This article is part of our NFL Picks series.
Pianowski won Week 2 at 11-5, and he and I are tied for first with .500 records. This week we have only one unanimous pick, the Chargers, which happen to be my best bet. Oddly both Stopa and DDD have the Broncos as their best bets, but no one else took them.
| Erickson | Pianowski | Liss | Stopa | Del Don | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rams -2.5 at 49ers | 49ers | 49ers | 49ers | Rams | 49ers |
| Ravens -4 vs. Jaguars | Ravens | Jaguars | Jaguars | Jaguars | Ravens |
| Browns -1 at Colts | Colts | Colts | Browns | Colts | Colts |
| Steelers -7.5 at Bears | Bears | Bears | Bears | Steelers | Bears |
| Dolphins -6 at Jets | Dolphins | Jets | Dolphins | Dolphins | Jets |
| Broncos -3 at Bills | Bills | Bills | Bills | Broncos | Broncos |
| Texans +13 at Patriots | Patriots | Texans | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots |
| Saints +6 at Panthers | Panthers | Saints | Panthers | Saints | Panthers |
| Buccaneers pick 'em* at Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Buccaneers | Vikings |
| Falcons -3 at Lions | Lions | Lions | Lions | Falcons | Lions |
| Giants +6 at Eagles | Eagles | Giants | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles |
| Seahawks +2.5 at Titans | Titans | Seahawks | Seahawks | Titans | Titans |
| Chiefs -3 at Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers |
| Bengals +9 at Packers | Bengals | Bengals | Bengals | Bengals | Packers |
| Raiders -3 at Redskins | Redskins | Redskins | Redskins | Redskins | Raiders |
| Cowboys -3 at Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | Cowboys | Cowboys |
| Best Bet | Cardinals | Bengals | Chargers | Broncos | Broncos |
| Last Week's Record | 6-10 | 11-5 | 10-6 | 9-7 | 5-11 |
| 2017 Record | 13-17-1 | 15-15-1 | 15-15-1 | 13-17-1 | 10-20-1 |
| Best Bet Record | 1-1 | 1-1 | 2-0 | 1-0-1 | 0-2 |
| Unanimous Pick Record | 5-5-1 | ||||
| Majority Pick Record | 14-16-1 | ||||
| 2016 Record | 133-102-5 | 122-113-5 | 115-120-5 | 108-127-5 | 123-112-5 |
| 2015 Record |
Pianowski won Week 2 at 11-5, and he and I are tied for first with .500 records. This week we have only one unanimous pick, the Chargers, which happen to be my best bet. Oddly both Stopa and DDD have the Broncos as their best bets, but no one else took them.
Unanimous/Majority Picks
The players:
| Erickson | Pianowski | Liss | Stopa | Del Don | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rams -2.5 at 49ers | 49ers | 49ers | 49ers | Rams | 49ers |
| Ravens -4 vs. Jaguars | Ravens | Jaguars | Jaguars | Jaguars | Ravens |
| Browns -1 at Colts | Colts | Colts | Browns | Colts | Colts |
| Steelers -7.5 at Bears | Bears | Bears | Bears | Steelers | Bears |
| Dolphins -6 at Jets | Dolphins | Jets | Dolphins | Dolphins | Jets |
| Broncos -3 at Bills | Bills | Bills | Bills | Broncos | Broncos |
| Texans +13 at Patriots | Patriots | Texans | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots |
| Saints +6 at Panthers | Panthers | Saints | Panthers | Saints | Panthers |
| Buccaneers pick 'em* at Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Buccaneers | Vikings |
| Falcons -3 at Lions | Lions | Lions | Lions | Falcons | Lions |
| Giants +6 at Eagles | Eagles | Giants | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles |
| Seahawks +2.5 at Titans | Titans | Seahawks | Seahawks | Titans | Titans |
| Chiefs -3 at Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers |
| Bengals +9 at Packers | Bengals | Bengals | Bengals | Bengals | Packers |
| Raiders -3 at Redskins | Redskins | Redskins | Redskins | Redskins | Raiders |
| Cowboys -3 at Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | Cowboys | Cowboys |
| Best Bet | Cardinals | Bengals | Chargers | Broncos | Broncos |
| Last Week's Record | 6-10 | 11-5 | 10-6 | 9-7 | 5-11 |
| 2017 Record | 13-17-1 | 15-15-1 | 15-15-1 | 13-17-1 | 10-20-1 |
| Best Bet Record | 1-1 | 1-1 | 2-0 | 1-0-1 | 0-2 |
| Unanimous Pick Record | 5-5-1 | ||||
| Majority Pick Record | 14-16-1 | ||||
| 2016 Record | 133-102-5 | 122-113-5 | 115-120-5 | 108-127-5 | 123-112-5 |
| 2015 Record | 134-114-8 | 120-128-8 | 114-134-8 | 127-121-8 | 121-127-8 |
| 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 one unanimous pick: the Chargers. Last week we were 2-0 on unanimous picks, winning with the Titans and Broncos. We went 9-7 on majority picks (three or more writers) to bring our season record to 14-16-1. Last year we went 27-22-2 on unanimous picks and 138-124-5 on majority picks.
Comments:
| Writer | Comment |
|---|---|
| Erickson | There are so many home dogs this week, and I like a lot of them. I feel as if there's a lot of over-correction based on two games worth of data. Yet the Cowboys, who just got stomped on the road last week, are still laying points on the road against a credible opponent. Why? The Bengals pick is a guess that the extra time plus the new coordinator will help turn things around. What if the Lions are actually good? Is that even possible? |
| Pianowski | Cincinnati is a team with problems, but one of those has been the schedule. Maybe they're a bad team, but they're not as bad as they looked in the first two weeks (and no Thursday game is worth fretting over; the entire NFL is set up to fail when it plays a game on short rest and preparation). |
| Liss | I like the Chargers getting three at home this week, now that Andy Reid doesn't have extra time to prepare. I also like the Redskins, Bengals, 49ers and Bears. |
| Stopa | A crazy number of road favorites this week, but no, I'm not laying six points with Cam against Drew Brees. Much like last week, I can't see how the Bills will score. They certainly can't throw into the No Fly Zone. And after Denver's D shut down the Dallas running game, I can't see the Bills running, either. For that same reason, I also like under 40 points in that game. |
| Del Don | I rarely make a road favorite my best bet, and Buffalo isn't a doormat, but Denver's D remains the best in the NFL, and it sure looks like Trevor Siemian is making the leap. The Broncos are legit and clearly one of the best teams in football. I also like the 49ers, Colts, Panthers and Cowboys this week, while the Lions/Falcons game was my toughest to pick. |
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.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.
