This article is part of our Staff Picks series.
Welcome to the 2022 edition of Staff Picks, where every week our writers will pick every NFL game against the spread.
Defending champ Kevin Payne is back to defend to his crown, joined by, as usual, Jeff Erickson and Scott Pianowski and Dalton Del Don, both of Yahoo Sports. New to the fray this season is Nick Whalen, who writes our weekly Beating the Book article.
The only unanimous pick this week is the underdog Vikings at home against the Packers.
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| MATCHUP | ERICKSON | PIANOWSKI | WHALEN | PAYNE | DEL DON |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills -2.5 at Rams | Rams | Bills | Bills | Rams | Rams |
| Saints -5.5 at Falcons | Saints | Falcons | Saints | Falcons | Falcons |
| Colts -7 at Texans | Texans | Texans | Colts | Texans | Texans |
| Jaguars +2.5 at Commanders | Jaguars | Commanders | Commanders | Commanders | Jaguars |
| Eagles -4 at Lions | Eagles | Lions | Eagles | Lions | Lions |
| Patriots +3.5 at Dolphins | Dolphins | Dolphins | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots |
| 49ers -7 at Bears | 49ers | Bears | 49ers | Bears | Bears |
| Browns +1.5 at Panthers | Browns | Panthers | Browns | Panthers | Panthers |
| Ravens -7 at Jets | Ravens | Jets | Ravens | Ravens | Jets |
| Steelers +6.5 at Bengals | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Bengals | Steelers |
| Packers -1.5 at Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings |
| Raiders +3.5 at Chargers | Raiders | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Raiders |
| Giants +5.5 at Titans | Giants | Giants | Titans | Giants | Giants |
| Chiefs -6 at Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | Chiefs | Cardinals | Cardinals |
| Buccaneers -2.5 at Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Buccaneers | Cowboys | Cowboys |
| Broncos -6.5 at Seahawks | Broncos | Broncos | Broncos | Seahawks | Seahawks |
| Best Bet | Browns | Vikings | 49ers | Cardinals | Seahawks |
| 2021 Best Bet Record | 12-6 | 10-8 | NA | 12-6 | 7-11 |
| 2021 Unanimous Pick Record | 28-26 | ||||
| 2021 Majority Pick Record | 135-134-3 | ||||
| 2021 Record | 129-140-3 | 134-135-3 | N/A | 145-124-3 | 136-133-3 |
| 2020 Record | 121-127-8 | 128-120-8 | N/A | 115-133-8 | 118-130-8 |
| 2019 Record | 126-124-6 | 140-110-6 | N/A | 127-123-6 | 134-116-6 |
| 2018 Record | 125-122-9 | 134-113-9 | N/A | N/A | 120-127-9 |
| 2017 Record | 117-125-14 | 128-114-14 | N/A | N/A | 98-144-14 |
| 2016 Record | 140-111-5 | 130-121-5 | N/A | N/A | 132-119-5 |
| 2015 Record | 134-114-8 | 120-128-8 | N/A | N/A | 121-127-8 |
| 2014 Record | 123-128-5 | 140-111-5 | N/A | N/A | 128-123-5 |
| 2013 Record | 132-114-10 | 118-128-10 | N/A | N/A | 128-118-10 |
| 2012 Record | 110-140-6 | 125-125-6 | N/A | N/A | 123-127-6 |
| 2011 Record | 121-128-7 | 134-115-7 | N/A | N/A | 127-122-7 |
| 2010 Record | 129-122-5 | 134-117-5 | N/A | N/A | 134-117-5 |
| 2009 Record | 123-130-3 | 132-121-3 | N/A | N/A | 126-127-3 |
| 2008 Record | 132-114-10 | 128-118-10 | N/A | N/A | 130-116-10 |
| 2007 Record | 127-120 | 118-129 | N/A | N/A | 130-117 |
| 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 | We have so many road favorites, yet I still like the Browns the best as a road dog. I understand it's the Baker Bowl, but I think that the rest of the Browns roster is superior to the Panthers, and that will carry the day. I also really like the under 47.0 in the Vikings-Packers game. |
| Pianowski | I don't think there's a great amount of difference between the Packers and Vikings; getting Minnesota as a home dog feels like a gift. |
| Whalen | I'm not convinced the 49ers' offense gets off to a fast start under Trey Lance, but as far as overall personnel goes, this game might have the biggest gap in overall talent of any matchup on the Week 1 slate. |
| Payne | I took a lot of dogs this week; I think a lot of those teams will surprise. I think the Cardinals might be underrated while the Chiefs are overrated. |
| Del Don | Week 1 is always my favorite betting slate of the season, and this year is no different. |
The players:
• Jeff Erickson: RotoWire Senior Editor, 2001, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2016 Staff Picks champ. Writes the Weekly Rankings. Covers and roots for the Bengals.
• Scott Pianowski: Fantasy expert for Yahoo! Sports, and also contributes to RotoWire. 2009, 2011, 2014, 2017, 2019 and 2020 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 Staff Picks champ. Writes our Waiver Wire column. Roots for the Bills.
• Dalton Del Don: Fantasy Expert for Yahoo! Sports, 2007 Staff Picks champ. Roots for the 49ers.
