This article is part of our NFL Picks series.
Erickson continues to roll, with a 9-3 week, putting him eight games ahead of DDD and 12 games ahead of me. It's pretty odd that Erickson was 110-140 last year, while Stopa was 143-107, and this year Stopa's 27 games behind Erickson. Both Erickson and I have the Cardinals as our best bets, and everyone likes the Bucs this week.
| Erickson | Pianowski | Liss | Stopa | Del Don | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saints -9.5 at Falcons | Falcons | Falcons | Falcons | Falcons | Saints |
| Buccaneers +9 at Lions | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Buccaneers |
| Jaguars +10 at Texans | Jaguars | Texans | Texans | Jaguars | Texans |
| Vikings +5 at Packers | Packers | Packers | Vikings | Vikings | Packers |
| Chargers +5 at Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers |
| Panthers -4.5 at Dolphins | Dolphins | Dolphins | Dolphins | Panthers | Dolphins |
| Steelers +2 at Browns | Browns | Browns | Browns | Steelers | Steelers |
| Bears +1 at Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams | Bears | Rams |
| Jets +3.5 at Ravens | Ravens | Jets | Ravens | Jets | Jets |
| Titans +1 at Raiders | Raiders | Raiders | Titans | Titans | Raiders |
| Colts +2 at Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | Colts | Cardinals |
| Cowboys +2.5 at Giants | Giants | Giants | Giants | Cowboys | Giants |
| Broncos -2.5 at Patriots | Broncos | Patriots | Patriots | Broncos | Patriots |
| 49ers -5.5 at Redskins | Redskins | Redskins | Redskins | Redskins | 49ers |
| Best Bet | Cardinals | Jets | Cardinals | Vikings | Giants |
| Last Week's Record | 9-3-3 | 6-6-3 | 6-6-3 | 5-7-3 | 5-7-3 |
| 2013 Record | 88-66-8 | 74-80-8 | 76-78-8 | 67-87-8 | 79-75-8 |
| Best Bet Record | 7-3-1 | 4-7 | 4-7 | 7-4 | 4-7 |
| 2013 Consensus Pick Record | 13-20-3 | ||||
| 2012 Record | 110-140-6 | 124-126-6 | 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 |
Erickson continues to roll, with a 9-3 week, putting him eight games ahead of DDD and 12 games ahead of me. It's pretty odd that Erickson was 110-140 last year, while Stopa was 143-107, and this year Stopa's 27 games behind Erickson. Both Erickson and I have the Cardinals as our best bets, and everyone likes the Bucs this week.
Consensus Picks
The players:
| Erickson | Pianowski | Liss | Stopa | Del Don | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saints -9.5 at Falcons | Falcons | Falcons | Falcons | Falcons | Saints |
| Buccaneers +9 at Lions | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Buccaneers |
| Jaguars +10 at Texans | Jaguars | Texans | Texans | Jaguars | Texans |
| Vikings +5 at Packers | Packers | Packers | Vikings | Vikings | Packers |
| Chargers +5 at Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers |
| Panthers -4.5 at Dolphins | Dolphins | Dolphins | Dolphins | Panthers | Dolphins |
| Steelers +2 at Browns | Browns | Browns | Browns | Steelers | Steelers |
| Bears +1 at Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams | Bears | Rams |
| Jets +3.5 at Ravens | Ravens | Jets | Ravens | Jets | Jets |
| Titans +1 at Raiders | Raiders | Raiders | Titans | Titans | Raiders |
| Colts +2 at Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | Colts | Cardinals |
| Cowboys +2.5 at Giants | Giants | Giants | Giants | Cowboys | Giants |
| Broncos -2.5 at Patriots | Broncos | Patriots | Patriots | Broncos | Patriots |
| 49ers -5.5 at Redskins | Redskins | Redskins | Redskins | Redskins | 49ers |
| Best Bet | Cardinals | Jets | Cardinals | Vikings | Giants |
| Last Week's Record | 9-3-3 | 6-6-3 | 6-6-3 | 5-7-3 | 5-7-3 |
| 2013 Record | 88-66-8 | 74-80-8 | 76-78-8 | 67-87-8 | 79-75-8 |
| Best Bet Record | 7-3-1 | 4-7 | 4-7 | 7-4 | 4-7 |
| 2013 Consensus Pick Record | 13-20-3 | ||||
| 2012 Record | 110-140-6 | 124-126-6 | 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 |
Consensus Picks
This week we have one consensus pick: the Buccaneers. Last week we went 0-1-1 to put us at 13-20-3 on the season.
Comments:
| Writer | Comment |
| Erickson | The line treats the Cards as less than equals to the Colts. And while I've done my share of ripping of Carson Palmer, I think the two teams are relatively equal. So I'll happily take less than three points here... The Jets have been a dumpster fire on the road all year (TEN, CIN, BUF come to mind) - I expected the Ravens to be favored by 5.5 to 6.5 points. They're my second best bet. ... If Aqib Talib can't play for NE, that hook for the Broncos is a gift. |
| Pianowski | I hate this slate with the intensity of 1,000 suns. |
| Liss | My second best bet is the Giants. Actually it's my best bet, but I didn't want to jinx it, and I'm biased so I went with the Cardinals. |
| Stopa | Call me the Iceman, as I'm ice cold with these picks. As much as I try not to, it's hard to not let it affect you mentally, too. Last week, for instance, I thought the Bucs as a home dog made perfect sense over a bad Falcons team. But then I thought I must be missing something, that it was too obvious, so I took Atlanta. That's what happens when you're cold - you no longer fade the public (one thing that helped me do so well in 2012), you subconsciously fade yourself. This week, I did my darndest to avoid that trap and tried objectively to take the side that I thought had the better value. That meant a lot of dogs, but hey, it's a dog-eat-dog world. I went with Minny as a best bet because the Packers need to prove they can win a game with their backup QBs before laying more than a field goal. I also like selling the Giants high and buying the Cowboys low away from Jerry's World. |
| Del Don | I had the toughest time with the Panthers/Dolphins and Bears/Rams games, while my favorite bets of the week are the Giants and Patriots. I don't love it, but if you wanted to do a teaser, I'd go with the Saints and Texans. |
The players:
•Jeff Erickson: RotoWire Senior editor, 2001, 2008 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 and 2011 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.
