Home dogs dominate NFL Week 13’s list of top sleepers. The Detroit Lions and St. Louis Rams, in particular, will be interesting to look at, as both will be looking to sweep the season series against their playoff-bound opponents after causing upsets on the road earlier in the year.
Let’s take a look at all five teams selected for this week, examine why each sleeper will (and won’t) win against the spread, and give out a bold prediction.
Meanwhile, get ready for a pivotal Week 13 of fantasy football with our list of NFL fantasy sleepers here, as well as our fantasy football expert guide here.
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Top 5 NFL Week 13 Sleepers Predictions
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions (+3) (Thurs, Dec. 3, 8:30 PM ET)
[sc:NFL240banner ]Why the Lions will win: The Lions have won three in a row and are playing their best ball of the season. Their offense is finally clicking under new offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, and is coming off a 31-point thrashing of the Eagles on Thanksgiving.
Meanwhile the defense, which is giving up just 14.3 points per game in those three wins, will go up against a struggling Packers offense that it limited to just 16 points in their earlier meeting.
Why the Lions will lose: Even with faltering receivers, Aaron Rodgers can pull off some incredible performances. Just ask the Vikings how that went for them. It’s also a bit risky to have complete trust in the Lions offense, which has topped 20 points only three times in 11 games this season.
Writer’s Prediction: The Lions (+3) beat the Packers, 24-21, to sweep the season series.
Arizona Cardinals at St. Louis Rams (+6) (Sun, Dec. 6, 1:00 PM ET)
Why the Rams will win: The Cards didn’t look all too impressive in their last road game, as they labored to a close win over San Francisco. They are now banged up in the backfield, with Chris Johnson and Andre Ellington likely to miss the trip to St. Louis. Oh, and the Rams already dealt Arizona a defeat in their first meeting this season.
Why the Rams will lose: The Rams offense has fallen off a cliff, particularly rookie Todd Gurley, who was instrumental in their win at Arizona. As good as the Rams D can be, the team might not be able to score enough against an equally imposing Cardinal defense.
Writer’s Prediction: The Cards win, but the Rams (+6) cover in a 21-17 loss.
San Francisco 49ers (+7) at Chicago Bears (Sun, Dec. 6, 1:00 PM ET)
Why the 49ers will win: Despite their lowly record, the Niners are not laying down. They gave the Cardinals – one of the top teams in the league – a bit of scare last week. While their depleted offense has struggled mightily to put up points, the San Francisco defense can still play well enough to stay within a touchdown against the Bears, who have averaged just 16 points in their last two games.
Why the 49ers will lose: The Niners are respectable at home (3-3 SU and 4-2 ATS), but are a trainwreck away from Santa Clara (0-5 SU and 1-4 ATS). The Bears have the better quarterback, and a pass defense that’s giving up just 215 yards per game, second-fewest in the league.
Writer’s Prediction: The Niners (+7) keep it close and cover in a 17-14 loss.
Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders (+3) (Sun, Dec. 6, 4:05 PM ET)
Why the Raiders will win: After a couple of disappointing performances, the Oakland offense finally got back on track against the Titans. Derek Carr had his best game in three weeks with 330 passing yards and three touchdowns. Carr could be in for another big game against a Kansas City, especially since he won’t have to deal with the devastating pass rushing ability of the Chiefs’ Justin Houston, who’s out with a knee injury.
Why the Raiders will lose: Oakland has been woeful against the run over the last couple of weeks, which isn’t a good matchup against a Chiefs team that has won five-straight and has seemingly been able to move the ball on the ground regardless of who its running back has been.
Writer’s Prediction: The Raiders (+3) end the Chiefs’ win streak, 31-21.
Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers (+4) (Sun, Dec. 6, 4:05 PM ET)
Why the Chargers will win: Philip Rivers and the Chargers finally snapped a month-and-a-half-long funk as he threw for 300 yards and four touchdowns in a big win against the Jaguars. Despite his recent struggles, Rivers is still the better quarterback than the vastly inexperienced Brock Osweiler and has the ability to keep it close at home.
Why the Chargers will lose: The Chargers have absolutely no homefield advantage, going just 1-10 ATS in their last 11 at home. The Broncos D is also pretty good, and can induce another subpar performance from Rivers and the Chargers offense.
Writer’s Prediction: The Chargers (-4) cover despite a 21-18 loss.
Create a betting account now to cash in on any or all of these sleepers in Week 13 of the NFL’s exciting 2015 season.
