Jim Coventry won last week at 11-5 to improve to a Staff Picks-best 26-21-1. Jeff Erickson and Scott Pianowski nailed their best bets.
The group went 1-2 on unanimous picks and 9-7 on majority picks.
This week, three picks are unanimous — Commanders +3.5, Bills -6.5 and Lions -3.5. Five others garnered four votes each.
As for best bets, each writer took a unique team, with Erickson the only one picking an underdog (Jaguars +2.5).
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| MATCHUP | ERICKSON | PIANOWSKI | WHALEN | COVENTRY | HARTITZ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers -3 at Browns | Browns | Browns | Steelers | Browns | Steelers |
| Colts -3.5 Commanders at London | Commanders | Commanders | Commanders | Commanders | Commanders |
| Patriots +6.5 at Bills | Bills | Bills | Bills | Bills | Bills |
| Jaguars +2.5 at Bengals | Jaguars | Jaguars | Bengals | Jaguars | Jaguars |
| Packers -3.5 at Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Packers | Packers |
| Titans +11.5 at Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Titans | Ravens | Ravens |
| Rams -3 at Eagles | Rams | Rams | Eagles | Rams | Rams |
| Cardinals -2 at Giants | Giants | Giants | Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals |
| Jets +3.5 at Bears | Bears | Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets |
| Cowboys +2.5 at Texans | Cowboys | Texans | Texans | Texans | Cowboys |
| Dolphins +10.5 at Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Dolphins | Vikings | Dolphins |
| Broncos +2.5 at 49ers | 49ers | 49ers | Broncos | Broncos | 49ers |
| Chiefs -4.5 at Raiders | Raiders | Raiders | Chiefs | Raiders | Chiefs |
| Chargers +7 at Seahawks | Chargers | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks |
| Lions -3.5 at Panthers | Lions | Lions | Lions | Lions | Lions |
| Falcons +2.5 at Saints | Saints | Saints | Falcons | Falcons | Saints |
| Best Bet | Jaguars | Rams | Lions | Vikings | Bills |
| Last |
Jim Coventry won last week at 11-5 to improve to a Staff Picks-best 26-21-1. Jeff Erickson and Scott Pianowski nailed their best bets.
The group went 1-2 on unanimous picks and 9-7 on majority picks.
This week, three picks are unanimous — Commanders +3.5, Bills -6.5 and Lions -3.5. Five others garnered four votes each.
As for best bets, each writer took a unique team, with Erickson the only one picking an underdog (Jaguars +2.5).
Odds from BetMGM. Use the BetMGM Bonus Code for a risk-free bet up to $1,500.
| MATCHUP | ERICKSON | PIANOWSKI | WHALEN | COVENTRY | HARTITZ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers -3 at Browns | Browns | Browns | Steelers | Browns | Steelers |
| Colts -3.5 Commanders at London | Commanders | Commanders | Commanders | Commanders | Commanders |
| Patriots +6.5 at Bills | Bills | Bills | Bills | Bills | Bills |
| Jaguars +2.5 at Bengals | Jaguars | Jaguars | Bengals | Jaguars | Jaguars |
| Packers -3.5 at Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Packers | Packers |
| Titans +11.5 at Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Titans | Ravens | Ravens |
| Rams -3 at Eagles | Rams | Rams | Eagles | Rams | Rams |
| Cardinals -2 at Giants | Giants | Giants | Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals |
| Jets +3.5 at Bears | Bears | Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets |
| Cowboys +2.5 at Texans | Cowboys | Texans | Texans | Texans | Cowboys |
| Dolphins +10.5 at Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Dolphins | Vikings | Dolphins |
| Broncos +2.5 at 49ers | 49ers | 49ers | Broncos | Broncos | 49ers |
| Chiefs -4.5 at Raiders | Raiders | Raiders | Chiefs | Raiders | Chiefs |
| Chargers +7 at Seahawks | Chargers | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks |
| Lions -3.5 at Panthers | Lions | Lions | Lions | Lions | Lions |
| Falcons +2.5 at Saints | Saints | Saints | Falcons | Falcons | Saints |
| Best Bet | Jaguars | Rams | Lions | Vikings | Bills |
| Last Week Record | 9-7 | 9-7 | 6-10 | 11-5 | 7-9 |
| 2026 Record | 20-27-1 | 21-26-1 | 20-27-1 | 26-21-1 | 22-25-1 |
| 2026 Best Bet Record | 1-2 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 0-3 | 1-2 |
| 2026 Unanimous Pick Record | 2-8 | ||||
| 2026 Majority Pick Record | 21-26-1 | ||||
| 2025 Record | 127-137-8 | 132-132-8 | 118-146-8 | NA | NA |
| 2024 Record | 131-138-3 | 121-148-3 | 127-142-3 | NA | N/A |
| 2023 Record | 133-131-8 | 125-139-8 | 129-135-8 | NA | N/A |
| 2022 Record | 127-136-8 | 149-114-8 | 124-139-8 | NA | N/A |
| 2000-2021 Record | 2,733-2,730-99 | 2,435-2,286-99 | N/A | NA | N/A |
| WRITER | COMMENT |
|---|---|
| Erickson | The Steelers exposed the Bengals' weak points on defense, and I think Liam Coen is quite capable of seeing that on film and exploiting it. Also, I know we don't do totals here, but I *love* the Under 40.0 in the battle of the Bays. |
| Pianowski | The Eagles have some collapse risk, and the Rams probably deserved to win last week. I do not feel comfortable picking this many favorites, as it goes directly against my usual MO. |
| Whalen | I don't love the number, but I also don't love the amount of injuries hitting the Panthers heading into Week 4. They'll be without three starting offensive linemen, as well as a few key pieces on defense against a Lions team averaging 30-plus points per game. |
| Coventry | Miami is the worst team in the league with no De'Von Achane. I don't see Malik Willis surviving the Brian Flores blitzes. |
| Hartitz | The Patriots are tied with the Dolphins for the fewest points scored this season. Josh Allen got his "I'm 23 again, time to turn the ball over a bunch!" game out of the way last week. Buffalo by however many points they want. |
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, 2022 and 2025 Staff Picks champ. Roots for the Patriots.
• Nick Whalen: RotoWire Senior Media Analyst. Writes Beating the Book. Roots for the Jaguars.
• Jim Coventry: RotoWire Football Writer. Writes NFL Weekly Recap. Roots for the 49ers.
• Ian Hartitz: RotoWire Football Writer. Writes Weekly Position Rankings. Roots for the Cowboys.
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