For the third time in the last four seasons, the Pittsburgh Steelers made the postseason. It was a short stint, though, ending with a 31-17 road loss to the Buffalo Bills in a AFC Wild Card game on Jan. 15.
A huge part of Pittsburgh sealing a playoff berth can be attributed to the play of a second-year wide receiver. So, PennStakes.com did a little Pennsylvania sports betting analysis of NFL receivers in comparison to their contracts.
For this study, PennStakes.com utilized Pro-Football-Reference.com to find the cap hit, receiving & rushing yards (no returning yards) of every NFL wide receiver during the 2023-24 NFL regular season. After doing the math of the $ per point share for each receiver, we were able to determine the 10 most value-driven WRs in the league. Salary and yards were included for all teams the player was on during the 2023-24 season. Here are the top 10 “catches” of the season:
Most Undervalued NFL Wide Receivers
* — Rounded to the nearest dollar.
This info is compiled by Penn Stakes.com and won’t be found on Pennsylvania sports betting apps.
Pickens Delivered for Steelers
Steelers wideout George Pickens, a former Georgia Bulldog, certainly had an improved year from his rookie season. He came in at No. 9 in the top 10 with 1,158 yards at $1,325 per yard. Out of the top 10, he has the biggest cap hit at $1,534,586.
Pickens had five catches for 50 yards in the loss to the Bills. The Steelers now will have to watch division rival Baltimore play in the AFC championship game. BetRivers Sportsbook PA has the Ravens as a 4-point and -110 moneyline favorite over the Kansas City Chiefs.
For contrast, Los Angeles Rams rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua topped the list with 1,575 yards at $515 per yard, with a salary cap hit of $811,244. Nakua had a tremendous first year with 105 receptions (9th best) for 1,486 receiving yards (4th) with six TDs.
Pickens played all 17 games for the second consecutive season. He had 67 receptions (106 targets) for 1,140 yards (18.1 yards per catch) with five touchdowns.
Pickens had five 100+ yard games, highlighted by a four-reception, 195-yard, two-TD performance in a 34-11 home victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 23. However, the two TDs were his only scores in his last 11 games of the season.
Offense will be under the microscope for the Steelers next season and PennStakes.com will there with coverage from a sports betting perspective. Look also for our PA sportsbook promo codes.
