This article is part of our NFL Picks series.
In Pianowski's case, it went: "Plus-one, plus-two, plus-three?" I had to go back and double check, but it was in fact the case. That made him 13-1-1 heading into the Sunday night game. And yes, he won that one too. So congrats to Scott who posted the best single-week showing in Staff Picks history at 14-1-1, his only loss being the Redskins against the Cowboys, en route to the 2014 season-long title. (In 2001, I once went into the Monday night game at 12-0-1 and lost with the Rams to the Bucs.)
Overall, it was a solid year for the Staff as we went 19-15 on unanimous picks (55.9%) and 137-114-5 (54.6%) on majority ones.
This week, we all like the Ravens, and three of us (Pianowski, Erickson and me) all have them as our best bets. Oddly, Scott and I have the exact same picks, so I'm hoping he can
In Pianowski's case, it went: "Plus-one, plus-two, plus-three?" I had to go back and double check, but it was in fact the case. That made him 13-1-1 heading into the Sunday night game. And yes, he won that one too. So congrats to Scott who posted the best single-week showing in Staff Picks history at 14-1-1, his only loss being the Redskins against the Cowboys, en route to the 2014 season-long title. (In 2001, I once went into the Monday night game at 12-0-1 and lost with the Rams to the Bucs.)
Overall, it was a solid year for the Staff as we went 19-15 on unanimous picks (55.9%) and 137-114-5 (54.6%) on majority ones.
This week, we all like the Ravens, and three of us (Pianowski, Erickson and me) all have them as our best bets. Oddly, Scott and I have the exact same picks, so I'm hoping he can keep the roll going.
| Erickson | Pianowski | Liss | Stopa | Del Don | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals +6 at Panthers | Panthers | Panthers | Panthers | Cardinals | Cardinals |
| Ravens +3 at Steelers | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens |
| Bengals +3.5 at Colts | Colts | Bengals | Bengals | Bengals | Colts |
| Lions +6.5 at Cowboys | Lions | Cowboys | Cowboys | Lions | Lions |
| Best Bet | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Cardinals | Colts |
| Last Week's Record | 4-11-1 | 14-1-1 | 10-5-1 | 6-9-1 | 7-8-1 |
| Best Bet Record | 6-11 | 5-12 | 12-5 | 10-6-1 | 9-8 |
| Unanimous Pick Record | 19-15-1 | ||||
| Majority Record | 137-114-5 | ||||
| 2013 Playoff Record | 5-4-2 | 3-6-2 | 4-5-2 | 4-5-2 | 4-5-2 |
| 2012 Playoff Record | 4-6-1 | 5-5-1 | 6-4-1 | 4-6-1 | 8-2-1 |
| 2011 Playoff Record | 8-3 | 5-6 | 9-2 | 6-5 | 7-4 |
| 2010 Playoff Record | 6-5 | 5-6 | 5-6 | 7-4 | 8-3 |
| 2009 Playoff Record | 5-6 | 4-7 | 1-10 | 6-5 | 5-6 |
| 2008 Playoff Record | 6-5 | 5-6 | 5-6 | 8-3 | 4-7 |
| 2007 Playoff Record | 8-3 | 3-8 | 6-5 | N/A | 2-9 |
| 2006 Playoff Record | 7-4 | N/A | 4-7 | N/A | N/A |
| 2005 Playoff Record | 5-6 | N/A | 3-8 | N/A | N/A |
| 2004 Playoff Record | 6-5 | N/A | 4-7 | N/A | N/A |
| 2003 Playoff Record | 6-5 | N/A | 4-7 | N/A | N/A |
| 2002 Playoff Record | 6-5 | 7-4 | 5-6 | N/A | N/A |
| 2001 Playoff Record | 6-4-1 | 7-3-1 | 4-6-1 | N/A | N/A |
| 2000 Playoff Record | 6-5 | 7-4 | 6-5 | N/A | N/A |
| 2014 Record | 123-128-5 | 140-111-5 | 135-116-5 | 124-127-5 | 128-123-5 |
| 2013 Record | 132-114-10 | 118-128-10 | 123-123-10 | 111-135-10 | 128-118-10 |
| 2012 Record | 110-140-6 | 125-125-6 | 121-129-6 | 143-107-6 | 123-127-6 |
| 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 |
Unanimous/Majority Picks
This week, we all like the Ravens. Last week we pushed on our only unanimous picks to go 19-15-1 on the year. And we went 9-6-1 on majority picks (three or more writers) to go 137-114-5.
Comments:
| Writer | Comment |
| Erickson | All four games seem pretty tough to me this week. The Ravens are getting Ngata back at the right time. If the good version of Flacco shows up, they could win outright... I can't trust the Bengals, especially if A.J. Green can't go, though I think Jeremy Hill could have a big game... I hate to take the square side in CAR-AZ, but the QB play in Arizona is likely to be awful, even if it's Drew Stanton playing. |
| Pianowski | The final three games were auto-picks for me - I always want the points in a Pittsburgh-Baltimore game, the Stafford Lions have never won a signature game on the road, and I'll also grab the points with Indianapolis-Cincinnati given that I don't trust either team at all. On the first game, it's a question of viewing a team with a wide prism or a narrower, more current one. Cam Newton looks healthy again to me, which means he's running again, which means the Panthers are difficult to defend. Arizona's offense is in the garbage, of course, and its defense has been one of the most overrated stories of the year. |
| Liss | I had an easier time picking the Saturday games than the Sunday ones. Le'Veon Bell's pass-catching ability and the Steelers lack of depth behind him makes him more valuable than the typical star back. And I think we can safely forget about what the Panthers did in Weeks 1-10 at this point. |
| Stopa | I took four underdogs, and though I didn't plan it that way, each pick feels right. Let's go one at a time... 2-3 weeks ago, the Panthers late-season turnaround was a little-known secret. Now, everyone knows it, including Vegas. Sure, they're probably a better team than they were. But six points is a lot for a Panthers offense that's not explosive against a good Cardinals defense. Carolina 17-13... With a mediocre defense and Le'Veon hurting, all the Steelers have is their passing game. That might be enough, particularly against a bad Ravens secondary, but Ben and the passing game have been wildly inconsistent all year. I just think the Ravens have more paths to victory - great pass rush forces turnovers, Flacco has good game, Ravens o-line dominates - and they're getting points. Ravens 24-23... The Sunday games turn on the QB play of the underdogs. Which Andy Dalton shows up? Which Matthew Stafford? So impossible to predict, but where I'm not sure, and both underdogs have the better defenses (particularly with Suh playing), I have to take the points. |
| Del Don | I don't feel confident in any of these picks, as I could easily see the Panthers rolling, and I backed Detroit despite Matthew Stafford being 0-17 in his career on the road against teams with winning records. |
The players:
•Jeff Erickson: RotoWire Senior editor, 2001, 2008, 2013 Staff Picks Champ. Writes the Weekly Rankings. Covers and roots for the Bengals.
•Scott Pianowski: Fantasy expert for Yahoo! Sports, and also contributes to Rotowire.com. 2009, 2011 and 2014 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 the Survivor column in addition to Staff Picks. Covers and roots for the Giants.
•Mark Stopa: Staff Writer, 2010, 2012 Staff Picks Champ, Writes Run 'N' Shoot. Roots for the Bills.
•Dalton Del Don: Fantasy Expert for Yahoo! Sports, 2007 Staff Picks Champ. Roots for the 49ers.
