This article is part of our NFL Staff Picks series.
Kevin Payne held on last week to win his second consecutive Staff Picks title and third in four years. Payne finished the season 138-131-3, 51.3 percent (not including ties).
The last repeat champ was Scott Pianowski in 2019-20.
Jeff Erickson went 8-8 last week, as did Pianowski and Dalton Del Don, to finish second for the season. Pianowski and Del Don also nailed their best bets.
Majority picks went 6-10 and there was no unanimous pick.
This week, there is again no unanimity. Erickson is the lone holdout on the Rams +1, Del Don is the only Ravens backer at -9.5 and Payne is the only writer to pick the Packers +4.5.
Not only did Erickson go the other way on Packers-Eagles, he made the Eagles his best bet, as did Nick Whalen. Payne said Vikings-Rams was the hardest game for him to pick, but Pianowski and Del Don both made the Vikings their best bets.
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| MATCHUP | ERICKSON | PIANOWSKI | WHALEN | PAYNE | DEL DON |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers -3 at Texans | Chargers | Texans | Texans | Texans | Chargers |
| Steelers +9.5 at Ravens | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Ravens |
| Broncos +9 at Bills | Bills | Broncos | Bills | Bills | Broncos |
| Packers +4.5 at Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | Packers | Eagles |
| Commanders +3 at Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Commanders | Buccaneers | Commanders | Commanders |
| Vikings -1 at Rams | Rams | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings |
| Best Bet | Eagles | Vikings | Eagles | Texans | Vikings |
| Last Week Record | 8-8 | 8-8 | 7-9 | 5-11 | 8-8 |
| 2024 Record |
Kevin Payne held on last week to win his second consecutive Staff Picks title and third in four years. Payne finished the season 138-131-3, 51.3 percent (not including ties).
The last repeat champ was Scott Pianowski in 2019-20.
Jeff Erickson went 8-8 last week, as did Pianowski and Dalton Del Don, to finish second for the season. Pianowski and Del Don also nailed their best bets.
Majority picks went 6-10 and there was no unanimous pick.
This week, there is again no unanimity. Erickson is the lone holdout on the Rams +1, Del Don is the only Ravens backer at -9.5 and Payne is the only writer to pick the Packers +4.5.
Not only did Erickson go the other way on Packers-Eagles, he made the Eagles his best bet, as did Nick Whalen. Payne said Vikings-Rams was the hardest game for him to pick, but Pianowski and Del Don both made the Vikings their best bets.
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| MATCHUP | ERICKSON | PIANOWSKI | WHALEN | PAYNE | DEL DON |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers -3 at Texans | Chargers | Texans | Texans | Texans | Chargers |
| Steelers +9.5 at Ravens | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Ravens |
| Broncos +9 at Bills | Bills | Broncos | Bills | Bills | Broncos |
| Packers +4.5 at Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | Packers | Eagles |
| Commanders +3 at Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Commanders | Buccaneers | Commanders | Commanders |
| Vikings -1 at Rams | Rams | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings |
| Best Bet | Eagles | Vikings | Eagles | Texans | Vikings |
| Last Week Record | 8-8 | 8-8 | 7-9 | 5-11 | 8-8 |
| 2024 Record | 131-138-3 | 121-148-3 | 127-142-3 | 138-131-3 | 117-152-3 |
| 2024 Best Bet Record | 6-12 | 8-10 | 4-13-1 | 10-7-1 | 7-11 |
| 2024 Unanimous Pick Record | 5-9 | ||||
| 2024 Majority Pick Record | 130-139-3 | ||||
| 2023 Playoff Record | 10-3 | 8-5 | 6-7 | 9-4 | 10-3 |
| 2022 Playoff Record | 7-5-1 | 5-7-1 | 6-6-1 | 8-4-1 | 7-5-1 |
| 2021 Playoff Record | 7-6 | 9-4 | NA | 7-6 | 8-5 |
| 2020 Playoff Record | 5-8 | 8-5 | NA | 6-7 | 7-6 |
| 2019 Playoff Record | 6-5 | 5-6 | NA | 4-7 | 7-4 |
| 2018 Playoff Record | 3-6-1 | 1-8-1 | NA | N/A | 2-7-1 |
| 2017 Playoff Record | 5-6 | 5-6 | NA | N/A | 2-9 |
| 2016 Playoff Record | 6-5 | 5-6 | NA | N/A | 6-5 |
| 2015 Playoff Record | 5-6 | 2-9 | NA | N/A | 1-10 |
| 2014 Playoff Record | 10-1 | 5-6 | NA | N/A | 9-2 |
| 2013 Playoff Record | 5-4-2 | 3-6-2 | NA | N/A | 4-5-2 |
| 2012 Playoff Record | 4-6-1 | 5-5-1 | NA | N/A | 8-2-1 |
| 2011 Playoff Record | 8-3 | 5-6 | NA | N/A | 7-4 |
| 2010 Playoff Record | 6-5 | 5-6 | NA | N/A | 8-3 |
| 2009 Playoff Record | 5-6 | 4-7 | NA | N/A | 5-6 |
| 2008 Playoff Record | 6-5 | 5-6 | NA | N/A | 4-7 |
| 2007 Playoff Record | 8-3 | 3-8 | NA | N/A | 2-9 |
| 2006 Playoff Record | 7-4 | N/A | NA | N/A | N/A |
| 2005 Playoff Record | 5-6 | N/A | NA | N/A | N/A |
| 2004 Playoff Record | 6-5 | N/A | NA | N/A | N/A |
| 2003 Playoff Record | 6-5 | N/A | NA | N/A | N/A |
| 2002 Playoff Record | 6-5 | 7-4 | NA | N/A | N/A |
| 2001 Playoff Record | 6-4-1 | 7-3-1 | NA | N/A | N/A |
| 2023 Record | 133-131-8 | 125-139-8 | 129-135-8 | 140-124-8 | 127-137-8 |
| 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'm obviously thinking that Hurts will play and be fine. The Packers losing Watson hurts, and the Eagles are set up well to stop what the Packers do best. |
| Pianowski | Minnesota just played its worst game of the year, I'm not throwing a huge sample of reliability out the window, especially given how much I trust this coaching staff. |
| Whalen | Rust concerns for Jalen Hurts could be real, but the Eagles have advantages all over the field and should contain a Packers offense that's struggled to build a lead against above-average opponents all season. |
| Payne | I think young teams like the Texans and Commanders (especially the former) aren't getting a ton of respect this week. Vikings-Rams was the toughest call for me to make this week. |
| Del Don | The Rams rested last week and have been playing strong defense, but Minnesota is the better team. |
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 and 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, 2023 and 2024 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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