Admin January 4, 2025
Eagles will rest Saquon Barkley, ending pursuit of Eric Dickerson’s NFL rushing record
Philadelphia Eagle’s head coach Nick Sirianni explains his decision to sit Saquon Barkley Week 18 vs. the New York Giants.
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The final week of the 2024 NFL regular season is here. The USA TODAY Sports staff is back at the table and ready to deliver the best NFL bets ahead of the two games for Saturday’s Week 18 games.
The NFL is hosting an exciting doubleheader to help kick off the New Year. A pair of AFC North matchups will be highlighted on Saturday.
The Baltimore Ravens will look to clinch the division title against the Cleveland Browns in the first game, while the Cincinnati Bengals hope to stay alive in the AFC playoff race against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the nightcap.
Our experts have provided the five best predictions for the NFL Saturday games, selecting from all the available betting markets and supplying an in-depth analysis of spreads, player props and anytime touchdowns.
Here are the best NFL bets for Saturday with odds from BetMGM. Best of luck if you tail.
Best bets NFL Saturday
Odds as of Thursday.
Russell Wilson OVER 1.5 passing touchdowns (+100)
Jacob Camenker, NFL writer: Most people are probably expecting that backing Joe Burrow would be the way to go in this AFC North matchup. The Bengals quarterback deserves all the praise in the world for how he is playing coming into this game, but backing Wilson here looks like the better value.
The Bengals have allowed six of their last seven opponents to pass for multiple touchdowns against them. The lone exception was the Cleveland Browns, who were starting Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Cleveland has put up just nine total points in DTR’s two starts, so it’s safe to call that a fluky-good performance for Cincinnati’s porous pass defense.
The Bengals have surrendered the fourth-most passing touchdowns to quarterbacks this season (29), three of which Wilson was responsible for in the Steelers’ 44-38 Week 13 win over the Bengals. Saturday’s game should be another high-scoring matchup, with Cincinnati fighting to make the postseason and Pittsburgh looking to snap a three-game losing streak, so don’t be surprised if Wilson finds the end-zone a couple of times.
Mike Gesicki, Bengals TE, OVER 33.5 receiving yards (+100)
Nick Brinkerhoff, NFL writer: Like a pop star without autotune, we didn’t end 2024 on a particularly good note. Mr. Camenker swiped our Pat Freiermuth prop on Christmas, forcing us to pivot to a losing Noah Gray prop. Then Breece Hall proceeded to post one catch in one of the most favorable matchups to opposing receiving running backs. We’re not bitter (yes, we are) at all though, because 2025 is a new year. That means it’s the perfect time to reset ourselves.
We’ll turn to Gesicki for the Saturday slate in Week 18 and for good reason. We aren’t sure how the Steelers will approach this game after a likely Ravens win beforehand clinches the AFC North. More importantly, the Bengals must win to keep their playoff hopes alive just to get to Sunday. Gesicki is coming off a 12-target game that saw him finish with 10 receptions and 86 yards.
While we’re not expecting that, even though it would be nice, the tight end did haul in all five targets for 53 yards in this matchup back in Week 13. The Steelers have been sneakily getting abused by tight ends in the latter part of the season, allowing 70.9 yards per game to the position. Travis Kelce took all of Gray’s work on Christmas, but Gesicki doesn’t have that positional competition in Cincinnati’s passing game. Trust the tight end to get his new year off to a good start.
Zay Flowers, Ravens WR anytime TD (+165)
Jack McKessy, NFL writer: The end of 2024 was good for our staff picks. Well, at least my picks. Kareem Hunt made Christmas more merry when he found the end zone, but we took a hit with the Broncos failing to stop the Bengals in a must-win game for both teams.
The Ravens are entering a favorable matchup in Week 18 and a win would clinch them the AFC North title. Not only are the Browns starting their 40th quarterback since 1999 in Bailey Zappe, but they’re also decimated by injuries on both sides of the ball.
This includes a shoulder injury to Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward, which will keep him out of Saturday’s game. That could really open things up for Flowers, the second-year receiver who has emerged as quarterback Lamar Jackson‘s clear favorite target.
Rather than taking the boring yardage over here (59.5, if you’re curious), let’s try our luck with another anytime touchdown bet. Flowers has only found the end zone four times so far this season, but he could make it an even five to match last year’s total when he takes on this banged-up Browns secondary with a chance to clinch the division title.
Zay Flowers, Ravens OVER 59.5 Receiving Yards (-110)
Tom Viera, NFL writer/editor: Props to Jack for laying the foundation for my pick. I agree that the anytime touchdown price is enticing, but I’ll go the “boring” route. He talked up the Ravens’ second-year wide receiver enough, but here’s a few more bites of the pie. Big play Zay became the first-ever Ravens wide receiver to be selected to the Pro Bowl this past week. He will want to show us why on Saturday.
The Browns’ Cover-1 single-high safety man defense favors Flowers. The running game should open the field for the “human joystick.” Flowers went off for seven receptions and 115 yards against this defensive scheme earlier this season and they won’t have their top corner today. There is the potential of a blowout but expect Zay to make a few splash plays in the first half as Baltimore runs away with the division title.
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense have been cooking lately, exceeding 30 points in three straight. That momentum will carry into this pivotal division game, with Baltimore listed as a 20-point favorite. The reigning MVP has been playing lights out and offensive coordinator Todd Monken has the running game led by Derrick Henry clicking on all cylinders.
Jackson has completed a career-high 67.9% of throws, and Flowers has been a direct beneficiary with five or more targets in nine consecutive games. He can create yards after the catch and has exceeded this line in five of seven games at home. Fire up Flowers with confidence.