The NFL is once again a crazy mess, but these four bets are solid locks. Your top 4 wagers for week 5 of the insane NFL 2017 season.
Home favorites left us hanging last week, so toss all of that knowledge out the window. The NFL 2017 season is a hot mess, meaning your wagers must be more calculated than ever. Enter our top four bets of week 5.
NFL Week 5 is an ugly slate of games. So many teams are showing flaws and the lines reflect them. Tread carefully and wager accordingly. Here are the lines for Week 5 via Sportsbook Review.
Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, debate NFL 2017 in today’s NFL Sports Debate.
2017 Record ATS
Dan’s record ATS: 4-4
Todd’s record ATS: 3-5
Underdogs continue to dominate their foes in the 2017 NFL season. In Week 4, major home favorites lost outright, including New England, Atlanta, Dallas, and Minnesota. Just one team remains unbeaten straight-up, and just two teams remain unbeaten against the spread. On to our picks for week 5!
Todd Salem’s NFL Week 5 Picks
Todd’s Teaser:
Buffalo Bills +9 (from +3) at Cincinnati Bengals
Philadelphia Eagles -0.5 (from -6.5) vs. Arizona Cardinals
Buffalo is one of the two remaining undefeated teams ATS. The Bills defense continues to keep them in games. It is currently one of the best units in the league. Though Cincinnati has turned it on since firing its offensive coordinator, I still have confidence in this Buffalo defense to keep things close. This isn’t the same Bengals team as two weeks ago, but this isn’t the same Bills team that everyone expected to start the year.
While Buffalo has been pleasantly surprising, Arizona has not been. The Cardinals are one of two winless teams ATS this year. They may cover the full spread in this contest against the Eagles, but there is no way Arizona loses me this tease after bumping Philadelphia’s line down to half a point. All the Eagles have to do is win at home.
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Carolina Panthers at Detroit Lions Under 44 Points
The Lions defense is really good, ranking fifth in the NFL in Football Outsiders DVOA. The Lions offense is not really good. The Panthers defense is fine, ranking 10th in DVOA. The Panthers offense is not fine at all, having only performed well one week, against the very worst defense in football right now.
A line of 44 points isn’t a terribly high over/under. Each team has twice gone over that figure. But this matchup is perfectly aligned to be low-scoring, especially with Ameer Abdullah and Kelvin Benjamin banged up this week for their respective squads. The quarterback name recognition of Cam Newton and Matthew Stafford overshadows what a defensive struggle this contest should devolve into.
Dan Salem’s NFL Week 5 Picks
Dan’s Teaser:
Los Angeles Chargers +9.5 (from +3.5) at New York Giants
Jacksonville Jaguars +15 (from +9) at Pittsburgh Steelers
The point spread between two winless teams should never be more than a field goal. The Chargers have lost three of their four games this season by three points or less. Only the mighty Chiefs managed to defeat them by more. Consider me highly skeptical of the Giants ability to win this game, let alone do so by more than three.
I like the original line in favor of Los Angeles, so including them in my six point teaser was an easy decision. New York deserves no trust right now. Their offense has been ineffective. Take the Chargers with all of those points. Then add to it the Jaguars with over two touchdowns, because that is another insane line! Jacksonville has been playing very good defense and scoring points. Pittsburgh has been winning, but with little certainty thus far. This is a 10-point game at most. But even if its two full scores, the Jaguars will cover and win you this teaser.
Fantasy Football: What is the BEST Matchup in Week 5?
Tennessee Titans +1 at Miami Dolphins
Bet against the Dolphins until proven otherwise. I realize that Marcus Mariota may be out for the Titans, but Matt Cassel is a highly capable quarterback. Tennessee has two decisive wins and two difficult losses. This pick is basically against Miami, who keeps finding new ways to lose football games. I trust the Titans to take care of business and defeat their inconsistent and incompetent opponent. Take a point and Tennessee for the win.