continue that streak.
Najee Harris over 95.5 rushing yards (-110)
It’s all about the rookies in this Steelers offense with Najee Harris’ influence growing by the week. Harris became the first Pittsburgh running back since 1972 to score touchdowns in 5 straight games with his score against the Bears on MNF and can expect to have another big day against the Lions.
Detroit are giving up 110 rushing yards per game to running backs on average this season and with Harris averaging 7.2 yards per carry, he could slice his way through this defense.
Amon-Ra St. Brown over 34.5 receiving yards (-110)
Detroit don’t have many options at receiver with tight end TJ Hockenson and D’Andre Swift their most reliable pass catchers on the year so far. They could do with some help and rookie wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown looks ready to take on a bigger role after an increased workload over the last 4 weeks.
St. Brown has had at least 5 targets in his last 4 appearances, turning them into a pair of games in which he’s gone over 60 yards, while he registered 26 and 46 yards in the others. The Steelers secondary has been nothing to get excited about this year, ranking 20th against the pass in DVOA and giving up 167.5 passing yards per game to wide receivers.
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