This article is part of our NFL Staff Picks series.
Jeff Erickson won last week at 7-7, though Scott Pianowski and Kevin Payne were both close behind at 6-8. Erickson was also the only writer to nail his best bet, however.
The group missed its lone unanimous pick, and majority picks went 4-10.
This week, there is no unanimous pick, but three teams garnered four votes each.
As for best bets, Erickson, Pianowski and Kevin Payne took the underdog Texans.
Before making your picks, be sure to consult our NFL injury report and the latest fantasy football news. Also check out the Weekly Projections to see how this week's matchups shape up.
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| MATCHUP | ERICKSON | PIANOWSKI | WHALEN | PAYNE | PUIG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packers +2.5 at Lions | Packers | Lions | Lions | Lions | Packers |
| Chiefs -3 at Cowboys | Chiefs | Cowboys | Chiefs | Cowboys | Chiefs |
| Bengals +7 at Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Bengals | Bengals | Ravens |
| Bears +7 at Eagles | Eagles | Bears | Eagles | Bears | Eagles |
| Rams -10.5 at Panthers | Rams | Panthers | Rams | Rams | Panthers |
| 49ers -5 at Browns | Browns | Browns | Browns | 49ers | Browns |
| Texans +4.5 at Colts | Texans | Texans | Colts | Texans | Colts |
| Saints +6 at Dolphins | Saints | Saints | Saints | Dolphins | Saints |
| Falcons -2.5 at Jets | Jets | Jets | Falcons | Falcons | Falcons |
| Cardinals +2.5 at Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Cardinals | Cardinals | Buccaneers | Buccaneers |
| Jaguars -6.5 at Titans | Titans | Titans | Titans | Jaguars | Jaguars |
| Vikings +11.5 at Seahawks | Seahawks | Vikings | Seahawks | Vikings | Seahawks |
| Raiders +10 at Chargers | Raiders | Chargers | Raiders | Raiders | Raiders |
| Bills -4 at Steelers | Steelers | Bills | Steelers | Bills | Steelers |
| Broncos -6 at Commanders | Broncos | Commanders | Broncos | Commanders | Broncos |
| Giants +7.5 at Patriots | Patriots | Giants | Giants | Giants | Patriots |
| Best Bet | Texans | Texans | Broncos | Texans | Steelers |
| Last Week Record | 7-7 | 6-8 | 5-9 | 6-8 | 5-9 |
| 2025 Record | 81-91-6 | 79-93-6 | 80-92-6 | 66-106-6 | 70-102-6 |
| 2025 Best Bet Record | 5-7 | 4-8 | 5-7 | 3-9 | 6-6 |
| 2025 Unanimous Pick Record | 4-11-1 | ||||
| 2025 Majority Pick Record | 60-112-6 | ||||
| 2024 Record | 131-138-3 | 121-148-3 | 127-142-3 | 138-131-3 | N/A |
| 2023 Record | 133-131-8 | 125-139-8 | 129-135-8 | 140-124-8 | N/A |
| 2022 Record | 127-136-8 | 149-114-8 | 124-139-8 | 131-132-8 | N/A |
| 2021 Record | 129-140-3 | 134-135-3 | N/A | 145-124-3 | N/A |
| 2020 Record | 121-127-8 | 128-120-8 | N/A | 115-133-8 | N/A |
| 2019 Record | 126-124-6 | 140-110-6 | N/A | 127-123-6 | N/A |
| 2018 Record | 125-122-9 | 134-113-9 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017 Record | 117-125-14 | 128-114-14 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2016 Record | 140-111-5 | 130-121-5 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2015 Record | 134-114-8 | 120-128-8 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2014 Record | 123-128-5 | 140-111-5 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2013 Record | 132-114-10 | 118-128-10 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2012 Record | 110-140-6 | 125-125-6 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2011 Record | 121-128-7 | 134-115-7 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2010 Record | 129-122-5 | 134-117-5 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2009 Record | 123-130-3 | 132-121-3 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2008 Record | 132-114-10 | 128-118-10 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2007 Record | 127-120 | 118-129 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 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 | Daniel Jones still struggles against teams with good pass rushes, the Texans are the epitome of that. There's a reasonable chance that they win outright. |
| Pianowski | Houston's defense is a horrible draw for a Colts offense starting to regress. |
| Whalen | Trusting the Broncos' offense to win a game convincingly is certainly in the back of my mind, but there's such a massive gap between the Broncos' and Commanders' defenses. |
| Payne | In what should be a close game, give me the better defense. That's the Texans in the Houston-Indy matchup. |
| Puig | The Steelers' offense is messy regardless of who's at quarterback, but their dependency on the run is almost a blessing against the Buffalo defense, while the Buffalo offensive line could be vulnerable if both Dion Dawkins (concussion) and Spencer Brown (shoulder) are out. |
The players:
• Jeff Erickson: RotoWire Senior Editor, 2001, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2016 Staff Picks champ. Writes the Weekly Rankings. 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 and 2023 Staff Picks champ. Roots for the Bills.
• Mario Puig: RotoWire Senior Football Writer. Writes the WR vs. CB Matchup Report. Roots for the Packers.
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