This article is part of our NFL Staff Picks series.
Jeff Erickson, Nick Whalen and Kevin Payne each went 9-5 to lead last week's picks. Whalen and Payne nailed their best bets, as did Dalton Del Don.
Payne is atop the season standings at 71-63-2 (52.9 percent).
Unanimous picks went 2-0 while majority picks went 8-6.
This week, the group is unanimous on three picks — the Colts, Browns and Cardinals.
Odds from BetMGM. Use the BetMGM Bonus Code for a risk-free bet up to $1,000.
| MATCHUP | ERICKSON | PIANOWSKI | WHALEN | PAYNE | DEL DON |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panthers +4 at Bears | Panthers | Bears | Bears | Bears | Panthers |
| Colts -1.5 vs. Patriots at Frankfurt | Colts | Colts | Colts | Colts | Colts |
| Browns +6 at Ravens | Browns | Browns | Browns | Browns | Browns |
| Texans +7 at Bengals | Bengals | Texans | Bengals | Bengals | Texans |
| 49ers -3 at Jaguars | Jaguars | Jaguars | 49ers | 49ers | Jaguars |
| Saints -2.5 at Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Saints | Saints | Vikings |
| Packers +3.5 at Steelers | Steelers | Packers | Steelers | Packers | Steelers |
| Titans +1 at Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Titans | Titans | Titans |
| Falcons -1.5 at Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals |
| Lions -3 at Chargers | Chargers | Lions | Chargers | Lions | Lions |
| Giants +16.5 at Cowboys | Cowboys | Giants | Cowboys | Cowboys | Giants |
| Commanders +6.5 at Seahawks | Commanders | Commanders | Commanders | Seahawks | Seahawks |
| Jets -1 at Raiders | Jets | Jets | Raiders | Raiders | Jets |
| Broncos +7.5 at Bills | Bills | Broncos | Bills | Bills | Broncos |
| Best Bet | Vikings | Lions | Steelers | 49ers | Jets |
| Last Week Record | 9-5 | 8-6 | 9-5 | 9-5 | 6-8 |
| 2023 Record | 68-66-2 | 57-77-2 | 58-76-2 | 71-63-2 | 62-72-2 |
| 2023 Best Bet Record | 4-5 | 3-6 | 5-4 | 5-4 | 2-7 |
| 2023 Unanimous Pick Record | 7-12 |
Jeff Erickson, Nick Whalen and Kevin Payne each went 9-5 to lead last week's picks. Whalen and Payne nailed their best bets, as did Dalton Del Don.
Payne is atop the season standings at 71-63-2 (52.9 percent).
Unanimous picks went 2-0 while majority picks went 8-6.
This week, the group is unanimous on three picks — the Colts, Browns and Cardinals.
Odds from BetMGM. Use the BetMGM Bonus Code for a risk-free bet up to $1,000.
| MATCHUP | ERICKSON | PIANOWSKI | WHALEN | PAYNE | DEL DON |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panthers +4 at Bears | Panthers | Bears | Bears | Bears | Panthers |
| Colts -1.5 vs. Patriots at Frankfurt | Colts | Colts | Colts | Colts | Colts |
| Browns +6 at Ravens | Browns | Browns | Browns | Browns | Browns |
| Texans +7 at Bengals | Bengals | Texans | Bengals | Bengals | Texans |
| 49ers -3 at Jaguars | Jaguars | Jaguars | 49ers | 49ers | Jaguars |
| Saints -2.5 at Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Saints | Saints | Vikings |
| Packers +3.5 at Steelers | Steelers | Packers | Steelers | Packers | Steelers |
| Titans +1 at Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Titans | Titans | Titans |
| Falcons -1.5 at Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals |
| Lions -3 at Chargers | Chargers | Lions | Chargers | Lions | Lions |
| Giants +16.5 at Cowboys | Cowboys | Giants | Cowboys | Cowboys | Giants |
| Commanders +6.5 at Seahawks | Commanders | Commanders | Commanders | Seahawks | Seahawks |
| Jets -1 at Raiders | Jets | Jets | Raiders | Raiders | Jets |
| Broncos +7.5 at Bills | Bills | Broncos | Bills | Bills | Broncos |
| Best Bet | Vikings | Lions | Steelers | 49ers | Jets |
| Last Week Record | 9-5 | 8-6 | 9-5 | 9-5 | 6-8 |
| 2023 Record | 68-66-2 | 57-77-2 | 58-76-2 | 71-63-2 | 62-72-2 |
| 2023 Best Bet Record | 4-5 | 3-6 | 5-4 | 5-4 | 2-7 |
| 2023 Unanimous Pick Record | 7-12 | ||||
| 2023 Majority Pick Record | 64-70-2 | ||||
| 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 | Usually when I set my own lines, I'm within a point or two of the line for all but maybe one or two games. This week, I had six games with at least a 2.5-point gap. You'd think that would make this an easy week, but instead I'm now going through the "what am I missing" process. Pretzel-logic is a real and powerful thing. I also like the Colts and Commanders as next-best bets. |
| Pianowski | A lot of ugly dogs. Ugly slate. Ugly season. The NFL is lovely. |
| Whalen | Tough week to find a best bet. I don't love the number, but I also don't believe Green Bay made any true progress last week against a depleted Rams team. While the return of Aaron Jones gives the Packers' offense a boost, I think they'll take a step back on the road against at top-10 defense. |
| Payne | Yes! The Bears and Panthers Thursday night! Seriously, I don't trust Bryce Young on a short week (which he hasn't dealt with yet) and on the road. The Joshua Dobbs story is nice but that defense is still awful. Think the 49er-Jaguars is the game of the week. |
| Del Don | Going dog heavy this week but like the Jets in a buy-low/sell-high spot. |
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, 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 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.
-
Did you know you can bet on the NFL in most states? You can sign up for the best sports betting sites and bet on anything NFL. In addition, you can get thousands in bonuses by redeeming various sportsbook promo codes that give users bonus bets upon registration.
