Kevin Payne picked up where he left off last season, winning Week 1 at 8-7-1. He missed his best bet, however, while Jeff Erickson, Nick Whalen and Mario Puig nailed theirs.
Unanimous picks went 1-2-1 last week, and majority picks were 6-9-1.
This week, the Jets, +6.5 vs. the Bills, is the only unanimous pick. Three other teams got four votes each.
For the second week in a row, each writer picked a unique best bet. Payne and Mario Puig even took opposite sides of the Patriots-Dolphins game, with Payne going with the home-favorite Dolphins (-1.5) and Puig taking the underdog Patriots.
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| MATCHUP | ERICKSON | PIANOWSKI | WHALEN | PAYNE | PUIG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commanders +3.5 at Packers | Packers | Commanders | Commanders | Packers | Commanders |
| Browns +11.5 at Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Browns |
| Jaguars +3.5 at Bengals | Jaguars | Bengals | Bengals | Bengals | Jaguars |
| Giants +6 at Cowboys | Cowboys | Giants | Giants | Giants | Giants |
| Bears +6 at Lions | Bears | Bears | Lions | Lions | Bears |
| Patriots +1.5 at Dolphins | Dolphins | Patriots | Patriots | Dolphins | Patriots |
| 49ers -4.5 at Saints | 49ers | Saints | 49ers | Saints | Saints |
| Bills -6.5 at Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets |
| Seahawks +3 at Steelers | Steelers | Seahawks | Seahawks | Steelers | Steelers |
| Rams -5.5 at Titans | Titans | Titans | Rams | Titans | Titans |
| Panthers +6.5 at Cardinals | Cardinals | Panthers | Cardinals | Panthers | Panthers |
| Broncos -2 at Colts | Colts | Colts | Broncos | Broncos | Broncos |
| Eagles -1 at Chiefs | Eagles | Chiefs | Eagles | Chiefs | Eagles |
| Falcons +4.5 at Vikings | Vikings |
Kevin Payne picked up where he left off last season, winning Week 1 at 8-7-1. He missed his best bet, however, while Jeff Erickson, Nick Whalen and Mario Puig nailed theirs.
Unanimous picks went 1-2-1 last week, and majority picks were 6-9-1.
This week, the Jets, +6.5 vs. the Bills, is the only unanimous pick. Three other teams got four votes each.
For the second week in a row, each writer picked a unique best bet. Payne and Mario Puig even took opposite sides of the Patriots-Dolphins game, with Payne going with the home-favorite Dolphins (-1.5) and Puig taking the underdog Patriots.
Odds from BetMGM. Use the BetMGM Bonus Code for a risk-free bet up to $1,000.
| MATCHUP | ERICKSON | PIANOWSKI | WHALEN | PAYNE | PUIG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commanders +3.5 at Packers | Packers | Commanders | Commanders | Packers | Commanders |
| Browns +11.5 at Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Browns |
| Jaguars +3.5 at Bengals | Jaguars | Bengals | Bengals | Bengals | Jaguars |
| Giants +6 at Cowboys | Cowboys | Giants | Giants | Giants | Giants |
| Bears +6 at Lions | Bears | Bears | Lions | Lions | Bears |
| Patriots +1.5 at Dolphins | Dolphins | Patriots | Patriots | Dolphins | Patriots |
| 49ers -4.5 at Saints | 49ers | Saints | 49ers | Saints | Saints |
| Bills -6.5 at Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets |
| Seahawks +3 at Steelers | Steelers | Seahawks | Seahawks | Steelers | Steelers |
| Rams -5.5 at Titans | Titans | Titans | Rams | Titans | Titans |
| Panthers +6.5 at Cardinals | Cardinals | Panthers | Cardinals | Panthers | Panthers |
| Broncos -2 at Colts | Colts | Colts | Broncos | Broncos | Broncos |
| Eagles -1 at Chiefs | Eagles | Chiefs | Eagles | Chiefs | Eagles |
| Falcons +4.5 at Vikings | Vikings | Falcons | Falcons | Vikings | Vikings |
| Buccaneers +2.5 at Texans | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Texans | Texans | Texans |
| Chargers -3.5 at Raiders | Raiders | Raiders | Chargers | Raiders | Chargers |
| Best Bet | Vikings | Titans | Lions | Dolphins | Patriots |
| 2025 Record | 5-10-1 | 5-10-1 | 7-8-1 | 8-7-1 | 6-9-1 |
| 2025 Best Bet Record | 1-0 | 0-1 | 1-0 | 0-1 | 1-0 |
| 2025 Unanimous Pick Record | 1-2-1 | ||||
| 2025 Majority Pick Record | 6-9-1 | ||||
| 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 get that Drake London is playing, but I'm really concerned about the ATL run game not getting going, and Michael Penix not operating as frequently downfield as he did last year. There are real offensive line issues for the Falcons, and going on the road against a Brian Flores coached defense scares me. Other comments: I hate Miami this year and feel validated by their Week 1 no-show, yet I'm on them here. I had this line at -2.5, given that the Patriots didn't do anything special in Week 1. The Steelers pick is a pretty comfortable one as well. |
| Pianowski | The Tennessee defense might be better than people realize, and Cam Ward should improve now that he's not facing the Denver defense. |
| Whalen | The Bears-Lions line has rightly moved since open, but I'm still comfortable rolling with Detroit in what should be a strong bounce-back spot after falling flat in Green Bay in Week 1. |
| Payne | I went back and forth between the Dolphins and Lions for my best bet. Blindly I'd take the over for the Dolphins team total for points. Back to two Monday Night Football games; just wish they were staggered a tad more. |
| Puig | I might be picking whoever goes against the Dolphins as the Best Bet for the foreseeable future. Close second was the Broncos (-2). Daniel Jones might be better than Anthony Richardson, but the Denver defense is still too much for Jones' level. |
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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