NFL MNF Steelers vs. Giants Betting Picks & Player Props

The NFL wraps up Week 8 action on Monday night when the Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) will look to stay hot against the floundering New York Giants (2-5), who have been tough on the road this year, going 2-1 so far. Pittsburgh comes in off the back of two straight wins, while the Giants will be looking for their first victory in their last three tries. NFL betting sites have the Steelers favored by a predictably wide margin, but do they deserve such a large spread? We think so.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New York Giants Betting Picks & Player Props - Monday @ 8:15PM E.T.

All odds provided by Betway.

There was a major shakeup within the Steelers organization last week, with veteran Russell Wilson finally convalescing enough to reclaim the starting job from youngster Justin Fields, who’d led the team to an impressive 4-2 start to the year, including a big 32-point performance in a win over the Raiders.

However, the ball still went to Wilson, who responded with a first quarter against the Jets that was beyond shaky. After that, he found his groove quickly and ended up engineering a comeback that featured Pittsburgh scoring 31 points unanswered to finish the game off.

Wilson had clearly already built a wonderful rapport with top wideout George Pickens, who’s style of play seems to fit perfectly with Wilson’s. Pickens is a jump-ball guy with a massive catch radius, and Wilson loves to throw the ball deep in a way that gives his guys a chance to fight for the ball at the apex. That’s important because this Giants pass defense, which is actually pretty solid, is going to be without two of its top three cornerbacks for this one, with Adoree Jackson ruled out and Cor’Dale Flott doubtful to suit up as well. Wilson should be looking Pickens’ way early and often.

And we expect Pickens to get single coverage because New York will have to sell out to stop Pittsburgh’s running game, which is really picking up steam as the weeks go on. They’ve rushed for 145+ in back-to-back games and the Giants allowed a whopping 269 to the Eagles in their last outing. This one is going to come down to the ground game, and we believe Pittsburgh’s top 10 rushing unit will beat up on New York’s bottom 10 run-stopping unit.

Last but not least, the Steelers defense has been a menace for opposing QBs in recent weeks, forcing a whopping eight turnovers over the last three games. Daniel Jones has already thrown four picks this year, and the Giants have only had one game without a turnover so far this year. It feels weird to say, but we expect a blowout in this one, so Pittsburgh’s six-point spread, which we wouldn’t usually touch, actually looks pretty good.

Game Best Bets:

• Pittsburgh Steelers -6.0 Point Spread (-110)

Steelers vs. Giants Player Prop Picks

New York is going to be without two of their top corners in Jackson and Flott. Both men play on the outside, which means there’s going to be a fourth-stringer lining up opposite Pickens from time to time during this game, and I think we all know what that means. Barbecue chicken, baby.

Wilson showed in his first start that even with All-Pro Sauce Gardner shadowing Pickens, he was going to make a concerted effort to get his guy the ball, whether in the short, intermediate, or deep passing game. With the Giants so weak at corner, Wilson will definitely be keeping a sharp eye on Pickens’ matchups so he can take advantage when the talented wideout gets a reserve CB lining up across from him. Sports betting sites have his number at 59.5, but we’re gonna buy it down to 50 at -180.

Elsewhere, we also expect Najee Harris to carry a big load once again. His number sits at 61.5 for this game, and he has hit that mark in five of seven contests so far this season, including two straight in which he’s gone for 106 and 102 yards. The Giants allow 5.4 yards per carry overall, the most in the NFL, but they also allow 5.3 specifically to running backs, which is also near the bottom of the league.

Fellow 230+ pound bruisers Brian Robinson Jr. and Saquon Barkley have both taken this run defense for 130+ yard rides this year, so the 242-pound Harris should have a field day as well. Stretching back to the end of last season, Harris has topped 61.5 rushing yards in eight of 10 games.

Best Bets

• George Pickens 50+ Receiving Yards (-180)
• Najee Harris 61.5 Rush Yards (-110)