This article is part of our NFL Picks series.
Another poor week for the staff as Stopa won it at just 9-7, and we lost three of four consensus picks. This week, we all like the Redskins, Chiefs and Steelers. I'm the only one on the Texans, and three writers actually like the Pats as their best bets.
| Erickson | Pianowski | Liss | Stopa | Del Don | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broncos -10.5 at Raiders | Raiders | Raiders | Raiders | Broncos | Broncos |
| Ravens +2 at Redskins | Redskins | Redskins | Redskins | Redskins | Redskins |
| Chiefs +5.5 at Browns | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs |
| Chargers +5.5* at Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers |
| Titans +5.5 at Colts | Colts | Titans | Titans | Titans | Titans |
| Jets -2.5 at Jaguars | Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets | Jaguars |
| Bears -3 at Vikings | Vikings | Bears | Vikings | Bears | Bears |
| Falcons -3.5 at Panthers | Panthers | Falcons | Panthers | Panthers | Panthers |
| Eagles +7.5 at Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles |
| Rams +3 at Bills | Bills | Bills | Bills | Rams | Rams |
| Cowboys +3 at Bengals | Cowboys | Bengals | Bengals | Cowboys | Cowboys |
| Dolphins +10 at 49ers | Dolphins | 49ers | Dolphins | 49ers | 49ers |
| Saints +5 at Giants | Giants | Giants | Giants | Saints | Saints |
| Cardinals +10.5 at Seahawks | Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | Seahawks | Seahawks |
| Lions +6.5 at Packers | Lions | Packers | Packers | Packers | Packers |
| Texans +3 at Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Texans | Patriots | Patriots |
| Best Bet | Patriots | Bengals | Panthers | Patriots | Patriots |
| Last Week's Record | 5-11 | 8-8 | 8-8 | 9-7 | 6-10 |
| 2012 Record | 82-105-5 | 93-94-5 | 88-99-5 | 108-79-5 | 91-96-5 |
| Best Bet Record | 2-9-2 | 10-3 | 5-8 | 7-6 | 8-5 |
| Consensus Pick Record | 18-23-1 | ||||
| 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 |
Another poor week for the staff as Stopa won it at just 9-7, and we lost three of four consensus picks. This week, we all like the Redskins, Chiefs and Steelers. I'm the only one on the Texans, and three writers actually like the Pats as their best bets.
| Erickson | Pianowski | Liss | Stopa | Del Don | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broncos -10.5 at Raiders | Raiders | Raiders | Raiders | Broncos | Broncos |
| Ravens +2 at Redskins | Redskins | Redskins | Redskins | Redskins | Redskins |
| Chiefs +5.5 at Browns | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs |
| Chargers +5.5* at Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers |
| Titans +5.5 at Colts | Colts | Titans | Titans | Titans | Titans |
| Jets -2.5 at Jaguars | Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets | Jaguars |
| Bears -3 at Vikings | Vikings | Bears | Vikings | Bears | Bears |
| Falcons -3.5 at Panthers | Panthers | Falcons | Panthers | Panthers | Panthers |
| Eagles +7.5 at Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles |
| Rams +3 at Bills | Bills | Bills | Bills | Rams | Rams |
| Cowboys +3 at Bengals | Cowboys | Bengals | Bengals | Cowboys | Cowboys |
| Dolphins +10 at 49ers | Dolphins | 49ers | Dolphins | 49ers | 49ers |
| Saints +5 at Giants | Giants | Giants | Giants | Saints | Saints |
| Cardinals +10.5 at Seahawks | Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | Seahawks | Seahawks |
| Lions +6.5 at Packers | Lions | Packers | Packers | Packers | Packers |
| Texans +3 at Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Texans | Patriots | Patriots |
| Best Bet | Patriots | Bengals | Panthers | Patriots | Patriots |
| Last Week's Record | 5-11 | 8-8 | 8-8 | 9-7 | 6-10 |
| 2012 Record | 82-105-5 | 93-94-5 | 88-99-5 | 108-79-5 | 91-96-5 |
| Best Bet Record | 2-9-2 | 10-3 | 5-8 | 7-6 | 8-5 |
| Consensus Pick Record | 18-23-1 | ||||
| 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 three consensus picks: the Redskins, Chiefs and Steelers. Last week we went 1-3 to put us at 18-23-1 on the season. Last year we were 30-24-2 on consensus picks.
Comments:
| Writer | Comment |
| Erickson | Dammit, here I go picking teams I hate again. Raiders, step right up - feel like this is a perfect storm to take them. They're at their lowest possible point, they are getting McFadden back, the Broncos just clinched the AFC West, and it's the Thursday night game with all that entails... Patriots pick is based in part on the notion that Houston hasn't been at its best defensively lately, and the Patriots in particular are well-suited to exploit that - though the loss of Julian Edelman complicates things. |
| Pianowski | I hate this slate with the white-hot intensity of 1,000 suns. |
| Liss | Thought this was a tough week. Like Carolina at home with the points, and maybe Oakland and Philly a little bit. The rest were like pulling teeth. |
| Stopa | I've dug in my heels when it comes to fading the Colts, and there's no going back... The Browns can't be laying that many points against anyone. Just can't... Laying more than 10 on the road on a short week is insane, but the Raiders allowed 40-plus points four straight weeks before facing the Browns. This team reminds me of the 2011 Bucs, who quit down the stretch and kept losing ATS even as Vegas adjusted because Vegas literally couldn't set the lines high enough... If this truly is the Year of the Rookie QB, then RGIII will find a way to join Luck and Wilson in the playoffs, and that means winning this week. Not scientific, but the script is written, don't blame me for following it... The Bills missing two starting offensive linemen, including the center, pushes me to the Rams in what seemed like a tough choice... I'm backing the double-digit favorites, which is probably dumb, but I think we're a week or two away from the lines getting set too high in favor of the teams that "need" to win. Plus, Massey Peabody actually says all three double-digit favorites should actually be favored by more. That's not why I made the picks, but it reinforces I'm on the right side. |
| Del Don | It certainly has been a rather frustrating year ATS for me, and I struggled coming up with a best bet this week. I backed the Pats, but I wouldn't have even thought of doing so if that line was 0.5 points more. I also liked the Jaguars, Redskins and Titans, for what it's worth. |
The players:
•Jeff Erickson: RotoWire Senior editor, 2001, 2008 Staff Picks Champ. Writes the Value Meter. 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 Surviving the Week in addition to Staff Picks. Covers and roots for the Giants.
•Mark Stopa: Staff Writer, 2010 Staff Picks Champ, Writes Working the Wire. Roots for the Bills.
•Dalton Del Don: Fantasy Expert for Yahoo! Sports, 2007 Staff Picks Champ. Roots for the 49ers.
