This article is part of our NFL Staff Picks series.
Nick Whalen won last week at 10-6, his second win in three weeks. Jeff Erickson, Dalton Del Don and Kevin Payne nailed their best bets.
There was no unanimous pick last week, but majority picks went 9-7.
Payne is 133-120-3, 52.6 percent (not including ties). He has a 10-game lead on Erickson and the two differ on 13 picks this week. That means Erickson must go 11-2 in those games to overtake Payne. Otherwise, Payne will win his second Staff Picks title in a row and third in four years.
Whalen is within striking distance of Payne (13 games behind) but has too many picks in common this week (four) to catch him.
There is no unanimous pick this week, but six teams got four votes each. Whalen and Erickson both like the Buccaneers, -13.5 vs. the Saints, as best bets.
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| MATCHUP | ERICKSON | PIANOWSKI | WHALEN | PAYNE | DEL DON |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browns +17.5 at Ravens | Ravens | Browns | Ravens | Browns | Ravens |
| Bengals -1.5 at Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Bengals |
| Panthers +8.5 at Falcons | Panthers | Panthers | Panthers | Falcons | Panthers |
| Commanders -4.5 at Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Commanders | Commanders | Cowboys |
| Bears +9.5 at Packers | Bears | Bears | Bears | Packers | Bears |
| Jaguars +5 at Colts | Colts | Jaguars | Jaguars | Colts | Jaguars |
| Bills -3 at Patriots | Bills | Bills | Bills | Patriots | Patriots |
| Giants +3 at Eagles | Eagles | Giants | Eagles | Giants | Giants |
| Saints +13.5 at Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Saints | Buccaneers |
| Texans -1 at Titans | Texans |
Nick Whalen won last week at 10-6, his second win in three weeks. Jeff Erickson, Dalton Del Don and Kevin Payne nailed their best bets.
There was no unanimous pick last week, but majority picks went 9-7.
Payne is 133-120-3, 52.6 percent (not including ties). He has a 10-game lead on Erickson and the two differ on 13 picks this week. That means Erickson must go 11-2 in those games to overtake Payne. Otherwise, Payne will win his second Staff Picks title in a row and third in four years.
Whalen is within striking distance of Payne (13 games behind) but has too many picks in common this week (four) to catch him.
There is no unanimous pick this week, but six teams got four votes each. Whalen and Erickson both like the Buccaneers, -13.5 vs. the Saints, as best bets.
Odds from BetMGM. Use the BetMGM Bonus Code for a risk-free bet up to $1,000.
| MATCHUP | ERICKSON | PIANOWSKI | WHALEN | PAYNE | DEL DON |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browns +17.5 at Ravens | Ravens | Browns | Ravens | Browns | Ravens |
| Bengals -1.5 at Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Bengals |
| Panthers +8.5 at Falcons | Panthers | Panthers | Panthers | Falcons | Panthers |
| Commanders -4.5 at Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Commanders | Commanders | Cowboys |
| Bears +9.5 at Packers | Bears | Bears | Bears | Packers | Bears |
| Jaguars +5 at Colts | Colts | Jaguars | Jaguars | Colts | Jaguars |
| Bills -3 at Patriots | Bills | Bills | Bills | Patriots | Patriots |
| Giants +3 at Eagles | Eagles | Giants | Eagles | Giants | Giants |
| Saints +13.5 at Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Saints | Buccaneers |
| Texans -1 at Titans | Texans | Titans | Texans | Titans | Titans |
| 49ers +4 at Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | 49ers | 49ers | 49ers |
| Chiefs +10.5 at Broncos | Chiefs | Broncos | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs |
| Seahawks -5.5 at Rams | Seahawks | Rams | Seahawks | Rams | Seahawks |
| Chargers -6 at Raiders | Chargers | Raiders | Chargers | Raiders | Raiders |
| Dolphins -1.5 at Jets | Dolphins | Dolphins | Dolphins | Jets | Dolphins |
| Vikings +3 at Lions | Vikings | Lions | Vikings | Lions | Lions |
| Best Bet | Buccaneers | Cowboys | Buccaneers | 49ers | Lions |
| Last Week Record | 7-9 | 6-10 | 10-6 | 7-9 | 8-8 |
| 2024 Record | 123-130-3 | 113-140-3 | 120-133-3 | 133-120-3 | 109-144-3 |
| 2024 Best Bet Record | 6-11 | 7-10 | 4-12-1 | 10-6-1 | 6-11 |
| 2024 Unanimous Pick Record | 5-9 | ||||
| 2024 Majority Pick Record | 124-129-3 | ||||
| 2023 Record | 133-131-8 | 125-139-8 | 129-135-8 | 140-124-8 | 127-137-8 |
| 2022 Record | 127-136-8 | 149-114-8 | 124-139-8 | 131-132-8 | 133-130-8 |
| 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 | The Bucs have the most to play for, besides the Sunday night game, so I'll go with them. Doing the player ranks this week illustrated to me just how many teams could be resting their quarterbacks — it's more chaotic than a normal final regular-season week. |
| Pianowski | Cooper Rush turns into a pumpkin against the Eagles, but he's been surprisingly competent against everybody else. |
| Whalen | There is some risk here with the Saints potentially getting some veteran stars back, but I'm not convinced Derek Carr, Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave will all be out there. Either way, the Bucs are at home and playing at arguably the highest level in the NFL now, offensively, and will be motivated to close out the division and earn a playoff berth. |
| Payne | There are a lot of moving parts this week with so many backups in play, which makes it tough to pick games. I'm trying to remember a time when there was a 17.5-point spread but can't think of one off the top of my head. |
| Del Don | The Lions have issues on defense, but give me Detroit playing for the No. 1 seed in a week filled with uncertainty. |
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, 2020 and 2022 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 and 2023 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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