This article is part of our NFL Staff Picks series.
Tough picking for the RotoWire crew last week as Kevin Payne was the only writer in the black at 10-5. Scott Pianowski had just his second sub-.500 week of the season but is still in control with a 16-game lead in the standings at 111-76-8 (59.0 percent).
Eight favorites covered, which was bad news for a group that often backs underdogs. Majority picks went 4-11 — 1-7 where the favorite covered. That one winner among the covering favorites was the Steelers (albeit barely a favorite at -1) Pittsburgh was Jeff Erickson and Nick Whalen's best bet too.
Unanimous picks went 2-1 to improve to 11-6-2 for the year.
As for this week, there are no unanimous picks, though seven teams received four votes each. Three of those teams ended up as best bets, with Whalen, Payne and Dalton Del Don picking the Bengals, Giants and Seahawks, respectively.
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| MATCHUP | ERICKSON | PIANOWSKI | WHALEN | PAYNE | DEL DON |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raiders -6 at Rams | Rams | Rams | Raiders | Raiders | Rams |
| Jets +9 at Bills | Jets | Jets | Bills | Bills | Bills |
| Browns +6 at Bengals | Bengals | Bengals | Bengals | Browns | Bengals |
| Texans +16.5 at Cowboys | Texans | Texans | Cowboys | Texans | Texans |
| Vikings +2.5 at Lions | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Lions | Lions |
| Eagles -7 at Giants | Giants | Giants | Eagles | Giants | Giants |
| Ravens +2.5 at Steelers | Ravens | Ravens | Steelers | Ravens | Steelers |
| Jaguars +4 at Titans | Titans | Jaguars | Titans | Titans | Jaguars |
| Chiefs -9.5 at Broncos | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs |
Tough picking for the RotoWire crew last week as Kevin Payne was the only writer in the black at 10-5. Scott Pianowski had just his second sub-.500 week of the season but is still in control with a 16-game lead in the standings at 111-76-8 (59.0 percent).
Eight favorites covered, which was bad news for a group that often backs underdogs. Majority picks went 4-11 — 1-7 where the favorite covered. That one winner among the covering favorites was the Steelers (albeit barely a favorite at -1) Pittsburgh was Jeff Erickson and Nick Whalen's best bet too.
Unanimous picks went 2-1 to improve to 11-6-2 for the year.
As for this week, there are no unanimous picks, though seven teams received four votes each. Three of those teams ended up as best bets, with Whalen, Payne and Dalton Del Don picking the Bengals, Giants and Seahawks, respectively.
Odds from BetMGM. Use the BetMGM Bonus Code for a risk-free bet up to $1,000.
| MATCHUP | ERICKSON | PIANOWSKI | WHALEN | PAYNE | DEL DON |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raiders -6 at Rams | Rams | Rams | Raiders | Raiders | Rams |
| Jets +9 at Bills | Jets | Jets | Bills | Bills | Bills |
| Browns +6 at Bengals | Bengals | Bengals | Bengals | Browns | Bengals |
| Texans +16.5 at Cowboys | Texans | Texans | Cowboys | Texans | Texans |
| Vikings +2.5 at Lions | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Lions | Lions |
| Eagles -7 at Giants | Giants | Giants | Eagles | Giants | Giants |
| Ravens +2.5 at Steelers | Ravens | Ravens | Steelers | Ravens | Steelers |
| Jaguars +4 at Titans | Titans | Jaguars | Titans | Titans | Jaguars |
| Chiefs -9.5 at Broncos | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Broncos |
| Panthers +3.5 at Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Panthers | Seahawks | Seahawks |
| Buccaneers +3.5 at 49ers | 49ers | 49ers | 49ers | Buccaneers | 49ers |
| Dolphins -3 at Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Dolphins | Dolphins | Chargers |
| Patriots -1 at Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | Patriots |
| Best Bet | Titans | Ravens | Bengals | Giants | Seahawks |
| Last Week's Record | 7-8 | 6-9 | 7-8 | 10-5 | 4-11 |
| 2022 Record | 95-92-8 | 111-76-8 | 89-98-8 | 95-92-8 | 92-95-8 |
| 2022 Best Bet Record | 7-6 | 5-7-1 | 6-7 | 7-5-1 | 8-5 |
| 2022 Unanimous Pick Record | 11-6-2 | ||||
| 2022 Majority Pick Record | 94-93-8 | ||||
| 2021 Record | 129-140-3 | 134-135-3 | N/A | 145-124-3 | 136-133-3 |
| 2020 Record | 121-127-8 | 128-120-8 | N/A | 115-133-8 | 118-130-8 |
| 2019 Record | 126-124-6 | 140-110-6 | N/A | 127-123-6 | 134-116-6 |
| 2018 Record | 125-122-9 | 134-113-9 | N/A | N/A | 120-127-9 |
| 2017 Record | 117-125-14 | 128-114-14 | N/A | N/A | 98-144-14 |
| 2016 Record | 140-111-5 | 130-121-5 | N/A | N/A | 132-119-5 |
| 2015 Record | 134-114-8 | 120-128-8 | N/A | N/A | 121-127-8 |
| 2014 Record | 123-128-5 | 140-111-5 | N/A | N/A | 128-123-5 |
| 2013 Record | 132-114-10 | 118-128-10 | N/A | N/A | 128-118-10 |
| 2012 Record | 110-140-6 | 125-125-6 | N/A | N/A | 123-127-6 |
| 2011 Record | 121-128-7 | 134-115-7 | N/A | N/A | 127-122-7 |
| 2010 Record | 129-122-5 | 134-117-5 | N/A | N/A | 134-117-5 |
| 2009 Record | 123-130-3 | 132-121-3 | N/A | N/A | 126-127-3 |
| 2008 Record | 132-114-10 | 128-118-10 | N/A | N/A | 130-116-10 |
| 2007 Record | 127-120 | 118-129 | N/A | N/A | 130-117 |
| 2006 Record | 118-129 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2005 Record | 121-126 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2004 Record | 124-124 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2003 Record | 121-126 | 118-129 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2002 Record | 113-136 | 123-126 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2001 Record | 124-113 | 117-120 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2000 Record | 123-117 | 134-106 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| WRITER | COMMENT |
|---|---|
| Erickson | I like a lot of "bounce-back" teams this week — the Titans, Chiefs and Chargers among them. |
| Pianowski | Not that this is generally predictive, but I found this a very difficult week. I was happy to take the points with the Ravens, in a divisional series that almost always plays as a tight game. |
| Whalen | With the Bengals rolling and Deshaun Watson still getting his sea legs, I'll take Cincy with the points at home. |
| Payne | The Chiefs have scored 350 points on offense, the Broncos ...166. Brock Purdy is a nice story, but I'm not convinced yet. I'd expect fireworks from the Vikings-Lions and Ravens-Steelers. |
| Del Don | I've rarely gone with a favorite for my best bet this year, but Seattle's line seems short. |
The players:
• 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. 2009, 2011, 2014, 2017, 2019 and 2020 Staff Picks champ. Roots for the Patriots.
• Nick Whalen: RotoWire Senior Media Analyst. Writes Beating the Book. Roots for the Jaguars.
• Kevin Payne: RotoWire Staff Writer, 2021 Staff Picks champ. 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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