This article is part of our NFL Picks series.
It was an uneventful week for the Staff with two 7-5s, two 6-6s and one 5-7. Erickson is still comfortably in first place, four games ahead of Pianowski.
This week, we all like the Browns (surprisingly), Rams and Colts. Pianowski's best bet is also the Colts.
| Erickson | Pianowski | Liss | Stopa | Del Don | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons -3.5 at Buccaneers | Falcons | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Falcons |
| Jaguars +9 at Chiefs | Jaguars | Chiefs | Chiefs | Jaguars | Chiefs |
| Lions +6 at Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Lions |
| Eagles +2.5 at Giants | Giants | Eagles | Giants | Eagles | Giants |
| Cowboys -7.5 at Browns | Browns | Browns | Browns | Browns | Browns |
| Jets +3.5 at Dolphins | Dolphins | Dolphins | Dolphins | Jets | Jets |
| Steelers +2 at Ravens | Ravens | Steelers | Steelers | Ravens | Steelers |
| Saints -3.5 at 49ers | 49ers | 49ers | 49ers | 49ers | Saints |
| Panthers -3 at Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams |
| Colts +7 at Packers | Colts | Colts | Colts | Colts | Colts |
| Titans +5 at Chargers | Chargers | Titans | Titans | Chargers | Titans |
| Broncos pick 'em at Raiders | Broncos | Broncos | Raiders | Broncos | Raiders |
| Bills +7 at Seahawks | Bills | Seahawks | Bills | Seahawks | Bills |
| Best Bet | Chargers | Colts | Vikings | Broncos | Saints |
| Last week's Record | 6-6-1 | 7-5-1 | 6-6-1 | 7-5-1 | 5-7-1 |
| 2016 Record | 66-52-2 | 62-56-2 | 59-59-2 | 57-61-2 | 57-61-2 |
| Best Bet Record | 5-3 | 5-3 | 4-4 | 5-3 | 4-4 |
| 2016 Unanimous Pick Record | 16-11-1 | ||||
| 2016 Majority Pick Record | 63-55-2 | ||||
| 2015 Record | 134-114-8 | 120-128-8 | 114-134-8 | 127-121-8 | 121-127-8 |
| 2014 Record | 123-128-5 | 140-111-5 | 135-116-5 | 124-127-5 | 128-123-5 |
| 2013 Record | 132-114-10 | 118-128-10 | 123-123-10 | 111-135-10 | 128-118-10 |
| 2012 Record | 110-140-6 | 125-125-6 | 121-129-6 | 143-107-6 | 123-127-6 |
| 2011 Record | 121-128-7 | 134-115-7 | 124-125-7 | 123-126-7 | 127-122-7 |
| 2010 Record | 129-122-5 | 134-117-5 | 126-125-5 |
It was an uneventful week for the Staff with two 7-5s, two 6-6s and one 5-7. Erickson is still comfortably in first place, four games ahead of Pianowski.
Unanimous/Majority Picks
The players:
This week, we all like the Browns (surprisingly), Rams and Colts. Pianowski's best bet is also the Colts.
| Erickson | Pianowski | Liss | Stopa | Del Don | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons -3.5 at Buccaneers | Falcons | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Falcons |
| Jaguars +9 at Chiefs | Jaguars | Chiefs | Chiefs | Jaguars | Chiefs |
| Lions +6 at Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Lions |
| Eagles +2.5 at Giants | Giants | Eagles | Giants | Eagles | Giants |
| Cowboys -7.5 at Browns | Browns | Browns | Browns | Browns | Browns |
| Jets +3.5 at Dolphins | Dolphins | Dolphins | Dolphins | Jets | Jets |
| Steelers +2 at Ravens | Ravens | Steelers | Steelers | Ravens | Steelers |
| Saints -3.5 at 49ers | 49ers | 49ers | 49ers | 49ers | Saints |
| Panthers -3 at Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams |
| Colts +7 at Packers | Colts | Colts | Colts | Colts | Colts |
| Titans +5 at Chargers | Chargers | Titans | Titans | Chargers | Titans |
| Broncos pick 'em at Raiders | Broncos | Broncos | Raiders | Broncos | Raiders |
| Bills +7 at Seahawks | Bills | Seahawks | Bills | Seahawks | Bills |
| Best Bet | Chargers | Colts | Vikings | Broncos | Saints |
| Last week's Record | 6-6-1 | 7-5-1 | 6-6-1 | 7-5-1 | 5-7-1 |
| 2016 Record | 66-52-2 | 62-56-2 | 59-59-2 | 57-61-2 | 57-61-2 |
| Best Bet Record | 5-3 | 5-3 | 4-4 | 5-3 | 4-4 |
| 2016 Unanimous Pick Record | 16-11-1 | ||||
| 2016 Majority Pick Record | 63-55-2 | ||||
| 2015 Record | 134-114-8 | 120-128-8 | 114-134-8 | 127-121-8 | 121-127-8 |
| 2014 Record | 123-128-5 | 140-111-5 | 135-116-5 | 124-127-5 | 128-123-5 |
| 2013 Record | 132-114-10 | 118-128-10 | 123-123-10 | 111-135-10 | 128-118-10 |
| 2012 Record | 110-140-6 | 125-125-6 | 121-129-6 | 143-107-6 | 123-127-6 |
| 2011 Record | 121-128-7 | 134-115-7 | 124-125-7 | 123-126-7 | 127-122-7 |
| 2010 Record | 129-122-5 | 134-117-5 | 126-125-5 | 136-115-5 | 134-117-5 |
| 2009 Record | 123-130-3 | 132-121-3 | 131-122-3 | 130-123-3 | 126-127-3 |
| 2008 Record | 132-114-10 | 128-118-10 | 124-122-10 | 125-121-10 | 130-116-10 |
| 2007 Record | 127-120 | 118-129 | 127-120 | N/A | 130-117 |
| 2006 Record | 118-129 | N/A | 139-108 | N/A | N/A |
| 2005 Record | 121-126 | N/A | 127-120 | N/A | N/A |
| 2004 Record | 124-124 | N/A | 130-118 | N/A | N/A |
| 2003 Record | 121-126 | 118-129 | 124-123 | N/A | N/A |
| 2002 Record | 113-136 | 123-126 | 141-108 | N/A | N/A |
| 2001 Record | 124-113 | 117-120 | 118-119 | N/A | N/A |
| 2000 Record | 123-117 | 134-106 | 141-99 | N/A | N/A |
Unanimous/Majority Picks
This week we have three unanimous picks, the Browns, Rams and Colts. We won our only unanimous pick last week, the Texans, to bring our season record to 16-11-1. We went 7-5-1 on majority (three or more writers) picks to bring our season record to 63-55-2.
Comments:
| Writer | Comment |
|---|---|
| Erickson | This seems like a square week - I'm picking a lot of favorites. But I truly believe the Chargers have evolved as a team and can overcome Mike McCoy this week, as their coaching disadvantage is negated by the other sideline. That defense is legitimately good, and Mariota will likely struggle on the road... I also really like the Vikings at home against Matthew Stafford - it's the same construction as last week - elite defense at home against a quarterback that's not nearly as good on the road... I really struggled with Falcons-Bucs, Chiefs-Jaguars and Steelers-Ravens for Big Ben reasons. |
| Pianowski | I hate this slate with the white-hot intensity of 1,000 suns. It's also the most difficult bye week in fantasy football history — at least that I can remember — though that's actually a challenge I welcome. The more choices in your fantasy league, the better it is for the skilled owners. |
| Liss | I found this to be a tough slate. I like the Vikings in this spot after two losses, coming home to face a weak defense and with some new ideas on offense. I also like the Bills in Seattle of all places - I think they'll rough up Russell Wilson behind a weak Seattle offensive line. |
| Stopa | I'm convinced Oakland isn't as good as its record suggests... Home teams have a bigger advantage than usual for the Thursday night tilts... After their worst game of the year, the Vikings should bounce back in a big way at home, proving Matthew Stafford is no MVP. |
| Del Don | I had the most trouble coming up with a best bet this week than at any point this year and found this slate in general to be tough. I originally had the Chiefs as my top bet, but with Alex Smith being ruled out, I decided to move to the Saints. The 49ers are that bad. |
The players:
• Jeff Erickson: RotoWire Senior editor, 2001, 2008, 2013, 2015 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.com. 2009, 2011 and 2014 Staff Picks Champ. Roots for the Patriots.
• Chris Liss: RotoWire Managing Editor, 2000, 2002, 2006 Staff Picks Champ, 2003, 2004 co-champ. Writes East Coast Offense, Beating the Book and the Survivor column in addition to Staff Picks. Covers and roots for the Giants.
• Mark Stopa: Staff Writer, 2010, 2012 Staff Picks Champ, Writes Run 'N' Shoot. Roots for the Bills.
• Dalton Del Don: Fantasy Expert for Yahoo! Sports, 2007 Staff Picks Champ. Roots for the 49ers.
