Steelers vs. 49ers Week 3 Prediction
Mason Rudolph will lead the Steelers into Santa Clara on Sunday afternoon in search of the team’s first win. Meanwhile, the 49ers will look to improve to 3-0 on the year and are listed as 6.5-point favorites. Will San Francisco cover?
Game Snapshot
485 Pittsburgh Steelers (+6.5) at 486 San Francisco 49ers (-6.5); O/U 44
4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday, September 22, 2019
Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
Public Betting Trends
According to our NFL Football Public Betting Chart page, the 49ers are receiving 60% of the betting tickets from online sportsbooks.
Pittsburgh Steelers Fantasy Spin
James Conner (knee) is good to go for the Steelers’ Week 3 matchup against the 49ers. Conner practiced in full on Thursday and Friday. He wasn’t listed on the team’s final injury report. Still, it wouldn’t be surprising if he shares more snaps than usual at less than 100% with Jaylen Samuels. Conner is best approached as a low-end RB2 without Ben Roethlisberger (elbow, IR) under center. The 49ers’ vastly-improved front seven allowed a combined 146 rushing yards to the Buccaneers and Bengals in Weeks 1 and 2.
San Francisco 49ers Fantasy Spin
Nick Bosa (ankle) is questionable for the 49ers’ Week 3 matchup against the Steelers. Bosa is expected to again play through his injury designation. The No. 2 overall pick has been brilliant to start the season, racking up 10 pressures in two weeks. Only eight defenders in the entire league have more.
NFL Betting Trends
Pittsburgh
The Steelers are 1-3-1 against the spread in their last five road games and 2-6-1 at the betting window in their last nine games overall.
San Francisco
The 49ers have failed to cover the spread in 16 of their last 23 home games.
Prediction
The 49ers were small underdogs in Week 1 when they knocked off the Bucs and beat the Bengals in Week 2 with the line set as a pick’em. Now, with the injury to Ben Roethlisberger, the 49ers are a sizable home favorite. This line is inflated and I like backing a desperate Pittsburgh team that might get a youthful punch in the arm with Rudolph starting in place of the injured Big Ben. For as good as San Francisco has looked offensively, its defense still has major question marks.
NFL Week 3 Prediction: Pittsburgh Steelers +6.5