This article is part of our NFL Picks series.
Defending champ Erickson is off to a fast start at 22-10 with 2-0 on his best bets. The Staff as a whole had a mediocre week, but we went 4-0 on our unanimous picks. We have four more this week: the Bengals, Redskins, Lions and Saints.
| Erickson | Pianowski | Liss | Stopa | Del Don | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texans -1 at Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Texans | Patriots |
| Broncos +3 at Bengals | Bengals | Bengals | Bengals | Bengals | Bengals |
| Raiders +1.5 at Titans | Titans | Raiders | Titans | Raiders | Titans |
| Cardinals -4 at Bills | Cardinals | Bills | Bills | Bills | Bills |
| Ravens pick em at Jaguars | Jaguars | Ravens | Jaguars | Jaguars | Jaguars |
| Browns +9.5 at Dolphins | Dolphins | Browns | Dolphins | Browns | Dolphins |
| Redskins +4.5 at Giants | Redskins | Redskins | Redskins | Redskins | Redskins |
| Lions +7.5 at Packers | Lions | Lions | Lions | Lions | Lions |
| Vikings +7 at Panthers | Panthers | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings |
| 49ers +9.5 at Seahawks | 49ers | 49ers | Seahawks | Seahawks | 49ers |
| Rams +5 at Buccaneers | Rams | Rams | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Buccaneers |
| Steelers -3.5 at Eagles | Eagles | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Eagles |
| Jets +3 at Chiefs | Chiefs | Jets | Chiefs | Jets | Chiefs |
| Chargers +3 at Colts | Chargers | Chargers | Colts | Chargers | Chargers |
| Bears +7 at Cowboys | Cowboys | Bears | Bears | Cowboys | Cowboys |
| Falcons +3 at Saints | Saints | Saints | Saints | Saints | Saints |
| Best Bet | 49ers | Lions | Bengals | Steelers | Buccaneers |
| Last week's Record | 11-5 | 9-7 | 7-9 | 7-9 | 8-8 |
| 2016 Record | 22-10 | 19-13 | 17-15 | 14-18 | 18-14 |
| Best Bet Record | 2-0 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 2-0 |
| 2015 Record | 134-114-8 | 120-128-8 | 114-134-8 | 127-121-8 | 121-127-8 |
| 2015 Unanimous Pick Record | 7-2 | ||||
| 2015 Majority Pick Record | 19-13 | ||||
| 2014 Record | 123-128-5 | 140-111-5 | 135-116-5 | 124-127-5 |
Defending champ Erickson is off to a fast start at 22-10 with 2-0 on his best bets. The Staff as a whole had a mediocre week, but we went 4-0 on our unanimous picks. We have four more this week: the Bengals, Redskins, Lions and Saints.
Unanimous/Majority Picks
The players:
| Erickson | Pianowski | Liss | Stopa | Del Don | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texans -1 at Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Texans | Patriots |
| Broncos +3 at Bengals | Bengals | Bengals | Bengals | Bengals | Bengals |
| Raiders +1.5 at Titans | Titans | Raiders | Titans | Raiders | Titans |
| Cardinals -4 at Bills | Cardinals | Bills | Bills | Bills | Bills |
| Ravens pick em at Jaguars | Jaguars | Ravens | Jaguars | Jaguars | Jaguars |
| Browns +9.5 at Dolphins | Dolphins | Browns | Dolphins | Browns | Dolphins |
| Redskins +4.5 at Giants | Redskins | Redskins | Redskins | Redskins | Redskins |
| Lions +7.5 at Packers | Lions | Lions | Lions | Lions | Lions |
| Vikings +7 at Panthers | Panthers | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings |
| 49ers +9.5 at Seahawks | 49ers | 49ers | Seahawks | Seahawks | 49ers |
| Rams +5 at Buccaneers | Rams | Rams | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Buccaneers |
| Steelers -3.5 at Eagles | Eagles | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Eagles |
| Jets +3 at Chiefs | Chiefs | Jets | Chiefs | Jets | Chiefs |
| Chargers +3 at Colts | Chargers | Chargers | Colts | Chargers | Chargers |
| Bears +7 at Cowboys | Cowboys | Bears | Bears | Cowboys | Cowboys |
| Falcons +3 at Saints | Saints | Saints | Saints | Saints | Saints |
| Best Bet | 49ers | Lions | Bengals | Steelers | Buccaneers |
| Last week's Record | 11-5 | 9-7 | 7-9 | 7-9 | 8-8 |
| 2016 Record | 22-10 | 19-13 | 17-15 | 14-18 | 18-14 |
| Best Bet Record | 2-0 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 2-0 |
| 2015 Record | 134-114-8 | 120-128-8 | 114-134-8 | 127-121-8 | 121-127-8 |
| 2015 Unanimous Pick Record | 7-2 | ||||
| 2015 Majority Pick Record | 19-13 | ||||
| 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 have four consensus picks, the Bengals, Redskins, Lions and Saints. We went 4-0 on unanimous picks last week, winning with the Jets, Texans, Browns and Panthers to bring our season record to 7-2. We went 7-9 on majority (three or more writers) picks to bring our season record to 19-13.
Comments:
| Writer | Comment |
|---|---|
| Erickson | I don't like that the line has moved 1.5 points away from my pick (from -11 to -9.5) on the 49ers, but the Seahawks offense is such a mess right now. It'll change, I'm sure, but I'm not sure so quickly as this week... Also hate laying this margin of points on the Dolphins, but I think that Cody Kessler really is going to be a disaster against them. |
| Pianowski | I have a bad feeling about this slate. But there's no way I'm laying that type of wood on a Packers offense that's shown almost nothing. I also had Jaguars written down, then I started to think about John Harbaugh versus Gus Bradley. Then I started to think about the 4-5 horrendous throws Blake Bortles makes every week. Then I said, screw it, I don't even think Baltimore is that good, but give me the Ravens. Yeah, all that stuff is probably baked into the line, but sometimes it comes down to the quality of my three hours. |
| Liss | Thought this was a tough slate. I like the Bengals defense at home against Trevor Siemian, the Seahawks defense at home against the 49ers and the Steelers as mild favorites in Philly. |
| Stopa | I've sucked so far in 2016, so it's time to take more dogs and bet with the sharps. When the Bills opened +6.5 yet moved down to +4, you know it's because the sharps drove the line down, as the public money was certainly on Arizona. Hold your nose and bet with the smart folks... The Packers need to win a blowout before laying that many points... Philly's 2-0 against soft competition; it's time for a reality check against a Steelers team that may have no weakness... The line treats Indy and San Diego as equal teams, but for my money, the Chargers are better, especially on defense. |
| Del Don | Feels like the right time to buy low on the Bucs and sell high on the Rams, as the former was blown out last week while the latter pulled off a big upset. I expect Tampa Bay to handle Los Angeles easily in Week 3. |
The players:
• Jeff Erickson: RotoWire Senior editor, 2001, 2008, 2013, 2015 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.
