This article is part of our Staff Picks series.
Dogs dominated last week, and Jeff Erickson, Nick Whalen and Scott Pianowski sniffed them out. Erickson and Whalen each went 10-4-1, while Pianowski finished 9-5-1. Erickson improved to 102-100-6 overall to cut Kevin Payne's season lead to three games.
Whalen and Pianowski were also the only pickers to nail their best bets (49ers, Bills, respectively).
Unanimous picks went 1-1-1 while majority picks were 9-5-1.
This week, just one unanimous pick emerged — the Rams -6.5 vs. the Commanders. One other team, the Bills, received four votes. Whalen and Erickson made the Rams their best bets, while Pianowski went with the Bills.
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| MATCHUP | ERICKSON | PIANOWSKI | WHALEN | PAYNE | DEL DON |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers +3 at Raiders | Raiders | Chargers | Raiders | Raiders | Chargers |
| Vikings +3.5 at Bengals | Bengals | Vikings | Bengals | Bengals | Vikings |
| Steelers +2.5 at Colts | Colts | Steelers | Colts | Steelers | Colts |
| Broncos +4 at Lions | Broncos | Broncos | Lions | Lions | Broncos |
| Falcons -3 at Panthers | Panthers | Falcons | Falcons | Panthers | Falcons |
| Bears +3 at Browns | Bears | Bears | Browns | Browns | Browns |
| Buccaneers +3.5 at Packers | Buccaneers | Packers | Buccaneers | Packers | Packers |
| Jets +8.5 at Dolphins | Jets | Dolphins | Jets | Dolphins | Jets |
| Giants +6 at Saints | Giants | Giants | Saints | Saints | Giants |
| Texans +2.5 at Titans | Titans | Texans | Titans | Texans | Titans |
| Chiefs -9.5 at Patriots | Patriots | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Patriots |
| 49ers -13.5 at Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | 49ers | 49ers | Cardinals |
| Commanders +6.5 at Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams |
| Cowboys +2.5 at Bills | Bills | Bills | Cowboys | Bills | Bills |
Dogs dominated last week, and Jeff Erickson, Nick Whalen and Scott Pianowski sniffed them out. Erickson and Whalen each went 10-4-1, while Pianowski finished 9-5-1. Erickson improved to 102-100-6 overall to cut Kevin Payne's season lead to three games.
Whalen and Pianowski were also the only pickers to nail their best bets (49ers, Bills, respectively).
Unanimous picks went 1-1-1 while majority picks were 9-5-1.
This week, just one unanimous pick emerged — the Rams -6.5 vs. the Commanders. One other team, the Bills, received four votes. Whalen and Erickson made the Rams their best bets, while Pianowski went with the Bills.
Odds from BetMGM. Use the BetMGM Bonus Code for a risk-free bet up to $1,000.
| MATCHUP | ERICKSON | PIANOWSKI | WHALEN | PAYNE | DEL DON |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers +3 at Raiders | Raiders | Chargers | Raiders | Raiders | Chargers |
| Vikings +3.5 at Bengals | Bengals | Vikings | Bengals | Bengals | Vikings |
| Steelers +2.5 at Colts | Colts | Steelers | Colts | Steelers | Colts |
| Broncos +4 at Lions | Broncos | Broncos | Lions | Lions | Broncos |
| Falcons -3 at Panthers | Panthers | Falcons | Falcons | Panthers | Falcons |
| Bears +3 at Browns | Bears | Bears | Browns | Browns | Browns |
| Buccaneers +3.5 at Packers | Buccaneers | Packers | Buccaneers | Packers | Packers |
| Jets +8.5 at Dolphins | Jets | Dolphins | Jets | Dolphins | Jets |
| Giants +6 at Saints | Giants | Giants | Saints | Saints | Giants |
| Texans +2.5 at Titans | Titans | Texans | Titans | Texans | Titans |
| Chiefs -9.5 at Patriots | Patriots | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Patriots |
| 49ers -13.5 at Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | 49ers | 49ers | Cardinals |
| Commanders +6.5 at Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams |
| Cowboys +2.5 at Bills | Bills | Bills | Cowboys | Bills | Bills |
| Ravens -3 at Jaguars | Ravens | Jaguars | Ravens | Jaguars | Jaguars |
| Eagles -4 at Seahawks | Eagles | Seahawks | Eagles | Seahawks | Seahawks |
| Best Bet | Rams | Bills | Rams | Panthers | Seahawks |
| Last Week Record | 10-4-1 | 9-5-1 | 10-4-1 | 6-8-1 | 6-8-1 |
| 2023 Record | 102-100-6 | 98-104-5 | 96-106-6 | 105-97-6 | 94-108-6 |
| 2023 Best Bet Record | 5-8-1 | 7-6-1 | 9-5 | 7-7 | 4-10 |
| 2023 Unanimous Pick Record | 12-14-1 | ||||
| 2023 Majority Pick Record | 99-103-6 | ||||
| 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 | I don't really have a best bet, but at least with the Rams I made the pick pretty quickly. The biggest gap between my line and the actual line is the Colts (2.5-point difference), but I don't trust either team to do what it's supposed to do. |
| Pianowski | A lot of reflexive dogs this week, and not a slate I feel particularly good about. |
| Whalen | I know the Commanders are coming off of a bye, but they have to make a cross-country trip to L.A. to face a Rams team that continues to get better and better offensively. Meanwhile, Washington has allowed 400-plus yards in three of its last four games. I like this spot for the Rams with the spread sitting just below the key number. |
| Payne | I don't mind Saturday game as long as the they'd staggered. Nineteen teams in the league have records of 5-8, 6-7 or 7-6. |
| Del Don | The Eagles get another tough matchup in Seattle in primetime against a Seahawks team coming off four consecutive losses but playing well. Take the points. |
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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