The smallest week of the season thus far in terms of number of games is upon us. Even with 3 less games on, this Week 7 still has promise. There aren’t the best matchups on paper, but I have hope that we can get some good games this week. I went 11-3 last week, bringing my season total to 61-32. We are improving quite nicely. Let’s get into this week’s picks:
Broncos 24-20 Browns 
Thursday, 8:20 PM EST, FOX
The Browns are in a very unfortunate situation right now. There are injuries everywhere in Cleveland, and with Baker Mayfield’s shoulder injuries continuing, it will be Case Keenum under center tonight. He’s obviously an experienced and very good backup, but with all the other injuries on the offense, especially the absence of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, he won’t have much help. Denver is begging for a bounce back victory, and I think this is a perfect opportunity for them to get it. I just don’t see how the Browns can win this game with so many problems.
Packers 33-16 Washington 
Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX
This is a massacre waiting to happen. Aaron Rodgers hasn’t exactly had a flashy, statsheet-stuffing game this season, but he’ll get one here. Washington has arguably the worst defense in football, and nobody defends the pass worse. Rodgers and Davante Adams should have an absolute field day. Moreover, Green Bay’s defense is playing well enough against poor offenses to limit their scoring. Washington can’t find their rhythm offensively, so I don’t expect to see many points put up by them. This is simply going to be a blowout. Start every Packer you have in fantasy.
Chiefs 34-28 Titans 
Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS
This is probably the most fun matchup of the week. These are two of the most high-powered offenses in football, both with lackluster defenses behind them. Expect to see a lot of points in Nashville on Sunday. The key to beating Tennessee is keeping Derrick Henry relatively in check, and while I don’t think Kansas City has what it takes to do so, I trust Patrick Mahomes more than anyone to overcome that. Henry should have another awesome performance in this game, but nobody wins more track meets than the Chiefs. Plus, their defense looked better last week, and perhaps they’re trending in the right direction. This game will be an excellent benchmark for them to see where they’re at as we head to the midway point of the season.
Falcons 27-20 Dolphins 
Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX
I don’t want to watch a second of this game. This is going to be an eyesore. These are two of the worst teams in football, but at least the Falcons didn’t lose to the Jaguars. They have beaten most of the terrible teams they’ve played this season, with the exception of Washington, so I have no doubt that they can handle a badly reeling team like the Dolphins. Miami has too many offensive problems, and their defense is still putrid. Atlanta, coming off a bye, should have their way on offense, and that should be enough to get the job done.
Patriots 23-14 Jets 
Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS
If you love boring football, this game is for you! The first time these teams played, it was a Zach Wilson turnover fest and a breeze of a win for the Patriots. I don’t see this one being much different. Wilson is only getting better, but he’s still a walking INT. New England’s defense has been struggling recently, but this will be an excellent chance to get back on track. Moreover, Mac Jones and the offense are improving every week, and they should be able to pick apart the Jets defense. This should be an easy one for the Pats.
Panthers 26-19 Giants 
Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX
The Panthers are dying to end their skid, and this is a perfect opportunity to do so. There might not be any teams playing worse football than the Giants right now, and they are still remarkably beat up. Carolina is at their lowest point on both sides of the ball, but they’re not nearly as low as New York. Even without Christian McCaffrey, the offense should put up a nice performance. And their defense should return to form, especially with CB Stefon Gilmore finally debuting. The Giants might keep this close, but I don’t see them winning this one.
Bengals 26-23 Ravens 
Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS
Why not? You know I love the way the Bengals are playing right now. Both sides of the ball are clicking, and they’re finally realizing their potential. The Ravens are the best team in the AFC right now, and are coming off a massive win, but I still don’t know how I feel about their defense. Cincy has what it takes both passing and running the football, and I really think they have a great shot at pulling this upset. The key is their defense keeping Lamar Jackson in check, and based on their play in recent weeks, I think they can do just that. This would be a hell of a win to shake up the AFC, and while I’m not sure how likely it is, I’m trusting my gut and picking the underdogs.
Raiders 29-19 Eagles 
Sunday, 4:05 PM EST, FOX
The Raiders are back to rolling offensively, and they might have their most explosive performance yet on Sunday. Philly’s pass defense has been dreadful this season, and I don’t see them slowing down this Vegas team at all. Moreover, the Eagles offense isn’t the best in the world, and while the Raiders defense hasn’t been playing very well, it doesn’t take much to stop Jalen Hurts. I expect to see another big game for Derek Carr and his plethora of weapons en route to a fairly easy win.
Rams 27-23 Lions 
Sunday, 4:05 PM EST, FOX
Vegas sees this as a blowout, but I’m honestly not so sure. This is the Matt Stafford revenge game, and I feel like the emotions of that might keep this close for a bit. Combine that with the general scrappiness of the Lions thus far in 2021, and you get what should be a tight game. Yes, the Rams are an infinitely better football team, but I’ve seen this story far too many times with so many elite teams. I have no doubt that they’ll win, and I recognize that they’ll probably blow Detroit out, but I have a strange feeling. It’s either that, or seeing a 15-point spread gave me too much anxiety.
Cardinals 38-13 Texans 
Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, CBS
No need to overthink this one at all. In a very rare scenario, my #1 team is facing my #32 team. This is going to be a wash. I think I might be predicting this one to be way closer than it’ll actually be. The spread in this game is a whopping 17.5 points. My advice for any potential Cardinals bettors? Bet it and forget it.
Buccaneers 26-20 Bears 
Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, CBS
I don’t see this being too difficult for the Bucs, but the Bears have a tendency to make things interesting. They’ve been very competitive under Justin Fields, and their defense has been playing very well as of late. Still, it will be too much to overcome a team like Tampa. They have one of the hottest offenses in the game, and while their defense hasn’t played up to par, they’re slowly starting to get back on track. I don’t think it’ll be a record-breaking day for Tom Brady, but I expect to see some more big numbers in what should be a decently-challenging game.
49ers 27-26 Colts 
Sunday, 8:20 PM EST, NBC
Sunday Night Football might actually be a lot more entertaining than it seems on paper. For one, the Colts offense has been on fire recently, and Carson Wentz is looking like a real QB again. Also, Jonathan Taylor has been one of the most fun RBs to watch this season, and he’s somehow still only getting better. On the flip side, you have a 49ers team coming off a bye and likely getting Jimmy Garoppolo back. Their offense is likely to get its groove back with Jimmy G back under center, and it could make for a very entertaining offensive game in primetime. I’m sticking with San Francisco because I trust their defense more, and I’ve seen a lot more out of them than Indy’s so far this year, but it wouldn’t shock me if this goes the other way. In any case, I’m expecting to see a very fun game on Sunday night.
Saints 31-20 Seahawks 
Monday, 8:15 PM EST, ESPN
Like its primetime counterpart on the night before, I think this could be a sneaky good game. It would have been a lot more entertaining with Russell Wilson under center for the Seahawks, but Geno Smith showed that he can compete last week. This might be too much for the Seattle defense to handle, though. The Saints offense has been a roller coaster, but they are consistently good against bad defenses. Seattle has the worst total defense in the league, so I’m expecting to see another big game out of Jameis Winston and company like we saw before their bye week. New Orleans’ defense is also looking better after being torn up by the Giants, and I don’t think they’ll struggle too much against the Seahawks of all teams.
All stats taken from ESPN.
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