Welcome to Week 17. A hectic, landmine-filled week that I usually like to avoid as a bettor but since I’ve got you folks counting on me, I’ve combed through the board to find six plays that make sense on paper and that should help boost your bankroll as we head into the postseason.
The Pick: UNDER 6 coaches to be fired between Black Monday and the Super Bowl (+120)
Three coaches I thought would be hitting the breadlines this January have all received support from their organizations and I’m starting to think this edition of Black Monday might be a little grayer than we’re all accustomed to. I’m not saying that’s right but at this time, it looks like three to five coaches will probably get their marching orders. Take the UNDER on this prop.
The Pick: Jets +15 (-110)
The Stat: The Jets are 7-1-1 ATS in their last 9 games against the Patriots.
Please do not mistake this pick for faith in the Jets or lack of faith in the Patriots. New York just seems to keep this matchup close – sometimes winning outright – and 15 points is a hell of a lot of points for a team that will only be playing its starters for as long as it needs to assure victory.
The Pick: Eagles +3 (-125)
The Stat: The Eagles are 9-0 SU in their last 9 games at home.
Philly may have the luxury of having first place in the NFC locked up but their starting quarterback is still getting in the groove and I wouldn’t be surprised if he played the entire contest.
Neither of these teams has anything to play for but the Eagles will want to stay sharp with a bye week on the docket next week. I don’t think Philly mails this one in.
The Pick: Bears +11
The Stat: Minnesota has absolutely nothing to play for.
Well, almost nothing. The Vikings have a 99.6 percent chance of locking up a bye win or lose.
Chicago doesn’t really either as they’ve played themselves out of contention for a top-three pick but a lot of Bears (including John Fox) are playing for jobs in 2018. This should be a low-scoring snoozer so feel free to take the UNDER instead.
The Pick: Jaguars +3
The Stat: The Jaguars rank third in net yards per play over their last three games. The Titans rank 24th over this span.
Hot-take alert: The Jaguars are a good team. The Titans are not. Jacksonville may be locked into the AFC’s third seed but Doug Marrone and the South Beach boys would love nothing more than to spoil the Titans’ playoff chances and the Jags bench boss made that clear earlier this week when he said he wouldn’t be resting his starters for the Week 17 tilt.
The Pick: 49ers -3.5
The Stat: The 49ers are 3-1 SU and 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games against the Rams.
Also, Jimmy Garoppolo. Jimmy G is undefeated in his first four starts with his new team and he’s going against a Rams side on Sunday that has little to play for.
This column is powered by stats and trends provided by the NFL Betting Primer.
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