NFL Best Bets for Week 17

The NFL has a complete schedule on Sunday after nothing earlier in the week. With the change in CDC protocols, there might be an opportunity for certain players to return earlier and play in games as well.

Raiders at Colts

One game that is impacted by player ambiguity is the Colts vs. Raiders. There is no official word if Carson Wentz will be back in this game. My assumption is that he will not be in this game, if you prefer to lay off of it, that's fine, but I don't expect him to play. Jonathan Taylor will probably be the focal point of the Colts offense again, but that doesn't guarantee success for him as the Raiders are likely to load the box in order to stop him. The Raiders have had a string of luck - multiple games where they faced a team with a COVID outbreak. They also still have the chance to make the playoffs if they win both of their last two games. The Colts win and they are in, I expect this to be a close game either way, I'm taking the points in this one. Raiders +7 at -105.

Giants at Bears

For a team playing with a coach that is almost certainly going to be fired and they are going nowhere, the Bears actually put up a fight last week against Seattle and escaped with a victory. This week they play another team that has very little to play for, the Giants. There is almost nothing to be excited about in this game, but there is an opportunity for us that is completely based on weather. Chicago is supposedly going to be hit with a snowstorm and that will make this game unlikely to be high-scoring. I'm going to play the under even with the low 36.5 total. I am waiting until the last possible second to hit this though because I want to confirm there is snow on the ground and just how much there is.

Vikings at Packers

This is not going to be a very long explanation, and as of writing this there is not a line listed on FanDuel, but I'm playing the over on AJ Dillon yardage tomorrow. The Packers should be able to win this game in a blowout and that means they will run the ball a lot. Aaron Jones is a good running back but he also has a lingering knee issue. I expect the Packers to let him rest tomorrow and not worry about the workload. Dillon is +105 to score a touchdown, so that is my official play, but I am anxiously awaiting the yardage prop to be posted as well.