NFL Best Bets Week 8: Bengals Will Dominate Jets, Bucs Over Saints
Profits! Profits! Profits!
If you have been following our bets, your bankroll has gone parabolic!
Four of our analysts had one or no losses in Week 7, with Casey Olson going 5-0 and Jen Piacenti and Bill Enright going 5-1. Will Laws added a 4-1 day.
Let’s build off that momentum and continue to win our bets in Week 8. The Bengals are 10.5-point favorites over the Jets, and our analysts are jumping on that action. Four of our writers picked Cincinnati to cover—the most on any team.
As for other similarities: Richard Johnson, Frank Taddeo and Will Laws are on the Lions at home against the Eagles, but Johnson is calling for an upset by taking the Lions on the Moneyline (+150). Johnson, Taddeo and Jen Piacenti (leading with a dominant 29-14 record) are banking on the Buccaneers and laying the 5.5 points against the Saints.
Cheers to another week of profitable picks!
Week 8 Best Bets
Here's our criteria for picking games:
• All odds from SI Sportsbook
• Each analyst must pick five games
• Three of the bets must be against the spread or over/under
• The remaining two picks (if all five aren't ATS or O/U) can be on the moneyline (but at least one of those picks must be on an underdog)
• We believe transparency is paramount in the world of sports betting, which is why we entrust Sharp Rank to keep track of all our picks/performance
Jennifer Piacenti’s Best Bet: 49ers -3.5
I like San Francisco to cover the -3.5 spread in Chicago.
Neither team looked good last week, but at least San Francisco can partially blame a bomb cyclone. Chicago can only blame…Matt Nagy?
Justin Fields has failed to ignite this offense, and Chicago has thrown for only 1,788 yards this year. That’s 138 yards less that the Texans. If you can’t get Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney involved in the offense, you can’t win football games.
Meanwhile, Chicago has allowed the fifth-most yards and 12 touchdowns to opposing wide receivers (highest in the league). Deebo Samuel should have a good day, and even Jimmy Garoppolo could look good since Chicago could be without Khalil Mack. Elijah Mitchell should be able to run on this Chicago defense that’s allowed the fifth-most rushing yards to running back this year. I pick Kyle Shanahan over Nagy by more than a field goal.
Jen’s season record: 29-14
Casey Olson’s Best Bet: Bengals -10.5
Back to the well. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Insert all the sayings!
The Jets are fresh off a 54-13 beatdown last week against the Patriots, where we faded them Against The Spread (ATS) cashing another ticket.
While the Jets are the “Cousin Eddie” of the NFL at the moment, Cincinnati is firing on all cylinders, averaging 27 points per game (Jets 13.3), while also ranking sixth in the league with 24 takeaways (Jets 12), literally doubling the Jets in both categories.
Supporting the Bengals' side even more, Jets QB Zach Wilson is sidelined and former fifth-round pick Mike White will make his first NFL start. The Jets have also been outscored 44-0 in first quarters this season, so it may be worth a double dip if you know what I mean.
Casey’s season record: 20-16-1
Richard Johnson’s Best Bet: Lions To Win (ML +150)
It's the NFL and there are no moral victories and blah blah blah, but the Lions do really play hard. I don't trust the Eagles right now, but I believe the scrappy Lions outfit can get off the schneid here.
Richard’s season record: 11-23-1
David Scipione's Best Bet: Buccaneers/Saints UNDER 49.5
This just feels like a trap game for betting the over. For that reason alone, I'm comfortable hammering the under and hoping for either a lopsided victory by Tampa Bay, or a close 24-21 game that just misses eclipsing 49 total points.
We all know the Bucs can put up points, but if we know that—so do the Saints. Expect Kamara to be fed heavily in the run and pass game, and for New Orleans to chip away at the clock and time Tom Brady spends on the field. Mix in the home field advantage and a questionable call or two from the refs, and enjoy cashing that under to pad your bankroll heading into Sunday Night Football.
Frank Taddeo’s Best Bet: Bengals 1st Quarter -2.5, Bengals 1st Half -6
My best bet(s) in Week 9 take us back to one of the biggest makers for NFL bettors. Fading the NY Jets! In Week 9, the Bengals head to MetLife Stadium to take on a short-handed Jets squad that will be without its starting quarterback in Wilson (knee).
New York, which ranks last in points scored (13.3 points per game), is off to a 1-5 straight-up (SU) and ATS start this season.
We will not lay the double digits on the game spread. Instead, we will focus on a "double pop" of two secondary markets: first quarter and first half wagering! We will back the Bengals in the first quarter (-2.5) and first half (-6) since the Jets have been outscored 44-0 in the opening quarter this season, as well as 106-20 in the first half of games this season.
Frank’s season record: 16-24
Will Law's Best Bet: Cowboys-Vikings Under 52.5
Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy sounded pessimistic about Dak Prescott's availability due to a calf strain in his most recent update, so Dallas seems likely to lean on Ezekiel Elliott more than usual even if Prescott plays.
With Dalvin Cook fully healthy and having handled 30 carries in Minnesota's last matchup before its Week 7 bye, this seems like it'll be a run-heavy contest that will chew through the clock and keep the score relatively low.
If Dallas is indeed forced to start Cooper Rush at QB, this play becomes even more attractive.
Will's season record: 4-1
Bill Enright’s Best Bet: Buccaneers/Saints Over 49.5
Tom Brady and the Bucs' offense is averaging 33.3 points per game, third-most in the NFL, while the Saints average 23.3 points per game. That’s a 56.6 combined per game average, essentially a full touchdown (and extra point) more than this game’s total (49.5).
While it may be a spooky scene in the stands for Halloween in New Orleans, none of nonsense from the crowd will scare the players away from finding the end zone. All treats, no tricks, when it comes to the score hitting the Over in the Big Easy.
Bill's season record: 22-18-1
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For a complete list of spreads for NFL Week 8, check out SI Sportsbook.
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