Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) @ Las Vegas Raiders (1-1) Best Lines Available

Steelers (+125) @ Raiders (-130): O/U 43
Steelers +2.5 (+100), Raiders -2.5 (-110)

Writer’s Record:
Bet: 4-6 -2.19u
Lean: 3-4 -1.2u

Sunday Night Football appears to be a mid-off this week as the Steelers play the Raiders. We’re all waiting to see if the Steelers have a for real offense and the same can kind of be said about the Raiders. Both of these teams are in the bottom five right now in points scored per game, but at least this game should be close. If you’re all footballed out by the time this one gets going, I don’t blame you if you tune out.

Main Storylines to Watch

Pat Freiermuth? That’s it. That’s the question. Just five targets through two whole games is not going to cut it. Don’t be fooled because he had that one touchdown. If we don’t see significant targets for him soon, he’s a clear drop to me in fantasy. There are just better tight ends out there in terms of volume and, thus, potential fantasy points. The Steelers in general haven’t been great, so maybe if they turn it around then Freiermuth can also turn it around. The Steelers have also played two of the top five defenses in the NFL, so don’t rush just yet. This game should be a nice one to see if they can get some more targets downfield.

Is Najee Harris truly cemented as RB1? Here we go again with the Jaylen Warren talk. There’s no denying that Najee has been terrible but see above about the defenses he’s played against and the terrible job the offensive line has done so far against opposing defensive lines. Can they be better? Maybe. If they will, it could be this game as the Raiders are near the bottom of the league at getting to and sacking the quarterback. Getting some additional push up front should be beneficial for the run game as well. Harris still has the looming specter of Jaylen Warren to contend with though, and he’s surely been their best back so far in this young season. Will he leapfrog Najee, a player that the Steelers burned a first-round pick on? We’ll have to wait and see.

Can Josh Jacobs get going? Josh Jacobs led the league in rushing last season. Fast forward to Week 3 of the 2023 NFL season, and we’re sitting at just 46 Josh Jacobs rushing yards through two games. Ouch. It doesn’t get any better when you dig in and see he went for NEGATIVE two yards last week. Double ouch. Can Jacobs turn it around this season as he seeks a fair contract? Can he prove he still has it?

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