Week 13 maybe the last week of fantasy football’s regular season, but that’s not the case in the real world. Following a Week 12 that saw Aaron Rodgers lose to Jay Cutler and the Carolina Panthers continue their unbeaten march, Week 13 may have a few more surprises in store for us. On that note, here are our predictions for all 16 games on the schedule this week.
Meanwhile, take a look at some of the week’s fantasy football sleepers that could just help your team reach the playoffs here.
[sc:Football ]2015 NFL Week 13 Picks
Thursday, December 13
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions
[sc:NFL240banner ]The Packers’ struggle is real. And it has come to a point that some cheeseheads are blaming Olivia Munn to be the source of everything wrong in a Green Bay team that lost four of its last five games, including a 17-13 home loss to Chicago. That loss and a Minnesota win on Sunday have seen the Packers lose their hold of the No. 1 spot in the NFC North.
In a rematch against Detroit next week, Aaron Rodgers and company will have to fine-tune their offense that has been sputtering of late. After all, they’ll be up against a resurgent Lions’ defense that allowed their last three opponents to score just 14.3 points. Detroit, which won 45-14 over the Eagles last Thursday, is on a three-game win streak that began with an 18-16 win in Green Bay back in Week 10.
Writer’s Prediction: Detroit wins, 25-24.
Sunday, December 6
New York Jets at New York Giants
Battlefield: New York is showing this coming Sunday, as the Jets take on Eli Manning and the Giants in East Rutherford following different outcomes in their respective Week 12 outings.
The Jets are coming off an emphatic 38-20 win over Miami with Ryan Fitzpatrick passing for 277 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. The Giants, on the other hand, had their defense carved up like a leftover Thanksgiving turkey by Washington, which generated 407 total yards in a 20-14 loss on Sunday.
A lot is riding on this game for both teams, as the Jets are on the outside looking in for a playoff spot in the NFC, while the Giants look to keep Washington within sight in the NFC East.
Writer’s Prediction: NY Jets win, 25-21.
Arizona Cardinals at St. Louis Rams
While they failed to cover the 7.5-point spread as favorites on Sunday, the Cardinals nevertheless earned their fifth win in a row by beating San Francisco, 19-13. Carson Palmer wasn’t at his best against the 49ers, passing for 271 yards and zero touchdowns on 24 of 40 completions, but he’ll take that against a going no-where San Francisco.
Up next for Arizona is a showdown with St. Louis, which has seen its defense fall of a bit the past few weeks. The Rams, who are coming off a 31-7 beatdown at the hands of Cincinnati, have allowed opponents to score 28.0 points per game during their four-game losing streak. Nick Foles was at the helm of St. Louis’ passing offense against Cincy, and he played like he, too, needs to be tested for a concussion or something.
Foles threw for 228 yards and three interceptions against the Bengals—bad enough for the Rams to put rookie Sean Mannion on the field. Arizona is 6-4 ATS in its last 10 road games, while St. Louis is 2-1 ATS in its last three at home.
Writer’s Prediction: Arizona wins, 28-17.
Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings
Don’t count out the Seahawks just yet. Showing some flair in their passing game, the Seahawks defeated Pittsburgh on Sunday, 39-30. The win, however, came with a cost for Seattle, as Jimmy Graham hurt his knee and will be out for the season. The Seahawks might go back to their run-heavy ways next Sunday, as Minnesota’s pass defense is ranked fifth in the league.
Seattle is first in the NFL in rushing yards with 148.6 per game, while the Vikings run defense is 20th with 110.6 yards allowed per contest. The Vikings are currently the kings of the NFC North, thanks to their 20-10 win over Atlanta on Sunday and a Green Bay loss on Thanksgiving Day. The Vikings are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 home games, while the Seahawks are 4-5-1 ATS in their last 10 away from home.
Writer’s Prediction: Seattle wins, 24-21.
Houston Texans at Buffalo Bills
Houston took advantage of the Saints’ porous defense in a 24-6 win on Sunday, as Brian Hoyer and Alfred Blue teamed up to further humiliate a New Orleans team that has completely gone off the rails. It’ll be harder to score on the Bills, though, as Buffalo owns a much better stop unit, so it’ll be quite a work for Hoyer and the rest of the Texans’ offense that is averaging 21.1 points and 357.9 total yards per game.
Buffalo, meanwhile, fell to the streaking Chiefs on Sunday, 30-22, thus putting the Bills’ playoff chances in peril. One positive takeaway from that game for the Bills, though, was Sammy Watkins’ explosive performance. The former Clemson wideout torched Kansas City for 158 receiving yards and two touchdowns on just six catches.
Writer’s Prediction: Buffalo wins, 25-24.
Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins
Miami may be having problems on offense, but the Fins sure prefer their own situation over the Ravens’, who are forced to utilize pick-six machine Matt Schaub under center following Joe Flacco’s season-ending injury. That said, the Ravens are coming off an improbable Monday night win over Cleveland (33-27), so at least the Ravens have a two-game streak going on. Miami will look to avoid being the third-straight victim of Baltimore’s depleted roster this Sunday, when they parade a new offensive coordinator after firing Bill Lazor.
Writer’s Prediction: Miami wins, 28-10.
Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns
Have you ever seen a more Browns loss than Cleveland’s 33-27 defeat at the hands of Baltimore on Monday night? No thanks to their missed field-goal attempt that was returned by the Ravens for a touchdown, Cleveland’s losing streak extended to six games. Moving on from that loss is one thing for the Browns, and settling another quarterback quandary is another.
The Browns lost Josh McCown to injury for the rest of the season, and they’ll have to choose who between Austin Davis and Johnny Manziel will replace McCown. Either way, the Browns will find it hard to win against Cincy next Sunday with a defense that’s ranked last in the league with 400 yards allowed per game. Conversely, the Bengals, who are coming off a 31-7 win over St. Louis, are seventh overall in total offense (376.2) and fourth in scoring offense (27.0).
Writer’s Prediction: Cincinnati wins, 34-13.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans
It wasn’t long ago when both the Jaguars and the Titans played what could be the ugliest game played this season while wearing arguably the worst set of uniforms since the invention of cloth. That was Week 11’s Thursday Night game, wherein the Jags beat Tennessee, 19-13.
They’ll share the field anew this Sunday, this time in Tennessee, where the Titans have been winless since October of last year—a stretch of futility that stretched to 11 games when they lost to Oakland on Sunday, 24-21. The Jags failed to make it three in a row on Sunday, as they lost to San Diego 31-25 in Week 12. They are 4-1 ATS in their last five road games.
Writer’s Prediction: Tennessee wins, 28-24.
San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears
The Niners and the Bears were brothers when it came to losing earlier this season, but at some point this year, Chicago finally got it together and started to look like a team with a direction. In their most recent outing, the Bears pulled off a shocker, beating Green Bay in Lambeau Field on Thursday.
All of a sudden, Jay Cutler and company are part of playoff conversations, something that San Francisco would never be this season with the way things are going in Santa Clara. The 3-7 49ers added another loss to their record on Sunday, when they absorbed a 19-13 defeat against Arizona. San Francisco is 2-8 SU and 3-7 ATS in its past 10 road games. As for Chicago, it is 5-5 ATS in its last 10 games at Soldier Field.
Writer’s Prediction: Chicago wins, 31-20.
Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers
Coming off a huge win (30-24 in OT) against previously undefeated New England on Sunday, the Broncos take their talents to San Diego, where they’ll look to further solidify their hold of the AFC West’s top spot and strengthen their bid for a home field advantage in the playoffs. Once again, the Broncos will have Brock Osweiler under center in lieu of the injured (and old) Peyton Manning.
But aside from Osweiler’s ability to orchestrate Denver’s offense, the team’s defense will be under the microscope in San Diego, where the Broncos will try to lock up the sixth-best offense in the league. The Chargers, who ended their six-game losing streak with a 31-25 win in Jacksonville on Sunday, average 390.5 total yards per game. The Broncos, on the other hand, allow just 285.8 total yards and 18.8 points per contest.
Writer’s Prediction: Denver wins, 32-17.
Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders
This one’s going to be fun. After a 1-5 start, the Chiefs have strung together five consecutive victories to enter the AFC wild-card picture. Their defense has been the MVP of the team during that stretch, as the Chiefs have allowed just 12.2 points to their last five opponents. That’s the kind of defense Derek Carr and the Raiders will have to contend with following a 24-21 win against Tennessee last Sunday. Oakland, which is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 road games, is 24th in scoring offense (24.0 points per game) and 11th in total yards (362.8 per game).
Writer’s Prediction: Kansas City wins, 24-21.
Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints
No one’s stopping Cam Newton from dancing because no team has yet to beat the Panthers this year. The Panthers improved to 11-0 last Thursday, when they waylaid a hapless Dallas team, 33-14. Carolina’s defense stepped up big time against the Cowboys, as Luke Kuechly and company had a pick party in that game, wherein they intercepted three of Tony Romo’s passes.
That doesn’t sound good for Drew Brees, who is about to deal with Carolina’s stop unit that is first in the league in interceptions and second in sacks. Brees passed for 228 yards with no touchdowns and an interception in a 24-6 road loss to Houston on Sunday. The Saints appear to be sitting ducks for Carolina, as New Orleans’ defense has been in bad shape throughout the season. Their defense is 32nd in points (30.8) and 31st in total defense (418.6).
Writer’s Prediction: Carolina wins, 38-17.
Philadelphia Eagles at New England Patriots
Whatever support Philly fans had for Chip Kelly at the start of the season may very well be gone now after another catastrophic 45-14 loss to the Lions on Sunday. But if Kelly wants to regain some of those trust, he can begin with a win this coming Sunday in Foxborough.
The Pats, however, are an angry team right now after suffering their first loss of the season to Denver. A bounce back game may be on tap for New England, but that may be easier said than done for Tom Brady and crew, especially if Rob Gronkowski misses time because of a knee injury. In that case, Brady will have to make something out of a downfield made up mostly of backups and undrafted free agents.
Philly is 0-3 ATS in its last three games, while the Pats are 2-0-1 ATS in their last three at home.
Writer’s Prediction: New England wins, 35-23.
Indianapolis Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers
With Matt Hasselbeck taking the snaps, the Colts beat Tampa Bay on Sunday, 25-12. Hasselbeck improved to 4-0 as a starter this season, as he passed for 315 yards and two touchdowns without an interception against the Bucs. How’s that for a 40-year-old quarterback? Hasselbeck may continue to have success next week, as Indianapolis takes on the Steelers, whose pass defense has been a dumpster on fire for the most of the season.
Take for example Pittsburgh’s 39-30 loss to Seattle in Week 12, wherein the Steelers let the run-first Seahawks to compile 336 passing yards. Indianapolis is 3-0 ATS in its last three road games. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, is 8-2 SU in its last 10 meetings against the Colts, dating back to 1994, when Hasselbeck was still a 19-year-old.
Writer’s Prediction: Pittsburgh wins, 28-26.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons
It’s not right for the Falcons to lose four-straight games, considering that the talent on their offense that’s fifth in the league with 392.8 total yards per game. Devonta Freeman, however, is expected to be back after missing a game (20-10 loss to Minnesota on Sunday) because of a concussion, and he’ll be a solid weapon to break down Tampa Bay’s defense that allows 338.8 yards per game.
The Bucs, on the other hand, have some soul-searching to do following a 25-12 loss to Matt Hasselbeck and the Colts on Sunday. Tampa is 4-1 ATS in its last five road games, while the under is 5-0 in Atlanta’s past five outings.
Writer’s Prediction: Atlanta wins, 28-24.
Monday, December 7
Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins
They said the Cowboys would be all right once Dez Bryant returns. They said the Cowboys would make a run and make the playoffs once Tony Romo gets back on the field. That’s not looking like the case, though, for the Cowboys after they were annihilated by Carolina on Thanksgiving Day, 33-14. It was Dallas’ eighth loss in nine games. And with Tony Romo out for the rest of the season, the Cowboys are back to sending Matt Cassel out under center.
The Redskins, on the other hand, are on cloud nine after collaring the top spot of the NFC East, thanks to a 20-14 win over the Giants on Sunday. With a newfound momentum, the Redskins enter next Sunday’s contest looking to tighten their grip of the division’s top position. Dallas is 3-1 SU in its last four games against the Redskins, while Washington is 4-1 ATS in its last five at home overall.
Writer’s Prediction: Washington wins, 21-17.
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