Sunday, October 22, 2017

2017 Week 7 Picks

Peterson rushed for 134 yards
and 2 touchdowns against the Bucs

Arizona (+3) @ LA Rams- With the game in London, expect the Cardinals to take this one especially with the emergence of Adrian Peterson in the backfield.  Arizona currently has the longest road win streak vs divisional opponents at 6 in the NFL. 

Tennessee (-6) @ Cleveland- Tennessee got back on track against the Colts with Mariotta back.  DeMarco Murray is also expected to play. The Browns are not only winless but have failed to cover the spread in the last 6 weeks. 

Jacksonvillle @ Indianapolis (+3)  -Indianapolis is playing at home and look to come out with a win especially since Jacoby Brissett is the best QB on the field.  Leonard Fournette, who has scored a touchdown in every game, is out and the Jaguars could struggle to repeat their running success without him.

Tampa Bay @ Buffalo (-3) -  Buffalo is coming off a bye and may be undervalued after suffering an unexpected loss to the Bengals.  The Bills remain undefeated at home and look to take advantage of a bye week, a banged up Jameis Winston, and a Bucs team that remains winless on the road. 

Carolina (-3) @ Chicago-  Luke Kuechly is out and the Bears have a solid defense.  That being said, the Panthers are undefeated on the road so far this season and have recovered nicely from home losses.  While the Bears have a nice pair of running backs, they may struggle to keep up if if it becomes a high scoring affair.

New Orleans(-4) @ Green Bay - The Saints look to take advantage of the absence of Aaron Rodgers.  While his replacement Brett Hundley still has numerous offensive weapons, the new QB may struggle due to the Packers' makeshift offensive line.   The Packers have struggled defending the pass against teams like the Falcons and Bengals. 

NY Jets @ Miami Dolphins (-3)- Miami is coming off a nice road win against the Falcons and looks to split a division series.  The Jets have been playing well but could be vulnerable on the ground due their poor rushing defense. 

Baltimore @ Minnesota (-5.5)-  Minnesota looks to take advantage of the Ravens' inconsistent play and are one of the better home teams in the NFL.

Dallas @ San Francisco (+6) - San Francisco could make this close with the emergence of a new QB.   Still, the Cowboys have Ezekiel Elliot for at least one more game before his suspension and Dallas is coming off a bye which should propel them to victory. 

Cincinnatti (+5.5) @ Pittsburgh - The Steelers went back to the DNA of their team; running the ball.  Expect a close game though between the two division rivals as the Bengals are coming off a bye and a nice win against the Buffalo Bills.  The Steelers should still win this one. 

NY Giants @ Seattle (-4) - There is a road map for the Giants to win this game especially since the Seahawks offensive line has struggled to protect its quarterback or generate a consistent running attack.  However, it is more likely that Seattle' homefield advantage can take into effect and force the Giants into a few bad turnovers. 

Denver Broncos @ LA Chargers - A blocked field goal separated these two teams in week 1.  While the Chargers do not have a homefield advantage in their new stadium, they could take advantage of the absence of wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. 

Atlanta(+4) @ New England  - If this was a playoff game, then I might pick New England but as it stands the Patriots defense is a mess especially after giving another 300 yard game to Josh McNown and the Jets.  The Falcons did suffer a bad loss to the Dolphins, but have enough weapons to expose the Patriots' defense. 

Washington @ Philadelphia (-4.5) - The Redskins may have Josh Norman and Deshaun Breeland to bolster their secondary.  Either way the Eagles appears to be the best team in the NFC after a big win against the Carolina Panthers.  Phiadelphia may have beaten Washington on a controversial call but either way the Eagles' defense has done a good job at forcing turnovers, including 3 interceptions last week against Cam Newton.  The Redskins will also be without first round defensive lineman Johnathan Allen for the remainder of the season and could struggle to find a consistent pass rush to contain the elusive Carson Wentz. 

Week 7 Picks Straight Up: 1-0
Week 7 Picks Against the Spread: 1-0
2017-18 Season Straight Up- 53-35
2017-18 Against the Spread- 39-45-2
2016-17 Season Against the Spread- 141-115-7
2016-17 Season Straight Up- 101-45
2015-16 Against the Spread- 140-107-9

You can also find me on the Sports on the Hill Podcast at the 2 hour 4 minute mark on a group panel discussing Week 7 Picks hosted by Robbie Gross with Louis TenoreDaniel Evans and Brian Brennan

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