This article is part of our Staff Picks series.
Kevin Payne and Dalton Del Don won last week with 9-7 records. That pushed Del Don into a tie for second place with Jeff Erickson at 110-106-8 (50.9 percent), after Erickson went 8-8. Scott Pianowski is still the runaway leader (even after a 7-9 week) at 126-90-8 (58 percent).
Last week's unanimous pick (Jets -1) missed, but majority picks went 10-6. Notably, no one hit their best bet, three of which were the Jets.
This week, the group has two unanimous picks — Bears +9 and Eagles +4.5. Seven teams had four picks each. In one of those, the contrarian pick (Bengals -3) was Nick Whalen's best bet. For their best bets, Kevin Payne and Dalton Del Don went in opposite directions on the Chargers -4 at Colts, with Payne taking the Chargers and Del Don the Colts.
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| MATCHUP | ERICKSON | PIANOWSKI | WHALEN | PAYNE | DEL DON |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaguars +1 at Jets | Jets | Jaguars | Jaguars | Jaguars | Jaguars |
| Falcons +7.5 at Ravens | Falcons | Falcons | Falcons | Ravens | Ravens |
| Lions -2.5 at Panthers | Panthers | Panthers | Lions | Panthers | Panthers |
| Bills -9 at Bears | Bears | Bears | Bears | Bears | Bears |
| Saints +2.5 at Browns | Browns | Browns | Browns | Saints | Browns |
| Seahawks +10 at Chiefs | Chiefs | Seahawks | Chiefs | Seahawks | Seahawks |
| Giants +4 at Vikings | Giants | Vikings | Giants | Giants | Giants |
| Bengals -3 at Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Bengals | Patriots | Patriots |
| Texans +4.5 at Titans | Titans | Titans | Texans | Titans | Titans |
| Commanders +7 at 49ers | Commanders | 49ers | 49ers | Commanders | Commanders |
| Eagles +4.5 at Cowboys | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles |
| Raiders +2.5 at Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Raiders | Steelers |
| Packers +4 at Dolphins | Dolphins | Packers | Dolphins | Dolphins | Packers |
| Broncos -2.5 at Rams | Rams | Rams | Broncos | Rams | Rams |
| Buccaneers -6.5 at Cardinals | Buccaneers | Cardinals | Buccaneers | Cardinals | Cardinals |
| Chargers -4 at Colts | Colts | Colts | Chargers | Chargers | Colts |
| Best Bet | Browns | 49ers | Bengals | Chargers | Colts |
| Last Week's Record | 8-8 | 7-9 | 7-9 | 9-7 | 9-7 |
| 2022 Record | 110-106-8 | 126-90-8 | 100-116-8 | 107-109-8 | 110-106-8 |
| 2022 Best Bet Record | 7-8 | 6-8-1 | 7-8 | 7-7-1 | 8-7 |
| 2022 Unanimous Pick Record | 11-7-2 | ||||
| 2022 Majority Pick Record | 109-107-8 | ||||
| 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 Saints offense is nasty in a bad way, the weather is going to be nasty and the Browns are much better at home. I also really like the Giants. |
| Pianowski | I hate this slate with the white-hot intensity of 1,000 suns. I may feel differently in a few days, but right now I don't feel confident about any pick. |
| Whalen | New England can never be counted out, but it's hard to envision the Pats regrouping after last week and finding a way to shut down the Bengals' high-powered attack. |
| Payne | Almost by any metric Jared Goff plays worse on the road than at home. I'm curious to see what Gardner Minshew can do against the Cowboys this week. If the Eagles pull this out, I think there's a good chance we don't see Jalen Hurts until Week 18, and sparingly at that. It'll also be interesting to see how the Colts respond this week. |
| Del Don | I like fading the Chargers when favorites, and we also get to buy low on Indy coming off the worst collapse in NFL history. |
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 and 2020 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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