

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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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.
Harvey was an absolute non-factor last week against the Chargers, which is really disappointing given Payton took playcalling and the Broncos were trailing by double digits for stretches in that game. I don't think Payton can afford to ignore his second-year back on Thursday, though. Harvey said before the season he's focused on explosive plays and it's what he does best. No one on this offense is as capable of housing a big play outside of maybe Marvin Mims and using Harvey as a receiving threat for Nix to nullify the Seattle pass rush just makes too much sense. I'd be fine laddering this a bit if you're so inclined and there are some juicy numbers out there.
The Broncos just haven't been great against tight ends this year so we're gonna nibble on this low number with Barner serving as a very nice pressure-valve option for Sam Darnold in this spot. The worst tight end game so far this year against Denver was Brenton Strange for the Jaguars. Otherwise we've seen Travis Kelce and George Kittle go off and lesser names like Charlie Kolar and Tyler Higbee have really nice games against the Broncos. Barner isn't elite but he's a sneaky-good option at the position and I'm banking on him getting open for two or three catches and cruising past a number that's creeped up a bit.
Laying a little juice here for a touchdown scorer but nothing crazy at all and Josh Allen to score a touchdown has hit every single game so far this season. His rushes were a little down last week but this is a massive prime time matchup, a potential Super Bowl preview and it would be stunning if Allen shied away from rushing, especially near the goal line where he's been so effective as a red zone threat.
Puka Nakua's return to the Rams two weeks ago was a big boon to the offense and after a week to shake off the rust, he absolutely exploded against the Eagles with nine catches for 125 yards in a low-scoring game with bad weather conditions and a tougher Eagles defense. MNF should be a pure shootout in an optimal LA environment with a 54.5 total and Puka will be pumped targets from Matthew Stafford. I think he finds the end zone and this price isn't prohibitive, he's also got rushing equity by the goal line as we saw last week.
Kyren Williams has taken back the majority of the workload from Blake Corum the last two weeks and in a huge MNF game, I think Sean McVay will let that trend ride. Williams is a sneaky great receiving option out of the backfield and is coming off a ridiculous 10-catch game. The pass stuff heading his way is working for the Rams offense and this number just feels way too low for his backfield receiving ability.
The Bears have been getting a lot of love for their recent defensive performance after a disastrous Week 1 against the Panthers. I think they might be a bit of a paper tiger, propped up by the offense's ability to control the ball. And while the Packers aren't looking great on offense either, they can still sling the ball around a bit. Jordan Love has really concentrated his targets on three guys this year, and Christian Watson has been his primary deep threat. That is a reasonable number against a defense that can give up long shots downfield if the Packers show up on offense.
The price differentials for CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens props on Thursday night is shockingly close and I've really come around to this being "a Pickens game" for a couple of reasons. One, Pickens has really played second fiddle this season to CDL and I think the Cowboys want to get him some production. And two, this is a perfect matchup to do it: the Bucs defensive style and lack of back end stoppage caters to Pickens. I think he finds the end zone for the first time in 2026 tonight.
This is NOT for the faint of heart, because Emeka Ebugka has been a major disappointment this season after a hot rookie start last year. And now he's playing with Daniels under center and Joey Porter, Jr., in town. But this line is SO low. Even off a brutal two-catch, 13-yard game last week with a backup throwing him the ball, I'm bullish enough on this number because of the game environment: the Cowboys are one of -- if not the -- best offenses in football, and they are going to score plenty of points. The Bucs will be forced to throw and the volume should be there for Ebugka to get over this measly number.















