Pittsburgh Steelers vs Philadelphia Eagles Week 5 Betting Preview, Odds, & Picks
After an unexpected extra week of rest following their game against Tennessee due to the Covid-19 outbreak within the Titans organization, Pittsburgh (3-0 SU, 2-1 ATS) will host struggling Philadelphia (1-2-1 SU, 1-3 ATS) in a Sunday matchup. The Steelers are hoping to extend their unbeaten run, while the Eagles will try to build on their first win of the season, last week against the depleted 49ers.
Line Movement
The Steelers are -7 favorites and the line hasn’t changed much all week. The under/ever line is at 44 after going as high as 46.5 earlier in the week, a steep but fair dropoff considering the fact that the last three matchups between these two teams went under.
Philadelphia News and Thoughts
Last week win helped get some pressure off the Doug Pederson and his QB Carson Wentz and it was the first time this season they looked like a truly competent football team. In Sunday matchup they’ll be out to prove that it was not just an outlier against injury-troubled San Francisco, but a sign of better performances to come. With that one win, the Eagles now find themselves at the top of the dreadful NFC East and have all the reasons to continue pushing forward for the rest of the season. For a complete turnaround to happen, Wentz will have to continue to improve his performances after throwing a league-high 7th interception last week and boasting the lowest passing grade in the league of just 43,5.
For those reasons, most DFS players will continue to avoid Philly’s QB, at least until some of his key targets recover. The rest of the team doesn’t promise much either, at least in fantasy terms. WR Greg Ward will again be the primary target in the absence of more prominent receivers such as Deshaun Jackson, but, so far, he failed to impress.
The same goes for experienced TE Zach Ertz who had a nightmare of a game against the 49ers with just 4 catches for 9 yards.
The only Eagles player with consistent performances so far has been RB Miles Sanders but the Pittsburgh defense is elite against the ground game.
Pittsburgh News and Thoughts
The Steelers have certainly welcomed the rest before the battle for Pennsylvania which allowed time for all of the key players to recover and Big Ben is entering the game with the full slate of targets at his disposal. So far, Steelers QB has proven that, when healthy, he can still lead his team to success. The defense led by TJ Watt will look to put pressure on Wenz and blitz him any chance they got.
From the fantasy perspective, Roethlisberger could be in for a prolific week. With him and his receiving core fully rested, we can expect him to have perhaps the best game this season. After struggling with makeshift quarterbacks last season, WE JuJu Smith-Schuster has built a real connection with Big Ben and continues to be the highest targeted receiver on the team.
TE Eric Ebron scored a touchdown last time out and should continue to improve, especially considering that the Philly defense has a lot of trouble containing tight ends week after week.
NFL Week 5 Betting Pick: Over 44
Although historical stats point to under, the total line seems to have moved too low. The Eagles are an over team this year and in Week 5 they are facing probably the best offense yet. If the rested Steelers get going from the start, the game should comfortably finish in the over.
