The biggest risk in placing lookahead bets can be summed up in one word: ouch.

Ouch for the key player who gets injured in the game prior to the one wagered on. Ouch for the bettors who wish they had waited to see if the integral players on their preferred team got through the previous game unscathed.

In this space recently, one of the picks was Seattle -2.5 at Pittsburgh. Made sense. The Seahawks would have three extra days to prepare. The Steelers' offensive travails were evident in three lead-up games during which they scored just 44 points.

Then Russell Wilson hurt his finger so badly that it needed surgery. Of all the league's esteemed QBs, Wilson might have been the least likely to miss a game. He had started every one since joining Seattle in 2012.

The line change was colossal. Pittsburgh became a five-point favorite - and won by three in overtime.

Fingers crossed that the three teams in these lookahead picks slide through this week's games with minimal injuries -- for our benefit as well as theirs. 

Week 8 lookahead lines

Packers at Cardinals (-3.5), O/U 52.5
Dolphins at Bills (-11.5), O/U 49
Panthers at Falcons (-1.5), O/U 48
Eagles (-3.5) at Lions, O/U 48.5
Titans at Colts (-2.5), O/U 49
Rams (-14) at Texans, O/U 45.5
Bengals (-3.5) at Jets, O/U 45
Steelers at Browns (-3), O/U 45
49ers (-3.5) at Bears, O/U 42.5
Jaguars at Seahawks (-3), O/U 43.5
Patriots at Chargers (-5.5), O/U 47.5
Washington at Broncos (-4), O/U 44.5
Buccaneers (-4) at Saints, O/U 50
Cowboys (-2.5) at Vikings, O/U 52
Giants at Chiefs (-13), O/U 54

Which Week 8 sides make for great plays before Week 7 kicks off? And which underdog is being severely mispriced by the market? ... Join SportsLine right now to see Week 8 lookahead picks from the expert who returned more than $2,500 on his NFL picks from 2016-20 and hit 56 percent of his ATS picks last year!