R.J.'s Picks (1 Live)
R.J.'s Past Picks
The Chiefs offensive line is ravaged by injury, and that's a problem against one of the best defensive fronts in the league. Mahomes had thrown an interception in four straight games before escaping the Dallas loss without a pick, and he had 3+ sacks in all of those games after hitting that mark just once previously. With Houston at 12 interceptions on the season, I think a pick here is more likely than not, so I love being able to get plus odds at FanDuel.
The Chiefs' offensive line is in a bad state with Josh Simmons out and both Jawaan Taylor and Trey Smith in doubt. It seems like Taylor is tracking toward missing the game because Jaylon Moore is prepping to play right tackle, which puts Wanya Morris at left tackle. His struggles last year was one reason why the Chiefs reconfigured their line to put guard Joe Thuney on the blind side, and I have zero confidence he holds up against this elite Texans defensive front. With the Chiefs' defense not playing at an elite level over the last four games and with C.J. Stroud looking solid in his return last week, this line can't be more than 3 and probably should be a bit lower.
The Rams are coming off a shocking loss to the Panthers, and the defense has proven inconsistent when the opposing QB isn't either playing hurt or giving the ball away at will. The Cardinals ended a streak of eight straight games with 20+ points last week, but a red-zone pick plus a missed field goal led to scoring just 17 points despite their excellent 6.3 yards per play against the Bucs. If the Rams can hold them under 20, they'll be the first to do so all year, but I don't think that defense is playing well enough to pull it off.
The Rams had a wake-up call last week on a cross-country trip, and the market expects a big bounce back this week. But I look at the Cardinals and see a team that remains competitive most weeks with Jacoby Brissett at QB, and they completely outplayed the Bucs last week despite the loss. Arizona's one home loss by more than four points came in a game where they outgained the 49ers by more than 200 yards, and the Rams D has looked a bit soft when the opposing QB isn't melting down. This is a good backdoor cover spot, but if Arizona's defense can get Walter Nolen back this week after Will Johnson returned last week, they could be live for the upset.
The Packers typically have one of the better home-field advantages in the league, but they've had a few ugly losses at home this year where the offense has struggled. But even if you give them a full 3 points for HFA, I don't think line should be higher than 6. The Bears have won 9 of 10, and question the competition if you want, but that run started with a win against Dallas and includes a win in Philadelphia last week where they were clearly the better team. Caleb Williams has settled in to Ben Johnson's offense, and Chicago has averaged nearly 25 points per game over the last three weeks against the Vikings, Steelers and Eagles. Let's give them a little more respect.
The Raiders have allowed the third fewest yards per rush in the league this year, but that hasn't stopped running backs from racking up scores as they've given up the third most RB rush TDs per game, and four RBs scored five total TDs over the last two games against this defense. It's a great matchup for Harvey as he continues his run as the lead back, which has not led to efficiency in yardage but did result in two scores last week. I think the odds should be -140 or shorter for him to add to his eight-TD total in this matchup.
These two teams played a close game in primetime four weeks ago, and the Broncos have only won three games by more than four points. I'm still going to lay the points as the Raiders have looked tapped out since that game, losing three straight to the Cowboys, Browns and Chargers by 14+ points. The Raiders have the worst rush offense in football, while the Broncos have the best pass defense, so there's a good shot the Raiders have less than 200 yards for the fourth time in seven games. Hopefully Denver doesn't decide to play side-to-side offensive football this time around and attacks a weak Raiders secondary to get ahead quickly and extend the lead in the second half.
This could be a cold game with snow, which I think has suppressed some of the passing and receiving props. But there isn't expected to be much wind, so if a team wants -- or needs -- to throw downfield, they should be able to. Higgins is coming back from a concussion and will be fully healthy, and I expect him to get to 60+ receiving yards like he had in four of his five games prior to the one in which he suffered the injury (and all were without Joe Burrow). The Bills have major issues at defensive end, and I don't see their pass rush being an issue for Burrow, who should be able to target Higgins downfield several times in this game.
The Bucs are big favorites in this matchup, and considering the health of their starting quarterback, the gameplan has to be to keep the ball on the ground as much as possible. To be fair, that's been most teams' approach to facing New Orleans, as only one defense has seen fewer pass attempts per game than the Saints' 27.5. Mayfield has hit 30 pass attempts just once in his last five games as he has struggled with injuries even before the worst one, the shoulder issue he picked up a few weeks ago. I also like taking his Under passing yards, but this protects us against an early long completion that skews Mayfield's yards per attempt.
The Jets are 4-0-1 ATS in their last five games, but don't mistake that for a legitimate surge in competitiveness. Their wins have largely been marked by return TDs or very short scoring drives off miscues by the other team. Miami has won three straight by winning the turnover battle in each, and they can play a similar game as Atlanta while not essentially giving the Jets 10 free points (on two drives of 3 yards combined). The line makes sense but I think the Dolphins win by 3-7.
Washington has lost seven straight games, but the Commanders' performance against Denver shows that they're miles ahead of the Vikings right now. Minnesota's defense had every answer for its former QB Sam Darnold, holding Seattle to 219 yards and 3.6 yards per play, and the Vikings still lost 26-0 because they continue to get the worst QB play this century. J.J. McCarthy was just as bad as Max Brosmer in his last start, so I'm not sure it matters who's starting at QB in this matchup, and I don't know how much fight the rest of the team has after seeing what they're getting from the QB position. I moved Minnesota down next to Cleveland in my ratings and that still might be too high.
The Colts have key injuries on both sides of the ball, with Daniel Jones playing hurt and Sauce Gardner now sidelined. Indy has failed to gain 300 yards in back-to-back games after entering the Week 11 bye as the top offense in football. The Jaguars just closed out a brutal stretch of four road games in five weeks by going 4-1, and the defense is playing well enough that I have Jacksonville rated above average for the first time all year. With Indy's injury concerns, that means this game should be pick 'em at worst, and I wouldn't be surprised if Jacksonville closes favored.
This is a number that feels too low to take the Under in most situations, but I don't know how the Titans get more than 14 points in this game. They've scored 14 or less in seven of their 12 games, and they had just three offensive touchdowns in four November games. The Browns defense has dominated a few games this year and tends to play better at home. The unit also didn't play as poorly as last week's 26-8 final indicates, with all three of the 49ers' TD drives shorter than 35 yards. We should see just 10-13 points from Tennessee here even if the offense plays solid.
Both teams are coming off blowout losses at home, but the Browns actually played well enough to win if not for two special teams miscues and a baffling decision to go for it on fourth down on their own 32. Those three plays led to 49ers touchdown drives that combined had the length of one normal TD drive, and the defense really deserved a competitive game at the end. The Titans can't make any such claim, with three offensive TDs in November and two coming after going down 30-10. On the road against a defense that is still playing hard, we can't expect much from Tennessee's offense. The Browns offense didn't have to do much to blow out Miami and Vegas, and this feels similar.




