This article is part of our NFL Picks series.
I paced the field this week, but remain in last place, two games behind Pianowski. Erickson's 8-8 week actually gained him ground, and he now has a six-game lead over Stopa with 16 games left to play. They differ on seven games, so Stopa has to go 7-0 to beat him, the odds of which are 1 in 128.
We have two more unanimous picks this week, the Giants and Titans, and those happen to be my two best bets.
| Erickson | Pianowski | Liss | Stopa | Del Don | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets -3 at Bills | Bills | Bills | Bills | Jets | Bills |
| Patriots -10.5 at Dolphins | Dolphins | Dolphins | Patriots | Dolphins | Patriots |
| Ravens +9 at Bengals | Bengals | Bengals | Bengals | Ravens | Bengals |
| Saints +4 at Falcons | Saints | Saints | Falcons | Saints | Saints |
| Jaguars +6 at Texans | Texans | Jaguars | Jaguars | Jaguars | Jaguars |
| Steelers -10.5 at Browns | Steelers | Steelers | Browns | Browns | Browns |
| Titans +6 at Colts | Titans | Titans | Titans | Titans | Titans |
| Redskins +3.5 at Cowboys | Redskins | Redskins | Cowboys | Redskins | Cowboys |
| Lions +1 at Bears | Lions | Lions | Lions | Lions | Bears |
| Eagles +3 at Giants | Giants | Giants | Giants | Giants | Giants |
| Buccaneers +10.5 at Panthers | Panthers | Buccaneers | Panthers | Buccaneers | Panthers |
| Raiders +6.5 at Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Raiders | Raiders | Raiders |
| Chargers +9 at Broncos | Chargers | Chargers | Broncos | Chargers | Chargers |
| Rams -3.5 at 49ers | Rams | 49ers | 49ers | Rams | 49ers |
| Seahawks +6.5 at Cardinals | Cardinals | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks |
| Vikings +3 at Packers | Vikings | Vikings | Packers | Vikings | Packers |
| Best Bet | Chargers | Steelers | Giants | Vikings | Packers |
| Last Week's Record | 8-8 | 6-10 | 11-5 | 5-11 | 9-7 |
| 2015 Record | 124-109-7 | 110-123-7 |
I paced the field this week, but remain in last place, two games behind Pianowski. Erickson's 8-8 week actually gained him ground, and he now has a six-game lead over Stopa with 16 games left to play. They differ on seven games, so Stopa has to go 7-0 to beat him, the odds of which are 1 in 128.
Unanimous/Majority Picks
The players:
We have two more unanimous picks this week, the Giants and Titans, and those happen to be my two best bets.
| Erickson | Pianowski | Liss | Stopa | Del Don | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets -3 at Bills | Bills | Bills | Bills | Jets | Bills |
| Patriots -10.5 at Dolphins | Dolphins | Dolphins | Patriots | Dolphins | Patriots |
| Ravens +9 at Bengals | Bengals | Bengals | Bengals | Ravens | Bengals |
| Saints +4 at Falcons | Saints | Saints | Falcons | Saints | Saints |
| Jaguars +6 at Texans | Texans | Jaguars | Jaguars | Jaguars | Jaguars |
| Steelers -10.5 at Browns | Steelers | Steelers | Browns | Browns | Browns |
| Titans +6 at Colts | Titans | Titans | Titans | Titans | Titans |
| Redskins +3.5 at Cowboys | Redskins | Redskins | Cowboys | Redskins | Cowboys |
| Lions +1 at Bears | Lions | Lions | Lions | Lions | Bears |
| Eagles +3 at Giants | Giants | Giants | Giants | Giants | Giants |
| Buccaneers +10.5 at Panthers | Panthers | Buccaneers | Panthers | Buccaneers | Panthers |
| Raiders +6.5 at Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Raiders | Raiders | Raiders |
| Chargers +9 at Broncos | Chargers | Chargers | Broncos | Chargers | Chargers |
| Rams -3.5 at 49ers | Rams | 49ers | 49ers | Rams | 49ers |
| Seahawks +6.5 at Cardinals | Cardinals | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks |
| Vikings +3 at Packers | Vikings | Vikings | Packers | Vikings | Packers |
| Best Bet | Chargers | Steelers | Giants | Vikings | Packers |
| Last Week's Record | 8-8 | 6-10 | 11-5 | 5-11 | 9-7 |
| 2015 Record | 124-109-7 | 110-123-7 | 108-125-7 | 118-115-7 | 114-119-7 |
| Best Bet Record | 8-7-1 | 7-9 | 7-7-2 | 6-9-1 | 8-8 |
| Unanimous Pick Record | 21-26 | ||||
| Majority Pick Record | 112-121-7 | ||||
| 2014 Unanimous Pick Record | 20-15-1 | ||||
| 2014 Majority Record | 146-116-5 | ||||
| 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 two more unanimous picks, the Titans and Giants. We went 1-2 on unanimous picks last week to bring our season record to 21-26. We went 8-8 on majority picks (three or more writers) to bring our season record to 112-121-7.
Comments:
| Writer | Comment |
|---|---|
| Erickson | The Chargers defense quietly has played much better lately, and I don't fear the Broncos' offense, no matter how much they have to play for... The Rams feel like a sucker bet, but I guess I'm just that sucker... The Cowboys will get to face the Redskins backups for most of the game, but then again, the Cowboys are rolling out a bunch of backups anyhow... I feel the least confident about Seattle-Arizona and Jacksonville-Houston. |
| Pianowski | I'm willing to give Pittsburgh a mulligan for one lousy showing in the midst of several strong ones. It might not matter, but I expect the Steelers to beat the living snot out of hapless Cleveland in this critical game. The Pittsburgh offense is still as good as any in the league. |
| Liss | Interesting to see my two best bets (Giants and Titans) are also the only two unanimous picks. |
| Stopa | I'm so angry with myself for taking too many favorites last week. Every year in Weeks 16-17 we see teams lose when they really needed to win. I'm not making the same mistake again; this time, more often than not, I decided to fade the team that needs the win. In most such cases, the line moved from where it opened, so I like that approach even more... The jerseys say "Packers" but the results on the field read more like "mediocre." Minny's D is underrated, so as crazy as it might sound, I just don't see how Green Bay can score... Lost amidst the OT chaos last week was NE sitting on the ball with two minutes left in the first half. If the Pats don't trust their offense to score, why should I trust them enough to lay double digits? I also like under 47 points in that game a lot. The Pats played to win 20-17 last week; I don't see them pushing the envelope even if they get a double-digit lead... I wish I knew whether Ronald Darby was going to play for the Bills. If he's healthy (he missed last week), the Bills at least have a chance of matching up with the Jets stud wideouts. Without him, and with Gillmore also hurt, they have no prayer. Of course, it might not matter, because with Revis on Watkins, the Bills other targets all hurt, and the Jets run D playing so well, I don't see how the Bills can score. |
| Del Don | Handicapping any week in the NFL is tough, and there's an added element in Week 17 having to factor in motivation and uncertain playing time, making it even tougher (especially with our picks due mid-week)... I'm well aware of just how unimpressive Green Bay has been, but I like them in this spot at home in prime time coming off such an ugly performance. |
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.
