(Image credit Christopher Hanewinckel/USA Today Sports)
Written by: Nicholas Mullick
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-mullick-354076184/
Before we take a look at my picks for week 4 let's take a look at my week 3 pick performance.
Week 3: Record 9-7
Overall record: 20-25-2
Now that we have gone through how I did in Week 3, I will now give my weekly NFL picks with spreads for week 4. The Spreads from these games were all found on Draftkings.
Thursday Night Football
Jacksonville Jaguars at Cincinnati Bengals (Spread -7.5)
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a complete mess right now Trevor Lawrence is getting no help at all from this team. Especially at coaching, Urban Meyer is not working here at all and has made questionable play calls and decisions throughout his time with the Jags. This defense is completely terrible and their secondary got worse after the team traded CJ Henderson to the Carolina Panthers for pennies on the dollar. The Jaguars will also not have their kicker Josh Lambo in this game as he will be out due to personal reasons. Even though the Bengals are dealing with a few injuries I am going to go with the Cincinnati Bengals to win this game and cover the spread as I feel this team is better than the Jaguars is. The Cincinnati Bengals would have been my survivor pick If I was alive in the survivor pool.
My Pick: Cincinnati Bengals (-7.5)
Sunday Football 1:00 PM
Washington Football Team at Atlanta Falcons (Spread +1.5)
If this game were to take place a few more weeks later in the season I might have made this a Tank game in the Tournament for the 1st overall pick. The Washington Football Team has a ton of weapons to utilize on offense and they should do a solid job against a beaten-up Atlanta Falcons defense. I like Taylor Heinicke. I think he is underrated and is a serviceable option at Quarterback. But he struggled against the Buffalo Bills last week but I think he is going to rebound with a weaker defense with the Atlanta Falcons. Speaking of a weaker defense Washington’s Defense has definitely digressed Especially at secondary. William Jackson especially has been terrible this season but the Falcons are a weaker team than the Billis will be. The Atlanta Falcons did win last week against the Giants but This week they have to face a more competent coaching staff (Oh We Will Get To That later) and a better defense. I have no clue what the Falcons are doing with Kyle Pitts. He has not had any impact at all on the offense and he was mainly utilized as a blocking Tight End. Matt Ryan has regressed a lot this season and I hate how he will waste one of his final seasons with this Falcons Squad. I think it is also important to note that Atlanta will be going to London next week to face the New York Jets. This game is a no bet for me but I will go with Washington in this game.
My Pick: Washington Football Team (-1.5)
Carolina Panthers at Dallas Cowboys (Spread -4)
In my opinion, this is the Game of the week. I really am excited to see this game. Let's start with the Carolina Panthers as there will be no Christian McCaffery as he will be out many games due to a hamstring injury. I really like how the Panthers utilized Chuba Hubbard when McCaffery went down with an injury. Sam Darnold has looked well now that he has a competent coach in Matt Rhule, good weapons to use, and a good o-line to protect him. As a Jets fan, I will always support Sam Darnold as the organization failed him and I was a big fan of him during his college years at USC. The Panthers defense is really solid even though they lost Jaycee Horn after suffering a foot injury. Luckily they acquired CJ Henderson from the Jaguars for pennies on the dollar and if they can properly develop the way he tackles then the Panthers secondary will be scary once Horn and Henderson are both healthy. I like the talent on the Cowboys offense and defense. Their offense is extremely good especially when Dak Prescott is playing. They have a good running back core with a declining Ezekiel Elliott (Who had a solid performance last week) and Tony Pollard who is extremely underrated. Prescott has a ton of receivers to work with and I think the o-line had been solid but will get better once La’el Collins is serving a suspension. Speaking of which, news came out that he attempted to bribe the Drug collectors from the league and which is never a good idea to do ever. They have a solid defense as well and Micah Parsons has performed very well with the cowboys. He has been a good replacement for Sean Lee and I got to be honest he is the best player on this defense so far. While I do love the talent on the Dallas Cowboys. I am going to take Carolina to win this game mainly because I have no confidence with Mike McCarthey as the head coach for Dallas (He is going to hold this team back) and I think that this game will absolutely be close so I will take the points spread wise.
My Pick: Carolina Panthers (+4)
Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears (Spread -3)
After last week's performance against the Baltimore Ravens, It told us one thing about the Lions. The Bobby Layne Curse is still here. There is no question that this team is still cursed. Especially once Tucker kicked the 66-yard field goal. Then I did some research and this is just insane. So, Tom Dempsey of the New Orleans Saints kicked his then NFL record 63-yard field goal. Want to know who it was against. THE DETROIT LIONS. This is also crazy as you want to know the score of that game 19-17. Now, this gets spooky as it happened similarly in their game last week against the Baltimore Ravens. A Record-Breaking Field Goal, Against the Lions, and the end score was 19-17. I mean that if this doesn't show how the Lions are cursed then I don’t know what else does. Now that is out of the way let's get into the game. The Bears have disappointed me this season as their defense is not as good as I thought it would be. Their o-line is absolutely terrible and Justin Fields destroyed all game against the Cleveland Browns and is dealing with a hand injury. This could possibly mean Nick Foles starting in this game for the Bears. No Joke I completely forgot that Foles is still a part of the Bears Roster and he is still here due to his awful contracts. But I have no clue who the QB will be but I think that I would lean Fields but I do not think he is healthy at all. The only player on fantasy for the Bears I would start is David Montgomery as the Lions run defense is terrible. The big thing holding this lions team is their awful defense. Their offense is not terrible especially with their running game but the Lions have no good receivers. This is a no bet for me but I will take the points.
My Pick: Detroit Lions (+3)
Tennessee Titans at New York Jets (Spread +7)
The New York Jets have been terrible the first few weeks of the regular season Zach Wilson is getting no help at all. This o-line has been banged up since Mekhi Becton was hurt but Vera-Tucker has been solid. But Greg Van Roten has been dreadful this season and he made the bogus comment saying that Zach Wilson is the real reason why the o-line has struggled as he holds onto the ball way too long. Yes because he has plenty of time to throw the football due to great protection right. Wrong. Also not a good thing to say when Van Roten has been graded as the worst offensive lineman from this unit and there is no question with that. Now, this week they will be facing a weaker defense as the Titans secondary and pass rush is not good at all. If Denzel Mims does not play this game especially with the injuries this receiving core has then they should just trade or cut at this point. What's the point of keeping him if you are not going to use him at all. The Jets defense is dealing with a ton of injuries and now Marcus Maye will be out a month due to an ankle injury. But luckily the Titans are also dealing with a ton of injuries as they could be without AJ Brown or Julio Jones. If the Jets run defense can shut Derrick Henry down I think that the Jets can keep this close and possibly win this game. I will take the points here as I believe the Titans are beaten up and the Jets will play in Metlife Stadium.
My Pick: New York Jets (+7)
Kansas City Chiefs at Philadelphia Eagles (Spread +7)
Before we get into this game I want to quickly talk about what happened to Andy Reid after the Chiefs lost against the Los Angeles Chargers. Andy Reid has been one of my favorite coaches growing up. While his tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles did not end well he luckily got immediately hired by the Kansas City Chiefs and finally won a Superbowl Ring beating the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 54. After the loss against the Los Angeles Chargers news came out that Andy Reid was taken to an ambulance after suffering a medical issue. No matter how you feel about a coach, if you dislike them or not you never want to have a health issue occur especially in the middle of the season. Luckily Andy Reid was only suffering from being dehydrated and should be good to coach for the Chiefs vs the Eagles. Which is the greatest news for the week for the Chiefs. If you would tell me that the Chiefs would start off the season with a record of 1-2 I would have not believed you. Looking back at those losses, one was due to sloppy turnovers in the Chargers game and the other loss against the Baltimore Ravens was on Clyde Edwards-Helaire who fumbled at the end of the game. This Chiefs offense is going to destroy this Eagles defense and I think Clyde Edwards-Helaire will rebound in this game. But the Chiefs defense has not been good at all this season. Their pass rush is banged up as I knew something was up with Frank Clark as he did not play last week vs the Chargers. The Chiefs run defense has been mediocre this season and if the Eagles properly use the running backs which they did not last week for some reason that has yet to be answered by the coaching staff. But a big positive for this defense is that the Eagles o-line is beaten up in this game so they should do a solid job getting to Jalen Hurts. I am a believer in Jalen Hurts and I don't think he is terrible but he should do a better job in the first half and was good last week during garbage time. This Eagles defense is terrible and their linebacking core is going to have their handful with Travis Kelce who is going to have a big game. I like the Chiefs in this game to cover the spread.
My Pick: Kansas City Cheifs (-7)
Cleveland Browns at Minnesota Vikings (Spread +2)
This spread makes no sense at all. First, the Vikings have not faced a good defense to this date as they had to face Arizona (Mediocre), Seattle (Below Average), Bengals (Injured when they faced them). The Vikings do have a ton of receivers for cousins to throw to but the Browns Secondary is loaded and will be an issue for the Vikings receivers. I like Dalvin Cook but he is going to have to deal with the good run defense with the browns and this o-line has been mediocre so far this season. The Vikings throughout Franchise history have had issues with special teams and Greg Joseph has struggled in the game against the Arizona Cardinals. Cleveland’s offense is dealing with nagging injuries but I think that they will be healthier this week. Kareem Hunt and Nick Chunn will have a good matchup against the Vikings mediocre run defense and the Vikings secondary is on a decline and OBJ and Austin Hooper, and Donavan Peoples-Jones should have a good game. I really like the Cleveland Browns in this game. But I will pass on betting on this game.
My Pick Cleveland Browns (-2)
New York Giants at New Orleans Saints (Spread -8)
Before we get into the game I recently wrote an article talking About Isaiah Wilson’s Rise and Fall From Grace with his football career. I wished him luck as he had his tryout with the Indianapolis Colts and looked like he was going to return to the league. Well, Isaiah Wilson is back in the NFL as he is signed with the New York Giants practice squad. Hopefully, he has matured and will perform well for the Giants but it will be interesting to see what happens next. Let's talk about this game and I will be quick with this game. I will go ahead and say who I will take in this game. Give me the New Orlean Saints. They are going to destroy the New York Giants in this game. What is there really to say about The New York Giants? They are a complete mess right now and I think the Saints have the better offense, defense, and coaching. Joe Judge has not worked for this team and has not handled the culture of the locker room well at all in this season after the comments that have been made by Saqoun Barkley.
My Pick: New Orlean Saints (-8)
Indianapolis Colts at Miami Dolphins (Spread -2)
This is a Jacoby Brissett Revenge game and I don't think Brissett is terrible. The problem with Dolphins is How bad their o-line is. Austin Jackson, the first-round pick they got from the Minkah Fitzpatrick trade, has not worked out so far. Luckily the Dolphins face the Colts Defense who couldn't even cover Nick Westbrook at all vs the Titans. This should be a good spot to play Dolphins receivers in fantasy. It is clear that injuries have taken their toll on Xavier Rhodes and the Colts secondary is terrible. Speaking of injuries How Carson Wentz even played last week made no sense to me at all. He still looks hurt after the game against the Tennessee Titans and I doubt he will look healthy again vs the Dolphins. Wentz also looks lost when he has been on the field throughout his time with the Colts. The Colts o-line is dealing with injuries as well and their receiver core has not been good excluding Michael Pittman. The Dolphins defense has been mediocre but their run defense is terrible and the Colts have an opportunity to use their running backs well in this game. I will take the Dolphins as they are the home team but this is another no bet for me.
My Pick: Miami Dolphins (-2)
Houston Texans at Buffalo Bills (Spread -16)
Not going to go long for this game. A lot of people will be taking the Buffalo Bills in survivor this week and There is a reason why as the Texans are terrible. I don't think Davis Mills is awful but he struggled all game against the Carolina Panthers. Now the Texans defense will have to rely on Vernon Hargreaves for the secondary as Bradley Roby will most likely not play in this game. I don't even think this is enough points. Especially as the Bills will be the Home team in this game. I will gladly take the Bills against the points in this game and I won't look back. This game is a complete mismatch as well from the offense, defense, special teams, and even the coaching.
My Pick: Buffalo Bills (-16)
Sunday Football 4:05 PM
Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams (Spread -4)
This is the game of the Afternoon games. I am really interested to see who will win this game. Matthew Stafford looks like a completely different quarterback as he is now free from the mess that is the Detroit Lions. He has a good o-line, coaching, and a solid running back core. It helps that the Rams have good targets for him to throw to like Van Jefferson, Robert Woods, and Cooper Kupp. This offense is going to expose a mediocre defense, especially with their defense. Arizona’s offense is very talented as Kyler Murray is a Top 10 QB in this league. DeAndre Hopkins will be a lot healthier in this game and Chase Edmonds will be solid as he is healthier after dealing with nagging minor injuries. I like James Conner but he has not been good with Arizona this season. But they are going to face a stacked Rams defense and the Cardinals are going to have a handful with Aaron Donald who is one of the best defensive players I have ever seen. Jalen Ramsey will be shadowing DeAndre Hopkins and he has been solid this season. This game came down to who I think the better coach is and I think hands down Sean McVay is a better coach than Kliff Kingsbury. Speaking of which, why would you kick a 68-yard field goal in the 2nd quarter where the Jaguars can return it for a Touchdown? The Cardinals were lucky that they faced a terribly coached Jaguars team because if they faced a competently coached team they would have lost with some of the decisions made by Kliff Kingsbury. I will take the Los Angeles Rams but I will not be betting on this game.
My Pick: Los Angeles Rams (-4)
Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers (Spread -3)
This should be a fun game but I got to ask. Am I the only one that thinks Seattle is kind of garbage? If it wasn't for Russell Wilson this team would be a lot worse than what it is. Their run game is a mess as Chris Carson will be out due to injury and Rashaad Penny still is not healthy even though he is terrible. This o-line is beaten up as Ethan Pocic and Brandon Shell have been dealing with injuries. The receiving core is still good with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. But let's be real Seattle's defense is worse than what we all thought it was. The Seahawks wasted a first-round pick on LJ Collier and their pass rush is terrible and excluding Jamal Adams, this secondary has not been good. What happened to Seattle’s run defense as it has been terrible as well. The Seahawks are going to have to deal with this 49ers offense that is stacked. The 49ers o-line is healthy and should give plenty of time for Jimmy Garoppolo to throw the football. He will have a ton of tools to work with George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, and Brandon Aiyuk. I would definitely start running back Elijah Mitchell in fantasy if he plays as the Seahawks run defense has been terrible. If Mitchell does not go I would definitely play Trey Sermon even though he has not been the best. A big issue with the 49ers is that their secondary is terrible and they are dealing with a ton of injuries. Excluding the question marks at secondary, I really like the 49ers defense especially with the depth that they have on defense. The San Francisco 49ers are a lot healthier than they were last season. The 49ers will be the home team which is a big advantage in this game and I will take the 49ers but this is a no bet for me and I will pass on betting this game.
My Pick: San Francisco 49ers (-3)
Sunday Football 4:25 PM
Pittsburgh Steelers at Green Bay Packers (Spread -6.5)
Oh hey, look at that Pittsburgh played down to competition last week against the Bengals, Again. Who would've known? They had opportunities to come back in this game and they made questionable play calls. Especially at one moment of the game which still makes no sense after I saw it. So the Steelers were coming back and had to score points to stay in the game as they were down by 14 and what did they do, well they decided on a 4th and 10 and to throw a check down to the first-round running back. What are the Steelers doing? Why Is Mike Tomlin still the Head Coach of this team again? Big Ben is done. He has not looked healthy at all and he has been terrible all season. He should've retired after that Browns Game. Honestly, I think the Steelers have more of a chance to win if Mason Rudolph or Dwayne Haskins is at QB than with Big Ben. The Steelers may have the worst offensive line in the league. Again this is what happens when you wait till the 3rd round of the draft to start improving your o-line. No Diontae Johnson and I don't even think Ju-Ju Smith-Schuster will play this game either. The Steelers defense has been a dumpster fire since TJ Watt, Devin Bush, and Joe Haden are dealing with injuries. I will gladly take the Packers in this game as I think they are better on offense, defense, and even at coaching. I even thought about super locking the Packers in this game.
My Pick: Green Bay Packers (-6.5)
Baltimore Ravens at Denver Broncos (Spread -1)
The Ravens got lucky last week as they have the best kicker in the NFL. Justin Tucker made a 66-yard record-breaking field goal against the Detroit Lions. Keep in mind this kick was made in Detroit which is a hard place to kick even though they play in a dome. But Justin Tucker should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he retires. But the Ravens should have lost vs the Lions. I don't really know what to think about the Ravens but Lamarr Jackson has a big issue as he doesn't have a ton of weapons to use excluding Mark Andrews and Marquise Brown. The Ravens o-line is a concern as they have not done well and Ronnie Stanley is still injured. Their defense has not been good at all but Odahe Jayson Oweh has been a great pick for the Ravens and has been the best part of their defense. The secondary has been a mess since Marcus Peters suffered a torn ACL. But John Harbaugh is one of the best coaches in the league and has helped rally his team throughout the season. The Broncos have been a solid team the past few weeks. Teddy Bridgewater finally found a place where they have complete confidence in him. He didn't have that in Carolina, He was a backup option with the Saints, and he was mainly a trade piece when he was with the Jets. He has solid receivers to throw the ball to but a big loss was with KJ Hamler as he suffered a season-ending Torn ACL injury. The o-line has been solid and should do a good job against the Ravens defense. The Broncos should do solid running the ball against the Baltimore Ravens The Broncos have a top defense in the league and should provide a ton of pressure with an injured Baltimore Ravens defense. The Broncos have a ton of depth with their secondary and should limit the options for Lamar Jackson to throw the ball to. I will take the Broncos in this game as they are the home team and the Ravens are still dealing with a ton of injuries and I can't trust the Ravens until they get a bit healthier.. This will be a game I will be betting.
My Pick: Denver Broncos (-1)
Sunday Night Football
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New England Patriots (Spread +7)
Let's be real, the only reason why this game has the Sunday Night Football game is mainly that it is Tom Brady vs Bill Belichick and I like it. But I will make this quick. I think Tampa Bay is too good. I will take the Buccaneers in this game. The Buc also just signed Richard Sherman to their stacked defense and will give Mac Jones a tough time in this game. It also hurts that the Patriots won't be able to utilize their running backs in this game as the Buccaneers have a stacked defensive line For the Offense Antonio Brown should be back and play this week after he tested positive for Covid-19. I will take the Buccaneers in this game to win and cover the spread.
My Pick: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-7)
Monday Night Football
Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers (Spread -3.5)
First off I am not a Giants fan but I hate that Eli Manning on ESPN will be “commentating’’ about this game with the Chargers. Especially with the way he screwed that team years ago. At least the Chargers got Philip Rivers in exchange for him. I really don't know what to think about this game. The Chargers are another example of why a team should invest in the offensive line and Rashawn Slater Jr has been a great pick for this team. His addition has helped Justin Herbert run this defense. I like this Chargers team and they have a ton of talent both on offense and defense but I will take the Raiders. Especially with the way Derek Carr has been playing and mainly because the Chargers don't have home-field advantage. While the Chargers are the “Home team” Sofi Stadium will be filled with Raiders Fans. The Move to LA has been a complete disaster for the Chargers. I will take the Raiders but yeah I will be staying far away from this game.
My Pick: Las Vegas Raiders (+3.5)