This article is part of our NFL Staff Picks series.
Scott Pianowski, Nick Whalen and Kevin Payne each finished 9-6-1 to lead last week. Whalen and Jeff Erickson hit their best bets.
The group nailed last week's lone unanimous pick, and majority picks went 10-5-1 for the second consecutive week.
This week, there is one unanimous pick — the Texans 10-5 vs. the Colts. Two teams got four votes each.
Mario Puig likes the Texans so much he made them his best bet. Erickson and Pianowski both took the Bears as best bets.
As speaking of Erickson and Pianowski, five games separate them atop the season standings. They differ on eight games this week, so Erickson needs to go 7-1 on those games to win the Staff Picks crown.
Pianowski really heated up after a slow start to the season. Since Week 7, he has gone 86-72-5 (54.4 percent, not including ties). Payne, the two-time defending Staff Picks champion, is also finishing strong, though it's far too late to matter in the standings. Since Week 13, he's gone 45-31-2 (59.2 percent).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panthers +2.5 at Buccaneers | Panthers | Panthers | Buccaneers | Panthers | Buccaneers |
| Seahawks -1.5 at 49ers | Seahawks | 49ers | Seahawks | Seahawks | 49ers |
| Saints +3.5 at Falcons | Saints | Saints | Saints | Falcons | Falcons |
| Browns +7.5 at Bengals | Browns | Bengals | Bengals | Browns | Browns |
| Colts +10.5 at Texans | Texans | Texans | Texans | Texans | Texans |
| Titans +12.5 at Jaguars | Titans | Jaguars | Titans | Jaguars | Titans |
| Packers +7.5 at Vikings | Packers | Vikings | Vikings | Packers | Packers |
| Cowboys -3.5 at Giants | Cowboys | Giants | Giants | Cowboys | Cowboys |
| Jets +7 at Bills | Bills | Jets | Bills | Jets | Bills |
| Lions +3 at Bears | Bears | Bears | Lions | Lions | Lions |
| Chargers +12.5 at Broncos | Broncos | Broncos | Broncos | Chargers | Chargers |
| Cardinals +7.5 at Rams | Rams | Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | Rams |
| Chiefs -5.5 at Raiders | Raiders | Raiders | Chiefs | Chiefs | Raiders |
| Dolphins +10.5 at Patriots | Dolphins | Dolphins | Dolphins | Patriots | Dolphins |
| Commanders +4 at Eagles | Eagles | Commanders | Eagles | Commanders | Eagles |
| Ravens -3.5 at Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Ravens | Steelers |
| Best Bet | Bears | Bears | Seahawks | Jaguars | Texans |
| Last Week Record | 7-8-1 | 9-6-1 | 9-6-1 | 9-6-1 | 7-8-1 |
| 2025 Record | 118-130-8 | 123-125-8 | 110-138-8 | 111-137-8 | 100-148-8 |
| 2025 Best Bet Record | 9-8 | 5-12 | 8-9 | 4-12-1 | 7-10 |
| 2025 Unanimous Pick Record | 7-11-1 | ||||
| 2025 Majority Pick Record | 94-154-8 | ||||
| 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 | I set the line at -4.5, as I think a number of significant Lions will sit or be limited. This is going to be a disastrous set of picks. |
| Pianowski | I don't feel confident about anything here, which is how Week 18 often plays. Motivations are so damn hazy. |
| Whalen | Admittedly, SEA-SF feels like a toss-up game, but even amid a run of slow starts, Seattle should be able to move the ball — and force enough stops — to win by a field goal. |
| Payne | The Jaguars have more to play for than most this week. The only issue is if they get up big and take their foot off the gas; Trevor Lawrence could sit out the fourth quarter. This is a bet that the Titans don't even show up and by the time Lawrence is out of the game the Jags are up huge, or least enough to cover the spread. |
| Puig | Riley Leonard is fearless and won't shy away from contact, but unfortunately for him he might be subject to quite a lot of pressure from a Houston defense he's never seen anything like before. |
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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