This article is part of our 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.
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| 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.
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