Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens Player Props (10/24/21)

The Ravens and Bengals meet this week in a divisional matchup full of intrigue. Both teams are off to solid starts to the season, and both have some exciting young offensive talent; that means player props are on deck for this game. In this article, I’m breaking down my favorite prop bets for this AFC North showdown.

Joe Mixon Over 56.5 Rushing Yards

The Ravens have not allowed a running back to hit this yardage total all year, so you may understandably be wary of Joe Mixon in this matchup. However, the Ravens rank 13th in run defense DVOA this year and have arguably gotten somewhat lucky with injuries or game script not allowing big rushing performances. I don’t expect Baltimore to pull away in this game, given how good the Cincinnati defense has been, so the game script should be favorable to Mixon. He also seems to be past his ankle injury as he got back to a full workload last week and ran for 94 yards against the Lions. You can target Mixon’s rushing + receiving prop if you’d like, but his role in the passing game has been inconsistent, so I’d look to his rushing total for value.

C.J. Uzomah Over 20.5 Receiving Yards

Baltimore has an excellent pass defense, but they are somewhat vulnerable in one area is against the tight end position. According to Football Outsiders, the Ravens have allowed 77.2 yards per game, the third-most in the NFL, to TEs this season. Uzomah may not be the headline-grabber from the Bengals, but he is out-snapping every other skill position player on the team aside from rookie Ja’Marr Chase. Uzomah is averaging 11.8 yards per reception, so he only needs a couple of catches to break this number, and he’s had 2+ catches in all but one game this season.

Devonta Freeman Anytime TD Scorer

It sounds doubtful that Latavius Murray will take the field on Sunday as he’s dealing with an ankle injury. That would leave Devonta Freeman as the likely starter as Ty’Son Williams remains in the team’s doghouse. I’m not sold that Freeman will produce against the Bengals, who rank fourth in the NFL in rush defense DVOA, but I have confidence that he’ll be the goalline back for the team after he got four red-zone attempts last week. Le’Veon Bell will get touches, but Freeman will be the first back in the red zone as the starter. With Lamar Jackson an elite rushing threat, Freeman should have plenty of space to find the end zone in this game.

Rashod Bateman Over 3.5 Receptions

In his rookie debut last week, Rashod Bateman finished with four catches for 29 yards despite an unfavorable game script for the Ravens’ passing game. Sammy Watkins is expected to miss this week’s game again, and that will leave Bateman as the clear WR2 after Marquise Brown. The Bengals’ defense has been solid across the board, but Bateman should see much easier coverage from Eli Apple as Chidobe Awuzie covers Brown. Bateman played on 65% of snaps last week, and that number should only go up moving forward, so the line of 3.5 receptions seems low given how involved I’m expecting him to be in the offense.