Best Bets for NFL Week 8

Up 8.57 betting units since the start of the season

 

2 Pick Parlay: Los Angeles Rams -6.5 @ Houston Texans; Cincinnati Bengals -6.5 @ New York Jets (-107) (2.5 Units)

 

The Jets are one of the worst teams in the league and just lost their hope for the future, quarterback Zach Wilson, for the next few weeks. Mike White, who had never thrown an NFL pass until last week, is now the starter. He threw two picks against the Patriots, and there’s little reason to believe he’s an upgrade over Wilson. The Jets have lost their games by an average of 19 points while the Bengals have been playing excellent on both sides of the ball. This should be an easy victory by one of the top contenders in the AFC.

 

Tyrod Taylor is officially out for the Texans so the Davis Mills experiment will continue. Since starting Mills, the Texans have lost their games by an average of 22 points and their roster is one of the worst in the league. The Rams are continuing their hot streak and are overall better coached, better quarterbacked, and have a roster with more game changers such as Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey. LA has won their games by an average of 13 this year and should easily cover the touchdown we’re asking for.

 

Titans +2.5 @ Indianapolis Colts (-105)

 

There really isn’t a reason that the Titans should be the underdog in this situation, as they have the better record, more proven recent history, and have impressive victories over a couple legitimate AFC threats in the Bills and Chiefs. The Colts meanwhile have only beaten the 49ers, Texans, and Dolphins, all of which are hardly powerhouses. Indy is headed in the right direction with their team, but the Titans are still ahead and have a stronger identity than the Colts.

 

While playing solid football all around, the Colts do have a matchup deficiency as they rank 23rd in coverage while the Titans rank 6th in passing grade, both according to Pro Football Focus. That’s going along with Derrick Henry, who currently leads the league with 869 rushing yards, a full 330 yards ahead of second place. It took a while for the offense to get back on track after losing Arthur Smith, but since the loss to the Jets the Titans have been on a 3 game winning streak and have averaged 32.7 points scored in that span.

 

Tennessee is 3-1 SU and ATS in their last 4 vs. the Colts and 5-1 ATS in their last 6 overall.

 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers -4.5 @ New Orleans Saints (-108)

 

While the Saints sit at a solid 4-2, their play is up and down much like quarterback Jameis Winston has been. Part of the team’s inconsistencies is a lack of legitimate receiving threats, and All-Pro wide receiver Michael Thomas still remains out. As such, they’ve been forced to abandon the pass and the play the run, and their rank of 32nd in pass attempts and 4th in rushing attempts reflects that. Tampa Bay, for all their defensive question marks, actually rank 3rd in the league in yards per attempt allowed at 3.7.

 

Offensively the Bucs should be able to take care of business as always and rely on the arm of Tom Brady. They rank first in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and 7th in yards per attempt. They have a plethora of offensive weapons even without the potential return of Gronk. Brady is playing as well as ever, and the last time these teams met Tampa Bay beat the Saints by 10 on the road. They will cover the two field goals.

 

Pittsburgh Steelers +4 @ Cleveland Browns (-110)

 

The Pittsburgh Steelers are being too heavily faded based on their performance to start the year. After a 1-3 start to the season, the Steelers have managed a 2 game winning streak and are now coming off a bye while the Browns are banged up. Baker Mayfield is playing with a torn labrum and fractured shoulder. Kareem Hunt is out and Nick Chubb is questionable to play. They’ve looked shaky while trying to navigate the injuries, with their only win being a 3 point victory over the Broncos the last 3 weeks.

 

The Steelers still have ingredients that will keep them in most games: a menacing defensive line, an extensive list of great offensive weaponry, and a coach that has yet to have a losing season. For as much as people rag on Big Ben for his play this year, he hasn’t been that awful and is playing about as good as Mayfield is. On the year Ben has completed 65% of his passes with 7 touchdowns, and the last two weeks he hasn’t thrown a pick. Divisional games are usually tight affairs, and the Steelers should be able to keep this game within a field goal if not outright win.

 

All stats are from Pro Football Reference and Covers unless noted otherwise. All odds are from FanDuel.

 

All bets are 1 unit unless noted otherwise.