Staff Picks: Titans and 49ers

Staff Picks: Titans and 49ers

This article is part of our NFL Picks series.

DDD, Erickson and I tied last week at 3-1, giving DDD a one-game lead with three games to go. We also won our second straight unanimous pick (49ers.) 

This week, something odd and unprecedented almost happened: we nearly had the exact same picks and best bets across the board. Only Pianowski's Packers pick deviated from the consensus, and his best bet was the Titans. Otherwise, we were all Titans/49ers with the 49ers as our best bets. The Titans are our lone unanimous pick, but the 49ers are the only non-Super Bowl team ever to garner four best bets in a week. 

 

Erickson

Pianowski

Liss

Payne

Del Don

Titans +7.5 at ChiefsTitansTitansTitansTitansTitans
Packers +7.5 at 49ers49ersPackers49ers49ers49ers
Best Bet49ersTitans49ers49ers49ers
Last week's Record3-12-23-11-33-1
2019 Playoff Record5-35-35-33-56-2
Playoff Best Bet Record1-11-11-10-21-1
Best Bet Record9-89-7-18-912-4-18-9
Unanimous Pick Record27-22-1    
Majority Pick Record130-120-6    
2018 Playoff Record3-6-11-8-13-6-1N/A2-7-1
2017 Playoff Record5-65-65-6N/A2-9
2016 Playoff Record6-55-66-5N/A6-5
2015 Playoff Record5-62-93-8N/A1-10
2014 Playoff Record10-15-69-2N/A9-2
2013 Playoff Record5-4-23-6-24-5-2N/A4-5-2
2012 Playoff Record4-6-15-5-16-4-1N/A8-2-1
2011 Playoff Record8-35-69-2N/A7-4
2010 Playoff Record6-5

DDD, Erickson and I tied last week at 3-1, giving DDD a one-game lead with three games to go. We also won our second straight unanimous pick (49ers.) 

This week, something odd and unprecedented almost happened: we nearly had the exact same picks and best bets across the board. Only Pianowski's Packers pick deviated from the consensus, and his best bet was the Titans. Otherwise, we were all Titans/49ers with the 49ers as our best bets. The Titans are our lone unanimous pick, but the 49ers are the only non-Super Bowl team ever to garner four best bets in a week. 

 

Erickson

Pianowski

Liss

Payne

Del Don

Titans +7.5 at ChiefsTitansTitansTitansTitansTitans
Packers +7.5 at 49ers49ersPackers49ers49ers49ers
Best Bet49ersTitans49ers49ers49ers
Last week's Record3-12-23-11-33-1
2019 Playoff Record5-35-35-33-56-2
Playoff Best Bet Record1-11-11-10-21-1
Best Bet Record9-89-7-18-912-4-18-9
Unanimous Pick Record27-22-1    
Majority Pick Record130-120-6    
2018 Playoff Record3-6-11-8-13-6-1N/A2-7-1
2017 Playoff Record5-65-65-6N/A2-9
2016 Playoff Record6-55-66-5N/A6-5
2015 Playoff Record5-62-93-8N/A1-10
2014 Playoff Record10-15-69-2N/A9-2
2013 Playoff Record5-4-23-6-24-5-2N/A4-5-2
2012 Playoff Record4-6-15-5-16-4-1N/A8-2-1
2011 Playoff Record8-35-69-2N/A7-4
2010 Playoff Record6-55-65-6N/A8-3
2009 Playoff Record5-64-71-10N/A5-6
2008 Playoff Record6-55-65-6N/A4-7
2007 Playoff Record8-33-86-5N/A2-9
2006 Playoff Record7-4N/A4-7N/AN/A
2005 Playoff Record5-6N/A3-8N/AN/A
2004 Playoff Record6-5N/A4-7N/AN/A
2003 Playoff Record6-5N/A4-7N/AN/A
2002 Playoff Record6-57-45-6N/AN/A
2001 Playoff Record6-4-17-3-14-6-1N/AN/A
2019 Record126-124-6140-110-6127-123-6127-123-6134-116-6
2018 Record125-122-9134-113-9141-106-9N/A120-127-9
2017 Record117-125-14128-114-14117-125-14N/A98-144-14
2016 Record140-111-5130-121-5123-128-5N/A132-119-5
2015 Record134-114-8120-128-8114-134-8N/A121-127-8
2014 Record123-128-5140-111-5135-116-5N/A128-123-5
2013 Record132-114-10118-128-10123-123-10N/A128-118-10
2012 Record110-140-6125-125-6121-129-6N/A123-127-6
2011 Record121-128-7134-115-7124-125-7N/A127-122-7
2010 Record129-122-5134-117-5126-125-5N/A134-117-5
2009 Record123-130-3132-121-3131-122-3N/A126-127-3
2008 Record132-114-10128-118-10124-122-10N/A130-116-10
2007 Record127-120118-129127-120N/A130-117
2006 Record118-129N/A139-108N/AN/A
2005 Record121-126N/A127-120N/AN/A
2004 Record124-124N/A130-118N/AN/A
2003 Record121-126118-129124-123N/AN/A
2002 Record113-136123-126141-108N/AN/A
2001 Record124-113117-120118-119N/AN/A
2000 Record123-117134-106141-99N/AN/A

This week we have one unanimous pick, the Titans. Last week, we won our only unanimous pick, the 49ers, to go 2-0 for the playoffs. During the regular season we were 23-17-1 on unanimous picks and 130-120-6 on majority picks (three or more writers). We were 26-21-1 on unanimous picks and 132-115-9 on majority picks in 2018. 

WriterComment
EricksonNot enough has changed between the Niners and Packers to expect a significant difference in the results from the regular season game. The Niners are healthy, rolling and at home. That's good enough for me.
PianowskiI don't know what to do with these games. I think the favorites will win. I want the favorites to win. But the spreads are big enough to cover several key numbers. 
LissI don't usually make much of regular-season head-to-head results in the playoffs, but the 49ers dominated the Packers so thoroughly, it's probably meaningful. Moreover, the Niners are at home again after an easy win, while the Packers were life and death against the Seahawks and have to travel to the West Coast for the late game. One of my stronger bets of the year. The Titans-Chiefs is more of a coin flip. 
PayneI'm starting to get a "team of destiny" feel from San Francisco. They're easily the best team left on both sides of the ball. Tennessee is a horrible matchup for the Chiefs. Derrick Henry has been unstoppable, and Ryan Tannehill has been good enough.
Del DonNeither a Kansas City blowout nor a Tennessee upset would surprise, while getting the bye was huge for San Francisco, whose defense is tough when healthy. 

• Jeff Erickson: RotoWire Senior editor, 2001, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2016 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, 2014, 2017 and 2019 Staff Picks Champ. Roots for the Patriots.

• Chris Liss: RotoWire Managing Editor, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2018 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.

• Kevin Payne: Staff Writer, Writes our Waiver Wire column. Roots for the Bills.

• Dalton Del Don: Fantasy Expert for Yahoo! Sports, 2007 Staff Picks Champ. Roots for the 49ers.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Liss
Chris Liss was RotoWire's Managing Editor and Host of RotoWire Fantasy Sports Today on Sirius XM radio from 2001-2022.
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