Sunday Night Football: NFL Best Bets, Pick & Prediction for Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings

Sunday Night Football: NFL Best Bets, Pick & Prediction for Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings

This article is part of our NFL Picks series.

Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings Betting Odds, Picks, and Predictions for NFL Week 17

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The Packers managed to squeeze out a harder-than-expected 33-30 win over the Panthers in Week 16 to snap an untimely two-game losing streak and remain narrowly alive for an NFC Wild Card spot.

The division-rival Vikings have been trending in the wrong direction for some time, with key injuries playing a big role. Minnesota has lost four of its last five games, with its only win in the sample the infamous 3-0 triumph over the Raiders. The Vikings' latest stumble came against the Lions in Week 16, which sent Kevin O'Connell's crew to 7-8 while securing their first division title since 1993.

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Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings Betting Odds for NFL Week 17

*Best lines at time of writing listed

Moneyline: Packers -105 (DraftKings Sportsbook) / Vikings -108 (FanDuel Sportsbook)

Point spread: Packers +1.5 (FanDuel Sportsbook) / Vikings -1 (DraftKings Sportsbook)

Totals: Over 43.5 points (BetMGM Sportsbook) / Under 43.5 points (DraftKings Sportsbook)

The Vikings are still slim favorites at some sportsbooks, but their projected advantage has shrunk slightly since the line was first released in the summer. At the time, Minnesota's offense was expected to be helmed by Kirk Cousins, who's since gone down with an Achilles injury, while there was still plenty of uncertainty regarding Jordan Love's ability to lead Green Bay's offense. 

The Vikes had been as much as 3-point favorites before the season, but that number had been sliced in half in the immediate aftermath of Week 16 action and is down to -1 at some sportsbooks as of Friday night.

Meanwhile, the total was as low as 43.5 points prior to Week 16, and it was subsequently bet up as high as 46 earlier in the week. However, that number has been bet down to as low as 43.5 in the last couple of days with the news rookie Jaren Hall will start for Minnesota instead of veteran Nick Mullens

Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings Betting Picks This Week 

The Packers appear to have found their quarterback in Love, who's recovered from a midseason downturn to average 266.7 passing yards per game and post a 15:3 TD:INT over his last seven contests. The third-year pro has gotten it done while frequently dealing with an injury-riddled receiving corps and numerous absences from Aaron Jones, who appears to finally be healthy after racking up 127 rushing yards last week against Carolina.

This week, Love still doesn't appear likely to have Christian Watson, his de facto No. 1 receiver, who's missed the last three games with a hamstring injury. However, he will get impressive and versatile rookie Jayden Reed back from toe and chest injuries, and has already developed excellent rapport with Tucker Kraft, a rookie tight end who's surged in the absence of first-year position mate Luke Musgrave's multi-week absence due to a lacerated kidney.

Even with Watson out and Dontayvion Wicks (chest) questionable, Love still enjoys an edge over Vikings rookie starter Jaren Hall, who returns to the top job after seeing his one previous start against the Falcons in Week 9 cut short by a concussion. Hall has looked good in his two brief appearances overall, completing eight of 10 passes for 101 yards. He'll certainly benefit from having Justin Jefferson at his disposal, but No. 2 wideout Jordan Addison (ankle) may not be available and T.J. Hockenson (IR-knee) is gone for the season after suffering multiple ligament tears in Week 16.

Minnesota should still be able to move the ball even if Addison sits out given K.J. Osborn's ability to step up, while Ty Chandler could certainly find some running lanes against Green Bay's inconsistent rush defense. However, I see Green Bay keeping matters close, at minimum, despite being on the road, and the ability to get the extra half-point on FD Sportsbook is noteworthy. Ultimately, this game could swing on one play, given how critical the matchup is for both clubs and the knowledge each team has of its division rival.

Packers at Vikings Best Bets: Packers +1.5 (-120 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings Prediction

Packers 23, Vikings 21

The Packers have a quarterback advantage, which should help give them the upper hand in a matchup that's otherwise rightfully expected to be very close. Injuries to key offensive players on either side are likely to help keep the scoring modest overall, but I'll give Green Bay the slightest of edges in a game that I feel will be decided by a field goal or less.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juan Carlos Blanco
Winner of the FSWA 2016 Newcomer of the Year Award, Juan Carlos Blanco has been playing fantasy sports for over 20 years and covers NBA, MLB, NFL, CFL and Arena Football for Rotowire.com, including serving as the beat writer for teams in multiple sports. He has previously written for KFFL.com and remains an avid season-long and daily fantasy player in multiple sports as well.
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