NFL Picks Against the Spread (ATS) for Week 18
As we enter Week 18 of the NFL season, another element has been added to the already fickle exercise that is picking games against the spread. While there is still plenty left to be determined when it comes to playoff seeding and draft positioning, the outcomes of earlier games could have a bearing on how other teams approach this final contest of the regular season.
Related: Expert Picks for Every Week 18 NFL Game
In other words, while only a few teams have come out and said they are resting their starters (New York Giants, for example) because their seed is already locked in, that doesn't mean this won't change (or coaches pull their starters early) depending on how some of these games play out. And there's also the ongoing debate about teams on the opposite end of the spectrum when a win is actually a "loss" as it relates to draft positioning. (How can you tell a team is tanking when it doesn't say it's tanking?)
So put all of these factors together and it adds even more potential variables for this week's spread picks. Oh, and did I mention that two more double-digit favorites failed to cover (again) last week?
Here's how Athlon's own Steven Lassan (@AthlonSteven), Mark Ross (@AthlonMarkR), and Ben Weinrib (@benweinrib), along with AthlonSports.com contributor Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) see Week 18 playing out when it comes to picking against the spread.
NFL Week 18 Picks Against the Spread
| Spread | Bryan Fischer | Steven Lassan | Mark Ross | Ben Weinrib | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kansas City at Las Vegas (Sat.) | KC -9.5 | Raiders | Chiefs | Raiders | Chiefs |
Tennessee at Jacksonville (Sat.) | JAC -6 | Jaguars | Jaguars | Jaguars | Jaguars |
Tampa Bay at Atlanta | ATL -4 | Falcons | Falcons | Falcons | Buccaneers |
New England at Buffalo | BUF -7 | Bills | Bills | Bills | Bills |
Minnesota at Chicago | MIN -7.5 | Bears | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings |
Baltimore at Cincinnati | CIN -7 | Bengals | Bengals | Bengals | Ravens |
Houston at Indianapolis | IND -2.5 | Colts | Colts | Texans | Colts |
New York Jets at Miami | NYJ -1 | Dolphins | Dolphins | Jets | Dolphins |
Carolina at New Orleans | NO -3.5 | Panthers | Saints | Saints | Panthers |
Cleveland at Pittsburgh | PIT -2.5 | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Browns |
Los Angeles Chargers at Denver | DEN -2 | Broncos | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers |
New York Giants at Philadelphia | PHI -14 | Giants | Giants | Giants | Eagles |
Arizona at San Francisco | SF -14 | Cardinals | 49ers | 49ers | 49ers |
Los Angeles Rams at Seattle | SEA -6 | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Rams |
Dallas at Washington | DAL -7 | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys |
Detroit at Green Bay (SNF) | GB -4.5 | Packers | Packers | Packers | Lions |
Week 17* | 6-9 | 7-8 | 7-8 | 8-7 | |
Season Total* | 112-137 | 117-132 | 120-129 | 118-131 |
*Week 4's Bills-Ravens (Bills -3, 23-20), Week 5's Bears-Vikings (Vikings -7, 29-22), Week 9's Chargers-Falcons (Chargers -3, 20-17) and Rams-Buccaneers (Bucs -3, 16-13), Week 11's Bears-Falcons (Falcons -3, 27-24), and Week 15's Titans-Chargers (Chargers -3, 17-14) games are not counted in the season total because they were all pushes based on spreads. The Week 17 Bills-Bengals game that was postponed won't be resumed so it's also not included.
