This article is part of our NFL Picks series.
Games
Arizona Cardinals -2.5
The GMen pulled off an improbably upset last week in Seattle while the Cardinals lost by 10 at home to the Rams. Therefore this smells like a trap as it seems like this game should at least be a pick 'em. The fact is I don't think Daniel Jones will perform well in his first game back off an injury and I trust Kyler Murray and the Cardinals offense much more. Ultimately I don't think the points matter here and the Cardinals win by a touchdown.
Philadelphia Eagles +8
This is either going to look like a really smart pick or a very unintelligent one. The Saints walk into this game riding a nine-game winning streak and haven't lost with Taysom Hill at quarterback. The Eagles make the change to Jalen Hurts at quarterback which is the unknown factor here. While the offensive line hasn't looked good for the Eagles there have definitely been times Carson Wentz has held onto the ball too long. Hurts will have both Dallas Goedert and Zach Ertz at his disposal as safety blankets for the young quarterback. Teams should also be able to start figuring out Taysom Hill with now plenty of game time to scout him on. If you take this, I'd sprinkle a small portion of this wager on the +280 money line.
OVER 49 Atlanta Falcons at Los Angeles Chargers
These two teams combined for 16 points last week which likely helped keep this total under 50. You can watch this line over the weekend as it was 48.5 points earlier in the week and could dip back to that number. Both of these defenses are very suspect and both offenses are capable of putting up a big number. The Falcons average 25.9 points per game while the Chargers have scored at least 20 points in eight of 11 starts for Justin Herbert. I like the idea of parlaying the Chargers +2 and the over here for +270.
Miami Dolphins +7
Brian Flores has done an excellent job coaching this team and you don't have to worry if they'll come out and be motivated to play the defending champions. The key here is I think the Dolphins defense can slow the Chiefs down enough to keep this a competitive game throughout and the points come into play here. Xavien Howard has been a ball hawk this season with a league-leading eight interceptions and the Dolphins have allowed under an average of 200 passing yards over their last three games. Tua Tagovailoa looked much more comfortable as a passer last week and having Myles Gaskin back in the lineup helps.
Player Props
Michael Pittman OVER 47.5 Receiving Yards
It's been the T.Y. Hilton show over the last two weeks for the Colts but Pittman had 46 receiving yards last week. Before that game he eclipsed this number in three of his previous four games. It's a great matchup too as the Raiders give up the ninth-most passing yards in the league per game. Hilton's re-emergence should also let Pittman see softer coverage in the secondary.
Antonio Brown OVER 59.5 Receiving Yards (+115), OVER 5.5 Receptions (+100)
These two are some intertwined and Brown is coming off a season-low three targets. That number should increase this week and it's likely the Bucs try to get him more involved coming out of the bye week. Tom Brady has an over/under of 302.5 passing yards in this game so Vegas and I like that you can only hit one of these and push at worst.
Brandon Allen OVER 215.5 Passing Yards +115
This wager doesn't make much sense as Allen has two starts and thrown for 136 and 153 in both of those games. However, those games were against good pass defenses in Miami and the Giants, and facing the Cowboys is a very different story. Dallas has been terrible tackling this season and trust the Bengals' wide receivers to break off a few big plays.
Player Touchdowns
Dalvin Cook -162
After having a -400 number here in each of the last two weeks and not scoring in either game, I think the market has over-corrected here and this number should be around -200. This number opened at -143 and quickly moved up showing that most money quickly came in on Cook. This game should have plenty of scoring with an over/under of 53 and Cook has scored in eight of 11 games this season.
Chase Edmonds +300
I like this a lot because Kenyan Drake isn't guaranteed to play and even if he does it makes sense the Cardinals lighten his load because of his hip injury. Edmonds could be in for a bigger workload either way and is capable of handling all three downs plus the goal-line work.
Darnell Mooney +325, Chad Hansen +375
I'm grouping these two together since neither are the main target for their quarterback. Mooney is a great downfield threat capable of hitting a home run on any given play. Hansen came out of obscurity last week for a 7-5-101 line and played the most snaps of any receiver on his team. If this game turns into a shootout, both may hit.
Jacob Hollister +400, Will Dissly +300
I feel like one of these guys will hit and I rather hedge and take both rather than take only one and agonize when the other hits. The Seahawks are expected to score around 31 points in this game so we should see multiple players from their offense score. With DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett working the outsides of the field there should be plenty of room over the middle for the tight ends to work.