Weekly Picks-Part Two
Oakland @ Miami
As much as I would love to see Jon Gruden start 0-3, I just can’t see it happening. Miami isn’t that good despite what their 2-0 record my show. The Raiders have played tough in 3 of their 4 halves of football so far, and in a game against Miami, I think Oakland will be pounding the rock with Marshawn Lynch pretty heavily.
Line: Miami -3
Pick: Oakland
Cincinnati @ Carolina
Cincinnati is low-key performing like the best team in the AFC North right now, and Andy Dalton and AJ Green are on the same page which is scary. Their two wins are against the Colts and Ravens, but I think they are a good enough team to go in and beat Carolina, who is struggling to move the ball without Greg Olsen. Expect a heavy dosage of Christian McCaffery in the passing game again as Carolina is likely to be trailing.
Line: Carolina -3
Pick: Cincinnati
Tennessee @ Jacksonville
Will the real Blake Bortles please stand up? Jacksonville is loaded with talent, but they live and die by Blake Bortles who looked dreadful in the preseason. I’m not sure what clicked, but he is back to looking like a serviceable quarterback again and even (gasp!) halfway decent. This is scary for the rest of the league and especially the Tennessee Titans. Marcus Mariota is about to have a long day.
Line: N/A
Pick: Jacksonville
Chargers @ Rams
If the Chargers are known for anything, it’s consistently being good enough to almost win a lot of games. Unfortunately, they don’t typically win those games. Based on that alone, I think the Chargers will cover but still lose.
Line: Rams -7
Pick: Chargers
Dallas @ Seattle
Seattle’s offense has looked inept this season in large part due to the lack of talent on the offensive line and the receiving group. Neither team has really impressed me much but against a much weaker defense then folks realize, I believe the Cowboys will rely on Ezekiel Elliot to carry Dallas to a win.
Line: Seattle -1.5
Pick: Dallas
Chicago @ Arizona
I typically hate picking teams that are traveling to the west coast. Something about the time change just does it in for them, but this time around I am picking Chicago to cover. Arizona stinks this year, and the Bears defense is playing lights out. If Sam Bradford makes it out of this game without an injury, it will be a borderline miracle.
Line: Arizona +5.5
Pick: Chicago
New England @ Detroit
The Patriots laid an egg against Jacksonville last weekend in what is possibly a preview of this year’s AFC Championship game. That means for Detroit and Matt Patricia, they are about to get a fired-up Tom Brady. Despite the fact that he is borderline ancient by NFL standards, Brady is about to light up a weak defense like he was 30 again.
Line: Detroit +7
Pick: New England
Monday, September 24
Pittsburgh @ Tampa Bay
This game is going to be a blast to watch. The Buccaneers have swag for the first time in a few seasons, and it’s in large part because of Harvard graduate Ryan Fitzpatrick. Both teams are outstanding on offense and play little defense so this is about as close are the NFL will get to resembling the Big 12. For me, Tampa gets the edge playing at home and facing the possibly of 3-0. For fantasy purposes, pick any offensive player from each team and avoid the defenses like the plague.
Line: Tampa Bay +1.5
Pick: Tampa Bay