2017 Week 2 NFL ATS Picks

Week 1 Results

Week 2-1-2, Season 2-1-2, All Time 226-210-12
 

Week 2 Picks

Saints +6.5 vs Patriots
It’s only Week 2, but already the Patriots are facing major injury issues on both sides of the ball. In addition, general roster turnover has compounded these issues by forcing inexperienced players to pick up the slack. Yes, the Patriots have had a long week to prepare for this game, but I do think the overall instability of the team’s depth charts will prevent them from running away with his one. 

Bears +6.5 @ Bucs
The first few weeks of the NFL season are often described as extended pre-season. It simply takes time to get back up to game speed. While some may say a forced bye week in Week 1 helped the Bucs stay healthy, I think it likely just slowed their development. The Bears already have a solid performance under the belt, and I expect them to compete closely with the better, but less acclimated, Bucs. 

Titans -2.5 @ Jags
Though the Jags were impressive in Week 1, it's impossible to say how much of their performance was stifling defense and how much was the Texans’ own ineptitude. While the Titans lost, they did move the ball well and simply had some bad luck in the field goal department. Regardless of Week 1 results, the Titans are a better team and I expect them to win. 

Bills +6.5 @ Panthers
Given that the Bills and Panthers played equally terrible opponents in Week 1, it's impossible to say who was more impressive by the numbers. While the Panthers did dominate the 49ers, Cam’s accuracy was concerning. He missed high on a significant number of his passes, which makes you wonder whether or not he's fully recovered from his surgery. 

There's also cognitive bias in this game. Carolina was expected to have a recovery year on defense in 2017. Holding a rebuilding 49ers team to 3 points isn't that impressive, but it does confirm the narrative that the Panthers’ defense is back to form. The Panthers are still weak in the secondary, which the Bills should be able to take advantage of. I like the Bills plus points. 

Cowboys -2 @ Broncos
Despite good yardage numbers against the Chargers, I'm still not impressed by the Broncos. The Chargers were constantly out of position and looked unprepared, making it easy for the Broncos to appear competent on offense. Like last week, I still don't believe the Broncos are elite. The Cowboys should separate on Sunday.