It is time to ring in the new year with some great bets for this week’s NFL slate. Week 17 is the penultimate week, and our second-to-last chance to hit it big on our best bets this NFL season.
Last week was another tough one, but this week will technically be a new year so we’ve got a chance for a fresh start. Here are the five best NFL bets for this week’s games. All lines come via Draft Kings as of Saturday morning.
Five Best Bets for NFL Week 17
Panthers at Bucs: Panthers Moneyline (+165)
Our first pick comes in an ugly matchup between losing teams — that also somehow has a division title on the line. Tampa Bay can lock up the NFC South with a win, but a win for Carolina would give them the tiebreaker advantage heading into the last week of the season.
In these crucial games, it has never been a good idea to bet against Tom Brady. But that is exactly what we are doing here.
This is not your father’s Brady, or even your older brother’s for that matter. We are talking about a guy who needed overtime to squeak by a Cardinals team led by Trace McSorley. This Bucs team is crumbling before our eyes.
On the other side. The Panthers just routed a surging Lions team. Sam Darnold is doing his best impression of an NFL quarterback and running back D’onta Foreman is a problem for opposing defenses.
This will be a tight one, but Carolina is trending in the better direction right now and they offer more value at +165.
Browns at Commanders: Commanders -2.5 (-105)
This another ugly matchup. Once upon a time, Deshaun Watson and Carson Wentz would have been a marquee matchup between two of the league’s most promising young quarterbacks. That is no longer the case due to both player’s careers being plagued by injuries, Watson being a menace to society, and Wentz forgetting how to play football at times.
Despite all that, Wentz’s return to the lineup does seem to be an upgrade, unlike Watson’s.
While the Commanders were not winning early in the season with Wentz, he was not playing bad. The rest of the offense took significant strides with Taylor Heinicke, but it was not necessarily because he was tearing it up. The return of Wentz gives Washington the best version of their offense.
Washington should be able to do enough to outscore a Browns team led by Watson, who has looked extremely rusty this year. I like the Commanders enough to lay a few points.
Cardinals at Falcons: Cardinals +5.5 (-110)
Another week, another quarterback is starting for the Cardinals. This time around, it will be David Blough. However, do not get fooled into thinking this will be a cakewalk for Atlanta. This one will be a tight matchup.
Since being handed the reigns, Falcons rookie Desmond Ridder has taken longer than expected to get into a rhythm at the NFL level. As a result, Atlanta’s offense has struggled as of late. Meanwhile, Arizona’s defense has played well enough to keep them in games in spite of their quarterback carousel.
Who knows which team will come out on top in this one? One thing you should be able to count on is that it will be a close tilt, without a lot of points. I like the Cardinals to cover here.
Jets at Seahawks: Seahawks Moneyline (+105)
The ugliness continues with the Geno Smith revenge game! Seattle is taking on a Jets team quarterbacked by Mike White, who is replacing Zack Wilson, who was drafted to replace Sam Darnold, who was drafted to replace Smith. Right now Smith is playing better than any of those other guys.
The Seahawks have certainly cooled off as of late. They have dropped four of their last five. However, so have the Jets, who have lost four in a row. Both of these teams are falling apart at the seams. Yet Seattle just looks more promising right now. They are only half a game out of the playoffs compared to the full game that the Jets must make up.
This is a toss-up game that should slightly favor the home team in Seattle. With that, might you might as well take advantage of those +105 odds.
Vikings at Packers: Vikings Moneyline (+150)
Man, the Kirk Cousins hate is real. This is flat out insulting. How many games do the Vikings have to win before they stop being on “fraud alert?” Yes, the Packers are making a strong playoff push, and it is hard to sweep teams in the NFL. Regardless, I still like the Vikings here.
The rationale for this pick is that there is no legitimate reason to bet against Minnesota. If we did this with blind résumés, there would be no question. This might bother some folks, but Cousins is outplaying Aaron Rodgers right now by a wide margin.
During Green Bay’s three-game winning streak, Rodgers has thrown just three touchdown passes to two interceptions. Cousin’s touchdown-interception ratio in that same span is nine to two. At +150, you are crazy if you don’t take the Vikings.
NFL Week 17 Best Bets Recap:
- Panthers ML
- Commanders (-2.5)
- Cardinals (+5.5)
- Seahawks ML
- Vikings ML
Around The Block 