Is NFL Week 17 becoming the new Week 18 for sports bettors?
There is a lot to sort out today with playoff implications, injuries and draft jockeying — more than usual given we still have another week to play.
Saturday’s action settled some playoff details: The Texans (+1) clinched a playoff spot with a 20-16 victory over the Chargers. That also means the Broncos win the AFC West and the Colts are eliminated. in the nightcap, the Ravens (+2) kept their playoff hopes alive by beating the Packers 41-24. Green Bay’s loss means the Bears win the NFC North.
So here is one way to look at today’s games:
Both teams have playoff implications
Seahawks (-7) at Panthers, 1 ET
Eagles (+2) at Bills, 4:20 ET
Bears (+3.5) at 49ers, 8:20 ET
One team with playoff implications
Jags (-5.5) at Colts, 1 ET
Steelers (-3) at Browns, 1 ET (Pittsburgh can clinch AFC North with a victory)
Bucs (-6) at Dolphins, 1 ET
Pats (-13.5) at Jets, 1 ET
Nothing at stake except draft position
Cardinals (+7) at Bengals, 1 ET
Saints (-2.5) at Titans, 1 ET
Giants (-2.5) at Raiders, 4 ET
Out of the 10 games today, perhaps the most bizarrely compelling is the Giants-Raiders battle for the No. 1 pick.
(And it’s gets even better when you know that one brave Circa Survivor contestant put his entry, worth $2.1M, on the Giants.)
Both teams are on nine-game losing streaks and finding reasons to put players (e.g., Maxx Crosby, Andrew Thomas) on the injury list.
With a loss, the Giants have a 73 percent chance to get the top selection while the Raiders would move to 69 percent.
VSiN’s experts have sorted through all the factors to come up with their Best Bets:
👉 Pauly Howard (kicking props)
Josh Appelbaum will post his NFL Sharp Report this morning.
Everything we do on Week 17 will be posted here.
Other NFL resources
>Fantasy Points WR/CB Matchup Tool
>DraftKings/Circa Betting Splits
VSiN Pro subscribers have access to the plays from hosts and guests on our NFL picks page.
A $2.1M gamble in Survivor
As mentioned above, there was a shocking pick in Circa Survivor, where there are nine remaining entries vying for $18.7M.
“Kick Up Your Knees” went with the Giants against the Raiders in a battle for the No. 1 draft pick.
As for the other entries: 3 apiece on the Patriots and Bucs, plus 2 on the Bengals.
There is some logic in the Giants pick: It is in the late window so the contestant will know exactly how much his entry is worth and can hedge appropriately.
>Circa Million: The most popular pick was the Bills pick’em vs. the Eagles with 1,630 entries. Rounding out the top 5: 49ers -3.5, Packers -3, Panthers +7 and Texans +1.5.
Check out our contest hub for complete consensus picks and individual selections.
Quick Hits
NBA: Zach Cohen‘s Best Bets and Steve Makinen‘s Analytics Report will hit around mid-morning on our NBA page. Our Opta AI NBA player props projections are here.
College Football: No games today, but everything else we do during bowl season is posted here.
College Basketball: Greg “Hoops” Peterson has his Best Bet for today’s menu.
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NHL: VSiN hockey analyst Jonathan Davis will post his Best Bets around mid-day.
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