This article is part of our NFL Picks series.
DDD and I both went 10-6 last week, but it won't make a dent in Stopa's lead. DDD and Erickson (a Bengals fan) both like the Steelers as their best bets, and the other best bets (Lions, Seahawks and Jets) are consensus picks.
Happy Holidays.
| Erickson | Pianowski | Liss | Stopa | Del Don | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons -3.5 at Lions | Lions | Lions | Lions | Lions | Lions |
| Titans +13 at Packers | Titans | Titans | Titans | Titans | Titans |
| Raiders +9 at Panthers | Panthers | Panthers | Panthers | Panthers | Raiders |
| Bills +4 at Dolphins | Dolphins | Bills | Bills | Bills | Bills |
| Bengals +3.5 at Steelers | Steelers | Bengals | Bengals | Bengals | Steelers |
| Patriots -14.5 at Jaguars | Patriots | Jaguars | Jaguars | Patriots | Patriots |
| Colts -7 at Chiefs | Colts | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs |
| Saints +2 at Cowboys | Cowboys | Saints | Cowboys | Saints | Cowboys |
| Redskins -6.5 at Eagles | Redskins | Redskins | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles |
| Rams +3 at Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Rams | Rams | Rams |
| Vikings +8.5 at Texans | Vikings | Texans | Texans | Vikings | Vikings |
| Chargers +1.5 at Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets |
| Browns +13.5 at Broncos | Broncos | Browns | Browns | Broncos | Browns |
| Bears -5.5 at Cardinals | Bears | Cardinals | Cardinals | Bears | Bears |
| Giants -1.5 at Ravens | Giants | Ravens | Giants | Giants | Ravens |
| 49ers pick 'em at Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks |
| Best Bet | Steelers | Seahawks | Lions | Jets | Steelers |
| Last Week's Record | 7-9 | 7-9 | 10-6 | 8-8 | 10-6 |
| 2012 Record | 96-123-5 | 108-111-5 | 106-113-5 | 128-91-5 | 112-107-5 |
| Best Bet Record | 3-10-2 | 11-4 | 6-9 | 8-7 | 10-5 |
| Consensus Pick Record | 20-26-1 | ||||
| 2011 Record | 121-128-7 | 134-115-7 | 124-125-7 | 123-126-7 | 127-122-7 |
| 2010 Record | 129-122-5 | 134-117-5 | 126-125-5 | 136-115-5 | 134-117-5 |
| 2009 Record | 123-130-3 | 132-121-3 | 131-122-3 | 130-123-3 |
DDD and I both went 10-6 last week, but it won't make a dent in Stopa's lead. DDD and Erickson (a Bengals fan) both like the Steelers as their best bets, and the other best bets (Lions, Seahawks and Jets) are consensus picks.
Consensus Picks
The players:
Happy Holidays.
| Erickson | Pianowski | Liss | Stopa | Del Don | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons -3.5 at Lions | Lions | Lions | Lions | Lions | Lions |
| Titans +13 at Packers | Titans | Titans | Titans | Titans | Titans |
| Raiders +9 at Panthers | Panthers | Panthers | Panthers | Panthers | Raiders |
| Bills +4 at Dolphins | Dolphins | Bills | Bills | Bills | Bills |
| Bengals +3.5 at Steelers | Steelers | Bengals | Bengals | Bengals | Steelers |
| Patriots -14.5 at Jaguars | Patriots | Jaguars | Jaguars | Patriots | Patriots |
| Colts -7 at Chiefs | Colts | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs |
| Saints +2 at Cowboys | Cowboys | Saints | Cowboys | Saints | Cowboys |
| Redskins -6.5 at Eagles | Redskins | Redskins | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles |
| Rams +3 at Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Rams | Rams | Rams |
| Vikings +8.5 at Texans | Vikings | Texans | Texans | Vikings | Vikings |
| Chargers +1.5 at Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets |
| Browns +13.5 at Broncos | Broncos | Browns | Browns | Broncos | Browns |
| Bears -5.5 at Cardinals | Bears | Cardinals | Cardinals | Bears | Bears |
| Giants -1.5 at Ravens | Giants | Ravens | Giants | Giants | Ravens |
| 49ers pick 'em at Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks |
| Best Bet | Steelers | Seahawks | Lions | Jets | Steelers |
| Last Week's Record | 7-9 | 7-9 | 10-6 | 8-8 | 10-6 |
| 2012 Record | 96-123-5 | 108-111-5 | 106-113-5 | 128-91-5 | 112-107-5 |
| Best Bet Record | 3-10-2 | 11-4 | 6-9 | 8-7 | 10-5 |
| Consensus Pick Record | 20-26-1 | ||||
| 2011 Record | 121-128-7 | 134-115-7 | 124-125-7 | 123-126-7 | 127-122-7 |
| 2010 Record | 129-122-5 | 134-117-5 | 126-125-5 | 136-115-5 | 134-117-5 |
| 2009 Record | 123-130-3 | 132-121-3 | 131-122-3 | 130-123-3 | 126-127-3 |
| 2008 Record | 132-114-10 | 128-118-10 | 124-122-10 | 125-121-10 | 130-116-10 |
| 2007 Record | 127-120 | 118-129 | 127-120 | N/A | 130-117 |
| 2006 Record | 118-129 | N/A | 139-108 | N/A | N/A |
| 2005 Record | 121-126 | N/A | 127-120 | N/A | N/A |
| 2004 Record | 124-124 | N/A | 130-118 | N/A | N/A |
| 2003 Record | 121-126 | 118-129 | 124-123 | N/A | N/A |
| 2002 Record | 113-136 | 123-126 | 141-108 | N/A | N/A |
| 2001 Record | 124-113 | 117-120 | 118-119 | N/A | N/A |
| 2000 Record | 123-117 | 134-106 | 141-99 | N/A | N/A |
Consensus Picks
This week we have four consensus picks: Lions, Titans, Jets and Seahawks. Last week we went 1-1 to put us at 20-26-1 on the season. Last year we were 30-24-2 on consensus picks.
Comments:
| Writer | Comment |
| Erickson | Consider this to be the paranoid Bengals fan pick - you get to buy lowest on the Steelers (well, almost lowest - not as low as when Roethlisberger was out) while the Bengals are riding high. I get that there are issues with Todd Haley vs. Big Ben, and Ike Taylor is out, blah blah blah. It's all figured into the line. I think there's too much institutional memory on both sides to overcome. |
| Pianowski | While I fully respect the Niners, Seattle has perhaps the best home-field advantage in the league and it needs the game more. |
| Liss | I love the Lions at home off their embarrassing loss in Arizona. I like the slate as a whole, but none of the other games jumped out at me quite so much. |
| Stopa | In Weeks 16 and 17, there are always teams that "need" to win, and the public loves to back such teams, but they've historically fallen flat. So I'll keep fading the Colts, sell Dallas high and fade the Washington hype machine... I've been fading the Ravens, and this was probably the week to buy back in, except I want the Giants low even more. Plus, if the NFL has taught us anything this year, it's NFC over AFC... The Sunday night game should be great, as they're the two best teams in the NFC. That could easily be an NFC Championship preview... The Steelers -4 is set as if Pitt, a very public team, will rebound, and I'm not so sure. Ike Taylor is out, Troy Polamalu isn't making plays, the running game stinks - I think Cinci is just better. Even if Roethlisberger pulls it out with a late FG drive, that's still a win for Cinci. Predicting which teams will flat out quit isn't easy at this time of year, but my money is on the West Coast teams traveling east - San Diego (which quit last week - that Rivers slide with the nearest defender 7 yards away was a total disgrace) and Oakland (no explanation needed). The Jets certainly can't be any worse with McElroy at QB, and I struggle to see how San Diego will move the ball. There's no running game at all, the Jets are solid against the pass, and Cro can match up with Danario Alexander. With the typical Rivers turnovers, that could get ugly. |
| Del Don | I really struggled coming up with a best bet this week, and I could easily see Pittsburgh winning by just a field goal, though I would be moderately surprised if the Bengals pull off the upset. I could have gone either way on the Giants/Ravens game, and I don't feel nearly as strong about my 49ers this week as I did last week - hence the Seattle backing. |
The players:
•Jeff Erickson: RotoWire Senior editor, 2001, 2008 Staff Picks Champ. Writes the Value Meter. Covers and roots for the Bengals.
•Scott Pianowski: Fantasy expert for Yahoo! Sports, and also contributes to Rotowire.com. 2009 and 2011 Staff Picks Champ. Roots for the Patriots.
•Chris Liss: RotoWire Managing Editor, 2000, 2002, 2006 Staff Picks Champ, 2003, 2004 co-champ. Writes East Coast Offense, Beating the Book and Surviving the Week in addition to Staff Picks. Covers and roots for the Giants.
•Mark Stopa: Staff Writer, 2010 Staff Picks Champ, Writes Working the Wire. Roots for the Bills.
•Dalton Del Don: Fantasy Expert for Yahoo! Sports, 2007 Staff Picks Champ. Roots for the 49ers.
