Prime-time unders might be on an 11-game winning streak, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be any touchdowns in this AFC North divisional game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens for Thursday Night Football. Who are the best touchdown scorer bets? Let’s get right into it.
Bengals vs. Ravens Best Touchdown Scorer Bets
Gus Edwards, RB, Baltimore Ravens (+110 at ESPN BET)
Gosling: Even with the emergence of RB Keaton Mitchell, Gus Edwards continued to see red zone work in Week 10 against the Cleveland Browns. Even in the losing effort, Edwards found the endzone and finished the day with 24 yards on 11 carries, while adding one catch for four yards.
MORE: Where is ESPN BET Legal?
Edwards has a touchdown in four straight games and has been responsible for an impressive seven total TDs in that span. Yes, Mitchell only adds to the large number of options for the Ravens in the red zone, including QB Lamar Jackson himself, but he still had the most rushing attempts of anyone on the team last week.
The Bengals are currently 28th in the league against the rush and could be without both of their starting ends. Baltimore went for 178 rushing yards on Cincinnati in the first meeting this season, and Houston managed 188 on Sunday.
Edwards averages nearly 5.5 yards per carry against the Bengals in his career. I don’t see that success changing this week, so give me Edwards plus money to score a TD over at ESPN BET.
Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals (+110 at FanDuel)
Blewis: After scoring just one touchdown in his first six games, despite having very high red zone usage, Joe Mixon has gotten into the end zone in three straight games. This season, all of the Bengals’ rushing attempts inside the 10-yard line have gone to Mixon, so he has taken on a bigger workload than ever this season.
At plus money with those odds, this seems almost too good to pass up. The only worry here would be if the Bengals struggle to get into the red zone against this Baltimore defense.
Keaton Mitchell, RB, Baltimore Ravens (+250 at FanDuel)
Blewis: When given the opportunity, the rookie running back has been really explosive in recent weeks. He’s seen touchdown runs of 39 and 40 yards in his last two games. But for some reason, Mitchell was phased out of the game plan last week, as he ended the day with just three carries.
Since then, HC John Harbaugh has admitted to reporters that they should’ve had Mitchell playing more and that he will factor into the game plan against Cincinnati. Although any carries near the goal line will most likely go to Edwards, Mitchell is more than capable of breaking off a long touchdown run, as we have seen the last two weeks, and at +250 odds, it’s worth a flier.
Katz: Piggybacking off of Brian’s flier on Mitchell to score…how about twice? We know Mitchell is capable of explosive runs. We also have reason to believe Harbaugh when he says he wants to get Mitchell more involved. This is obviously not likely to hit, but that’s why it’s a long shot. At +2000 at FanDuel, the juice is worth the proverbial squeeze.
Tyler Boyd, WR, Cincinnati Bengals (+230 at FanDuel)
Soppe: Tee Higgins is expected to sit out again, and that opens up usage that we know is Tyler Boyd’s to gain. The Ravens’ elite per-play defense suggests that they are rarely beaten for big plays, and that’s just fine by me.
MORE: NFL Team Over/Under Standings
Boyd’s aDOT is down 25.4% from last season, and in his past three games in which Higgins has either sat out or caught fewer than five passes, Boyd’s aDOT is 24.2% lower than all other games this season. In fact, in those three games, Boyd has caught 21 of 26 targets, making the most of passes that are little more than extended handoffs.
Since the beginning of last season, the Ravens have held WR Ja’Marr Chase in check (8.7 yards per catch), and if they continue to make slowing Cincy’s WR1 a priority, Boyd’s precise route-running could get him into the end zone as the Bengals approach the goal line.
Bearman: I loved the way the Bengals used Boyd last week, making up for Higgins’ absence and Chase being less than 100%, finishing with eight catches for 117 yards. He also had the potential game-winning TD slip through his hands late, so they were looking for him in the red zone.
Higgins is still out, and we don’t know how healthy Chase is. More Boyd.
Rashod Bateman, WR, Baltimore Ravens (+550 at FanDuel)
Soppe: The Bengals own the highest opponent aDOT this season (10.0 — nearly two full yards above the league average), and Jackson’s aDOT is up 30% since the first month of the season. OC Todd Monken is quietly getting more aggressive, as we approach the most important time of year, in an effort to increase the ceiling of this offense.
This season, Bateman’s aDOT is 39.6% greater than that of WR Odell Beckham Jr. and 61.3% ahead of WR Zay Flowers. See where I’m going yet?
Last week, Bateman ran a route on 76.7% of Baltimore’s dropbacks — well up from his 61.4% route participation in the two weeks prior.
At this price, I’m willing to back Bateman. This is a spot for him to see multiple deep looks, and say what you will about him, but that is his primary path to impacting this game.
If you want a lottery ticket, you can take it one step further. Baltimore has been playing with a lead for the bulk of this season, so maybe they look to get Bateman loose at the very beginning (+2600 to score the first touchdown at FanDuel).
Our Betting Lines page has the freshest lines and promos to get BANG for your buck. PFN’s FREE Parlay Calculator and Betting Odds Calculator are also available for your betting process! New to sports betting? Check out our guide on How to Bet on the NFL. Visit our Sports Betting Legal Tracker on how to bet legally in the U.S.