NFL Week two best picks & top odds | Sunday, September 18

Week one of the NFL season is in the books and it has set up an awesome year. There weren’t too many shockers as many of the favorites were able to grab a win. Either way, week two is already off to a great start with the Kansas City Chiefs defeating the Los Angeles Chargers in a close 27-24 battle. There are going to be 13 games played this Sunday and we have singled out our best picks.

New Orleans Saints vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This is a fascinating game between two divisional rivals. Last week, we picked against the Saints because they were away, favored and playing a divisional rival. This week, we will do the same but side with the Saints. They are a home underdog in a divisional game and that is a combination that usually works for the home team. The Bucs are likely a more talented team but they have struggled with the Saints in recent seasons. Since Tom Brady joined the Bucs two years ago, the Saints have won every game when these teams match up. There is a lot of value in the underdog here.

Also, this pick follows another popular betting trend. Last week, the Buccaneers easily covered their game and the Saints failed to cover in a close win against an inferior Falcons team. Simply put, there may be overreaction to each of these teams’ first game. The Saints didn’t look nearly as good as the Bucs did last week, but it was only one week. Last game’s performance may be overweighed here and put extra value on the Saints. This game should be close, but we like the Saints to defeat their bitter rivals on their home turf.

Los Angeles Rams vs Atlanta Falcons

Last week, the Rams opened up the NFL season with a brutal loss to the Buffalo Bills. The Rams looked awful and nothing like the team that won the Super Bowl last year. However, we don’t think that will be a season-long problem. The Rams opted to not play any starters in the preseason in order to avoid injury. That may have worked against them last week as it appeared a lot of the Rams’ players just weren’t ready for the season. That shouldn’t be the case in this game. The Rams are still an elite team and now, they have something to prove. 10 points is a lot of points but the Rams should dismantle the Falcons and cover the number in the process.

The Falcons were a lot of experts’ pick to have the worst record in the league this season. While that may not come to fruition, this team is devoid of talent and they do not project to be a very good squad. They blew a very winnable game last weekend against the Saints and may have expounded a lot of mental energy in that heartbreaking loss. We expect the Falcons to come out flat in this contest and for the Rams to build a big lead early. Take the Rams to cover and expect a big bounce back performance.

Joe Mixon Over 72.5 Rushing Yards

Joe Mixon is an extremely talented running back for the Cincinnati Bengals. In week one, he had a whopping 27 attempts for 82 yards. While his efficiency wasn’t great, the Bengals were committed to giving him the ball and that shouldn’t change in this contest. Mixon has had over 1,000 rushing yards in three of the last four seasons and is a certified stud of a running back. The Bengals are up against the Dallas Cowboys this week and Dallas cannot stop the run. Last week, the Cowboys gave up 127 rushing yards to Leonard Fournette and they had no answer for the running back. That should continue in this game and Mixon should be able to run wild on a struggling defense.

Las Vegas Raiders vs Arizona Cardinals

We are picking another home team to cover another game. Last week, the Raiders lost a tough battle to the Los Angeles Chargers and struggled to move the ball offensively. That should not be the case in this game as the Cardinals have an awful defense. The Chiefs were able to score 44 points on the Cards in week one and while the Raiders don’t have Patrick Mahomes, they have a very capable QB. Derek Carr should be able to dismantle the Cardinals defense and bounce back from last week’s performance.

The issue with this pick will come down to the Raiders defense. They made several improvements defensively over the offseason and while they looked alright last week, they may struggle with Kyler Murray and the Cardinals. Fortunately for Raiders’ backers, the Cardinals should be without two of their three best receivers and that will hinder their offensive firepower. Of course, Kyler Murray is a special QB and could take over this game but we don’t think that will happen. Take the Raiders to cover at home and win their first game of the season.

Aaron Jones Anytime Touchdown Scorer

Aaron Jones is the running back for the Green Bay Packers. This week, the Packers are 10 point favorites against the Chicago Bears on Sunday night. In games with that high of a spread, the winning team’s running back usually gets a lot of work and we expect that to happen here. Jones only had five carries last week and the Packers coach, Matt LaFleur, noted they needed to get him more involved. We expect that to happen and considering Jones had 10 total touchdowns last year, we like his chances at a score here. Take Jones and watch him run all over the porous Bears defense.

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