

Will Brinson
Big Oil
Will Brinson has been writing in these internet streets so long he actually remembers when CBS Sports was just called "SportsLine." A CBS veteran since 2010 who has also written for AOL FanHouse, ESPN and Yahoo! Sports, Brinson has been to more Super Bowls than Tom Brady, been dunked on by LeBron James and ridden around Charlotte Motor Speedway at over 200 mph with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. He loves golf more than most people love anything and when he's not making NFL ATS picks he may sometimes dabble in a PGA outright. For Will Brinson media inquiries, contact SportsLine@CBSInteractive.com.
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Will's Past Picks
The Bills-Ravens matchup will get all the high-scoring hype, but did you realize this game is totaled at 54.5 as well?? The Cowboys defense isn't good enough to stop Jacoby Brissett and Co. in this elite scoring environment, which means the Cowboys are going to have to throw plenty. Flourney has been coming on strong the last few weeks as the third wheel in the Cowboys receiving corps, hitting this number in each of his last four games. He also has 4+ targets in every single game this season, making this number a touch too low if we get the anticipated shootout Vegas is projecting.
The Vikings are going to inevitably bring a ton of heat at Jared Goff, which makes downfield passing potentially tricky. But there might not be a better blitz beater in the NFL than Jameson Williams in terms of really punishing defenses for a lack of tacklers on the back end. He's capable of taking a crosser to the house from anywhere on the field and if the Lions offensive line holds up in protection he'll get plenty of looks. A very good price for a very explosive player in a game with a reasonably high total.
Christian Watson has taken a bit of a back seat to Matthew Golden in the Packers' passing attack over the last two weeks, it seems like a focused effort to get Golden going in his second season after Watson started the season on fire. With Golden banged up and the Panthers vulnerable on the back end, plus the Packers at home in prime time, this feels like a great spot for Watson to get back to being hot, whether on a deep shot or with red-zone targets.
It's tough to know exactly who to target with the Panthers' passing attack between Tet and Jalen Coker, but McMillan has been the more reliable option in the passing game over the course of the season. He only has two scores on the year but they came in a massive primetime matchup against an NFC North opponent with a weak pass defense. Hello, similar matchup! I think Tet gets back in the end zone on Thursday.
Savion Williams returned from injury in Week 6 and was immediately a pretty crucial piece of the passing attack, especailly relative to all the weapons the Packers have at Jordan Love's disposal. Savion has seven targets in two games and games of 32 and 47 yards on the season. He's not going off for 100 yards here without breaking a big catch, but he's also going to be in the mix for several receptions and the targets he's getting should equate to about 10 yards per catch or longer, so this number just looks too short.
Certain players just get UP for certain matchups and Ja'Marr Chase against the Ravens is absolutely one of them. In 10 career games against Baltimore, Chase averages 7.5 catches and 120 receiving yards a game to go along with eight touchdowns in those contests. In short, he's a strong bet for a monster game here and with the Bengals coming off the bye, there should be zero health concerns and a gameplan set up to feed Chase the ball. I would have zero issue laddering this up to 110 or so and playing his anytime touchdown as well.
This game looks like a sneaky shootout to me, despite the middling total, if Baker Mayfield returns to the field. Baker hasn't been great this year, but he's an upgrade in how the Bucs offense will move the ball up and down the field, both in efficiency and pace. And the Bucs pass defense is the same as always: a funnel. Either Tetairoa McMillan or Coker is going to go off and find the end zone here, and honestly, it could be either of them given this matchup and the environment. But WR2s have shredded the Bucs all season, so we're leaning into that with Coker here.
Jaylen Warren has been unbelievable the last month of the season, with the only real exception being last week, when he was stuffed on the ground by a strong Bucs run defense. Now he gets an absolute run funnel in the Saints in the early international game, with New Orleans having given up monster games to virtually every primary back they've faced. This number is suppressed by last week's outing and Rico Dowdle's return, but I'm guessing in this spot we'll see Mike McCarthy continue to feed his "featured" guy in Warren. This number is several yards lower than the rest of the market, too.
Raymond's garnered Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams' trust and has seen really some strong usage. You need to attack the Patriots with secondary and tertiary weapons because of Christian Gonzalez and Raymond should be good for around four schemed-up targets in this spot.
Blake Corum is fully capable of finding the end zone in any game script, but this is a perfect setup for the Rams' backup. Los Angeles, a massive double-digit favorite, will be aggressive about putting this game away. But if they have a big lead, I expect the Rams to lean heavily on Corum and get Kyren Williams some rest. That should mean a pile of second-half carries and as much red-zone work as he can handle. We could also get an early score from Corum during the usual rotations that Sean McVay employs.
We've got a game with a massive total (north of 50) being played indoors, with a couple of defenses that should allow plenty of air attack. The Bears will likely load up to stop Bijan Robinson, leaving Drake London some red-zone looks. He's been a monster this season with Michael Penix under center and could be due for a positive touchdown regression. If we get a shootout, London will find paydirt for the first time this year.
In that same vein, let's attack the Colts' secondary again with a secondary receiver, this time targeting PPR scam artist Wan'Dale Robinson and his receptions total. The 3.5's are way too juicy, but the price on Wan'Dale to catch five passes is really nice at +125. Wan'Dale has hit this number in three straight games and five of six this season, and given the spread, we should expect Cam Ward to throw plenty in the second half. We don't care if it's five catches for 10 yards, just get him the ball and alleviate some of the pass rush.
The second-round rookie stepped up big time for the Steelers in their Week 5 win over the Colts, and the buzz around him is real: Jim Nantz told a story about him ripping off play calls in meetings that blew the quarterbacks away. Don't take that too lightly, because it's the sort of thing that makes Aaron Rodgers trust a wide receiver. Rodgers even went back to him after a few drops, and I believe he sees him as critical to the Steelers' season. The Bucs are a pass funnel, and with DK Metcalf soaking up the primary coverage, Germie should benefit again in Week 6. This is a ladder-worthy setup for Bernard.
Waddle's been seriously up and down this year for the Broncos after they spent a first-round pick to acquire him this offseason. My guess is, like with Harvey, Payton has a focused gameplan for Waddle this week. When he's had big games the Broncos offense has looked much more explosive and there's been heat on Payton for his usage all season long. I wouldn't be shocked if we got some jet sweep stuff down by the goal line with Waddle but regardless he's a sneaky little fella who can get open in the red zone or rip off a long score. I like his receiving stuff as well.
We're not straying far off the board here, but, honestly, why would we when JSN is checking in at even money? He's third in the league in red-zone targets this year after posting top-tier RZ targets in his breakout 2025 campaign. He's arguably become the best wideout in all of football, Pat Surtain isn't playing and JSN's only failed to score in one game this year, the Week 4 matchup in which the Chargers staged a furious comeback and the Seahawks were in total control most of the game. Love this spot.















