By Zack Cimini
Notjustagame23@gmail.com

Last week appears to of been one of the roughest weeks this year for sports bettors and handicappers. Taking a pounding like that can make you hesitant to play the next week or itchy to get that next bet in. Think logically and make sound choices to try and recapture a season near .500. We will do our best as well to help you out with your selections.

Denver at Indianapolis (-7)- Pick Denver
The Colts have teetered with losing many times this season. Denver has enough balance on both sides of the ball too try and complete what the Dolphins did earlier this year against the Colts. It seems Orton and the Broncos have overcome their mid-season woes and appear to be gaining back to their early season strides. Seven points is too much too give up here.

Cincinnati at Minnesota (-6.5)- Pick Cincinnati
There were three hard pressing red flags last week that the Vikings somehow must correct in a week. We don’t see that happening and they may start to slip a bit towards the seasons end. They’ve had a relatively easy schedule thus far, and with their first significant test being a failure (Packers don’t count) those effects will still linger. Teams that have been able to hang around is exactly what the Cincinnati Bengals exemplify.

New York Jets (-3) at Tampa Bay- Pick NY Jets
Expect the Jets to try and seize the little bit of playoff hopes and aspirations they have left. In September this was a team making noise and led by a rookie in Mark Sanchez that appeared headed for stardom. Since then different phases of the team have started to crumble. The good thing for them is the Dolphins and Patriots have also had up and down years. The team that’s ready to rise to the occasion will get a shot with a home playoff game as the division title winner. Three points is actually a small line here for a team as hungry as the Jets should be.

Buffalo(-1) at Kansas City- Pick Kansas City
One of those ugly December games that has to remain scheduled unfortunately. Will give the home team the edge here in hopes that Brodie Croyle somehow makes it into the game.

Green Bay (-3) at Chicago- Pick Green Bay
Green Bays been on a quiet tear and isn’t going to be a team playoff contenders want to face. They are balanced on both sides of the ball and you really never know when they’re going to be able to come out and play their A game. They won’t have too against the Bears to be able to get a win. Besides their game against the Steelers the Bears have played poor, ugly, and disastrous.

New Orleans (-10.5) at Atlanta- Pick New Orleans
The Saints have dodged the two games they likely should have lost against the Dolphins and Redskins. Now its just a matter if they want to keep pouring it on to historic finish, or preserve the health of their players for the better of a championship run. It’s week fourteen and Drew Brees is still trying to secure a runaway MVP title. For at least another week we will say they keep pouring it on.

Detroit at Baltimore (-13.5)- Pick Detroit
This is one of those double digit home favorite point spreads that you just stay away from. The Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has failed to live up to the hype of his rookie campaign. This team is more geared to utilize their great tandem of running backs. Yet the team keeps having more of a ratio of passes than runs. With Ed Reed likely out the Lions and Daunte Culpepper will look for some big plays early with one of the best receivers in the game at their disposal. It’s just one of those games where you have to figure the Ravens might score between 20-27 points. We don’t see the Lions being shutout, and their has also been awful weather back east thus far.

Miami at Jacksonville (-3)- Pick Jacksonville
Can the Dolphins stop the Jaguars rushing attack with Maurice Jones Drew? If not, Garrard will have a field day throwing over the top to Ernest Wilford and Mike Sims-Walker. Based upon the Dolphins latest games they’ve been lucky on a few missed big pass plays. Last week Brady missed several deep balls in which the Dolphins young cornerbacks were out of position or just burnt deep.

Carolina at New England (-13)- Pick New England
Quarterback Matt Moore will get his second start and travel up north to a cold not Carolina friendly environment. New England may be a 7-5 team but they’ve been dominant at home. They should be able to load the box to stop the DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart show, and see what Matt Moore can do.

Seattle at Houston (-6.5)- Pick Houston
Both of these teams are a loss away from being virtually mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. Houston’s had some real tough losses but should finish the season strong. Seattle’s just missing too much talent too hang around the entire game on the road.

Washington at Oakland (Pick’Em)- Pick Washington
Besides the fourth quarter Oakland really didn’t show much against the Steelers. Washington has actually played decent football over the last month. Their losses obviously don’t show it but they’ve been close nail biters similar to what the Steelers have been facing. Oakland on the other hand is also doing a fine job showing some type of dignity as a team and to their season. Talent wise though the Redskins should do enough defensively to force Gradkowski into plenty of costly mistakes.

San Diego at Dallas (-3)- Pick San Diego
Let the Wade Philipps December down fall and under fire show begin. They should hold it together enough to make the playoffs but gaining a win….we don’t think so. San Diego is on fire right now and will be the scariest team heading into the playoffs from the AFC. That’s right ahead of the Colts.

Philadelphia at NY Giants (-1)- Pick Philadelphia
The Giants needed a win badly last week and earned it on self forced errors from the Cowboys. The game was about to get out of hand if Marion Barber didn’t choke away the football. The Giants are not a 2009 playoff team and the Eagles will showcase that and exit any slight hopes the Giants may have.

Arizona (-3.5) at San Francisco- Arizona
Ignore the fact the 49ers have played their best against the Cardinals for some odd reason over the last few years. After last weeks win the Cardinals appear ready for another strong run in the 2010 post season. The 49ers on the other hand have been far too inconsistent as a team for head coach Ken Whisenhunt to not come out with a strong enough game plan to take control from the onset.

Currently OTB
St. Louis at Tennessee(-13) – Pick Tennessee
This game is currently off the board with Young’s setback during practice yesterday. With him or Kerry Collins this will be an easily handled game. Once one of the most explosive teams in football, St. Louis has scored under ten points six times this season.

By Zack Cimini

Teams are in such dire need to find that franchise quarterback that they’re unleashing millions on quarterbacks that haven’t proven a thing. A backup that steps in and shows he can play a half a season or even a season doesn’t warrant spending millions to try and solidify your own problems. It happened in Kansas City when former Patriot front office associate, Scott Piolo, took the GM position for Kansas City and thought he would bring some Patriot luck with him. Now with Cassel going through a year almost as bad as Jamarcus Russell it has caused silent alarm within the organization.

Last week head coach Todd Haley decided to bring in backup Brodie Croyle after being behind in yet another blowout loss. We’ve lost count how many times Croyle has been brought in, but from what we’ve seen it looks to be a better move for the possibility of wins too insert Croyle as starter.

There are so many arguments against that move, but new coach Todd Haley has never been one to second guess a decision. Lets not forget he was the one that yanked Anquan Boldin last year in the playoffs during the fourth quarter. With so much invested in Cassel we all know the Chiefs will not give up on him. Maybe though inserting Croyle will give Cassel to see his position from a different light and reemphasize what he needs to work on in the off-season.

Cassel is a guy that has literally had two quality games all season long. It’s remarkable the Chiefs have been in as many games that they’ve been in . Issues surrounding his woes could be blamed on numerous things. He started the year off rough with an injury and probably tried to come back a bit early and play through it. Of course he also had to deal with Larry Johnson. A back that gave up on Kansas City two years ago. All in all though Cassel has had severe stretches of abysmal performances.

Maybe with New England the dink and dump style worked because of the system and players. Cassel has tried to take that approach each game with Kansas City and it just isn’t working. The run after the catch isn’t there and he is not making starting quarterback decisions. He has so many bad alarming statistics that jump out. His yardage totals for 12 starts are only 1,982 yards; 9 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

The line has to be drawn somewhere and quickly. Cassel isn’t getting the job done and Haley will be forced to make the decision very soon. The too good Kurt Warner story part II doesn’t look to be progressing.

It almost looked like it would happen. The quarterback that was a backup his whole career in college but still was drafted. Plays behind a future Hall of Famer that goes down to a season ending injury. Cassel played very well in the system in New England….AT TIMES. It’ll be interesting to see how his career moves forward.

By Zack Cimini
notjustagame23@gmail.com

Here’s a look at our spread choices for week eight. With half the lines being set around the three point mark and the other half double digit spreads, it’s set to be a difficult week for gamblers.

Denver at Baltimore (-3) – Pick Baltimore
Both teams are coming off bye weeks so they should be well rested. The strengths of these two teams are still on the defensive side of the ball. With the extra week off the wear and tear of the first six games should allow the defenses to get back to their normal selves. The spread is set perfectly in this one, but the edge here goes to the Ravens quarterback over the Broncos. Flacco should be able to throw the ball with ease on a Broncos secondary that has had trouble at times this year.
Cleveland at Chicago(-13.5)- Pick Cleveland
Cleveland’s offense is so abysmal right now that linesmakers were forced into this double digit spread. Chicago though hasn’t been in sync much of the year offensively. Their second year star back Matt Forte has struggled each week, and Jay Cutler has been erratic throughout most games. Which fact will bend from the trends of the first seven weeks? The Bears offense developing consistency or the Browns generating anything.
Houston -3.5 at Buffalo- Pick Houston
This is the type of game that has kept Houston hovering around the .500 mark when seasons are over. They need this win to have a chance at one of the final wild card berths towards the end of the season. Buffalo is on a little win streak of their own, ever since Ryan Fitzpatrick entered the lineup. Weather could be a factor here, but Houston’s offense should prove to be too much for Buffalo.
Minnesota at Green Bay (-3)- Pick Green Bay
The first matchup Green Bay honestly looked like the better team. The Vikings home edge, defensive pressure on Rodgers, and turnovers were the keys to the Vikings first matchup. Just like any heated top divisional matchup teams will split the season series based on their home matchups.
San Francisco at Indianapolis (-13)- Pick San Francisco
San Francisco is on a bit of a slide, losing three of their last four games. They’ve made the switch at quarterback to insert Alex Smith and we believe it’s the right move. San Francisco should be able to balance their offense enough by running the football with Frank Gore and allowing Smith to pick up where he left off last week. With all of the injuries the Colts have offensively, especially at wide receiver, the 49ers should be able to halt some drives. Expect this game to be lower scoring than believed to be.
Miami at NY Jets -3.5- Pick Miami
Mark Sanchez still has to prove he can go four quarters since his production fell off from his quick start. We’re going to discount the Oakland game and see if he has it against Miami. Miami is playing well but falling just short in their games. This is a must win for them or their season spirals to 2-5.
Seattle at Dallas -9.5- Pick Dallas
A month ago people were throwing Romo under the bus left and right, now it’s as if those conversations never even happened. One of Romo’s most memorable bad moments came against the Seahawks on that botched field goal hold in the wild card round a few years ago. Dallas should jump out early on the Seahawks at home and make this a laugher.
Oakland at San Diego -16.5 – Pick San Diego
Until Oakland shows they can go a week without being blown out or shut out than money will continue to pour on the opposing teams. It’s becoming a circus in Oakland. Their defense has came too play most weeks, but any shocking upsets like their win over Philly shouldn’t happen again.
Jacksonville at Tennessee (-3)- Pick Jacksonville
The Jaguars stomped the Titans in a game at home in which the Titans were actually favored. David Garrard looked like a Pro Bowler in that game. We don’t see how the Titans can hold up this time either. The law of averages with a team this talented should have them winning sooner or later, but it looks like 0-7 is on the horizon.
Carolina at Arizona -10: Pick Arizona
Talk about a game that has you giddy as a gambler. This is the matchup game in which Delhomme has never recovered from his playoff performance of a year ago. So far this year he has been by far the worse quarterback and he’ll be hearing all week about going up against the Cardinals again. Arizona has shined lately and at home are even better. There’s no way they fall to 1-3 at home. Cardinals get this win with Matt Leinart playing by the 4th quarter.
NY Giants at Philadelphia: Pick Philadelphia
This is a pick em game and should be as even sided a game that’s been all year. Brian Westbrook will be a game time decision. If he plays the edge should go to Philadelphia which always kills the Giants with their screens and schemes with Westbrook.
Atlanta at New Orleans (-10): Pick Atlanta
Teams will now take a page from Miami’s playbook but complete it. They had the perfect game plan but let it all to waste in a span of the fourth quarter. Atlanta usually plays the Saints tough. It wouldn’t be too much of a surprise to see them pull this win out and end the Saints undefeated start.

Currently OTB: St. Louis and Detroit-
If you’re betting on this one anyways you need help.

by Dustin Sullivan

By this time in the season, you need to be checking your rosters daily not only for injuries, but bye weeks come into play and you don’t want to be stuck losing points because you forgot to take that running back out of your lineup on his bye week. So, here we go with the players that will have the biggest impact on your fantasy team for week five. This information will also be useful if you’re in some kind of salary league.

QB: Peyton Manning, Colts – Manning is going up against the 0-4 Titans on Sunday nights. Manning has been one of the best players in the NFL this season and he will definitely put up more than 300 yards against a struggling Titans’ defense. You can also count on Manning to throw for (at least) 3 TD’s. With a receiving core that consists of Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, Austin Collie, and Pierre Garcon Manning will have plenty of targets to throw to.

RB: Adrian Peterson, Vikings – There is no way that the Rams defense will be able to stop Peterson from gaining over 100 yards and possible scoring 1-2 TD’s. This could be the best game for Peterson since he is going up against a Rams team that is 0-4 and is the worst ranked defense in the NFL. Look for Peterson to get his number called often early in the ballgame as he will run right through the Rams’ defensive line.

WR: Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs – People may think I’m crazy about picking Bowe, but he’s going up against a Cowboys defense that cannot put pressure on a QB. Look for Matt Cassel to get the ball to Bowe on most passing plays and then Bowe will run right through a depleted Cowboys’ secondary. I think Bowe will accumulate just over 100 yards receiving and catch a couple of TD’s inside the red zone.

TE: Dallas Clark, Colts – Clark has quickly become Payton Manning’s #2 receiver. Clark is a consistent pass catcher who can earn you 5 or more yards after the catch. He is also the best red zone TE in the business, and with him going up against the Titans, be sure that he’ll have at least 1 TD catch and go for about 65 yards.

K: Stephen Gostkowski, Patriots – I recently witnessed, in person, this guy in action as he was a vital key in the Patriots’ win over the Ravens. He will be very important again for the Patriots as they take on the Broncos. Look for him to rack up 3 FG’s and a couple of extra points as I think the Patriots will defeat the Broncos in an offensive shootout.

DEF: New York Giants – Well, the Giants will have an easy week as they take on the Raiders. The Raiders will barely get 100 yards of total offense and look for Osi Umenyiora to sack JaMarcus Russell at least 3 times.

By Zack Cimini
Notjustagame23@gmail.com

This week Vegas has set many lines at touchdown spreads or above. Going with the favorites is always risky but for this week the matchups are very favorable. We do have a few against the grain picks though, just like our Denver selection last week.

Last weeks spread record: 9-5

Minnesota -9.5 at St. Louis- Pick Minnesota
We’re surprised this line isn’t higher. Well it is at St. Louis. This game has all the elements of a blowout shutout. How embarrassing would it be for the Rams to have consecutive games with no points?

Dallas -9 at Kansas City- Pick Dallas
The Chiefs have nothing going on either side of the ball. We currently have the Chiefs and Rams as the worst two teams in football. They’ll prove it again this weekend.

Washington at Carolina -3.5- Pick Washington
This could be a trap game due to how bad the Redskins have looked. Are they playing far below they’re capabilities and are just needing that drive or quarter to kick it into gear? Both teams offensively have looked abysmal especially with the passing offenses. Look for Carolina to get their bread and butter going with the best running back tandem in the NFL. On the opposite side of that though is Albert Haynesworth one of the best run pluggers in the game. That’ll put the pressure on Delhomme’s arm and we all know what happens in those situations.

Tampa Bay at Philadelphia (-14.5)- Pick Philadelphia
So many points to have to put out there on the Eagles side, but they’ve been scoring at a rapid pace. Tampa Bay has had one of the worst defenses statistically dating back to last year, and are currently experimenting with an unproven starter. It’s hard to take all those points but secure a half point and gear up for a blowout.

Oakland at NY Giants (-16)- Pick Oakland
Eli Manning is expected to go but no one knows how well he’ll be able to plant and throw on that foot. Last week against the Chiefs the Giants jumped out on Kansas City but did allow them to score some points and hang around just a tad. Oakland’s defense is a few notches better than the Chiefs and other teams they’ve faced. We like the Raiders to limit the Giants big plays and get just enough offensively to cover this wide margin of a spread.

Cleveland at Buffalo (-6)- Pick Buffalo
This should prove to be a huge home edge factor here. Buffalo is coming off an embarrassing loss to the Dolphins and are on the brink of a team blowup. They’ll hold that off one week with a solid matchup against the Browns. Derek Anderson just doesn’t have enough options to throw too and just lost Braylon Edwards. It’ll take Chansi Stuckey a few weeks to a month before he can be comfortable with the Browns offense.

Cincinnati at Baltimore (-8.5)- Pick Baltimore
The Bengals will be able to throw the football on the Ravens who have been surprisingly susceptible in that area. What has been missing from the Bengals offensively is big plays down the field. If they have to keep throwing the intermediate routes all day that will play into the hands of the Ravens ball hawking speedy linebackers and secondary. It might take a quarter or two for things to look smooth but the Ravens should pull away in the second half.

Pittsburgh (-10.5) at Detroit- Pick Pittsburgh
The Steelers will make a statement early and show why they are defending Super Bowl champions. This should be the lock blowout of the week.

Atlanta at San Francisco (-2.5)- Pick San Francisco
Probably the toughest game to cap this week. This game will ride on Shaun Hill’s ability to keep hitting his newfound favorite target in Vernon Davis. The fact that Shaun Hill has yet to lose a home game as a 49er is also a strong reason to give a slight edge to the 49ers.

New England -3.5 at Denver- Pick New England
The true strength of the Denver Broncos will be on display this week. With everyone talking about them now they’re going to feel the pressure to defeat the Brady bunch. In the last few weeks Brady has seemed to calm down just a bit in the pocket and is delivering more throws we’re use too.

Houston at Arizona -5.5- Pick Arizona
They’re two elements that the Cardinals have too worry about in this game, which they’ve had two weeks to prepare for. One is that their shaky secondary can hold and limit the Texans big plays to Andre Johnson. Two is pass protection to ensure Warner is not on his back and getting pressured often which could cause a fumble or two. We expect the Cardinals to get an impressive win here to stay right behind the 49ers.

Indianapolis -3.5 at Tennessee- Pick Colts
Peyton Manning is on his way to notching another MVP. With Brees settling down the last few weeks you’d have to say Manning would be the leader currently. Guess where the Titans have been hurting the worst? In the secondary where they’ve had numerous injuries and have been forced to go with not just backups but third stringers. Manning is on his A game right now and even though a hungry Titans team needs a win badly, they’ll get another loss and be 0-5.

NYJ -2 at Miami – Pick NYJ
This should be a defensive non typical high scoring affair that we’re use to seeing on Monday nights. The Jets know that they’re defense should be fine in shutting down Miami’s offense and Chad Henne gaining his second start. They were one of the better teams last year at shutting down the wildcat and now will have Rex Ryan’s brains to pick away at it. Flashback to the first round of the playoffs last year and remember who was on the opposing sidelines with the schemes that shutdown the Dolphins completely. Yes, Rex Ryan and the Ravens.

Currently OTB
Jacksonville at Seattle
Hasselbeck is expected to go this week and linesmakers are just waiting for the official announcement. Jacksonville should be a 4.5 to 6 point favorite, and will side with the Seahawks and their 12th man crowd here. Jacksonville has some question marks with injuries on the offensive line and are still just a bit shaky and inconsistent as a team. Seattle should get enough balance offensively too keep them in this game. In the fourth quarter they’ll pull it out and get a big home win.

By Zack Cimini
Notjustagame23@gmail.com

How are you going to stay above .500 and defeat Vegas? Let Notjustagame give you some solid choices to help you out with your selections this week.

Oakland at Houston (-9.5)- Pick Houston
The Texans have done one thing well and that’s score. The Raiders can not match them in that department and will get down early. Jamarcus Russell and the Raiders have no chance to win through the air. Their game plan will be to run the ball with McFadden and Bush as often as possible. Still, the Texans should create a few turnovers and capitalize off of those. We like the Texans to cover this matchup.

Tennessee (-3) at Jacksonville- Pick Tennessee
Kerry Collins and the Titans have all the pressure on them in this must win situation. They’re the better team and should be able to disrupt the Jaguars new founded passing attack. Offensively the Titans receivers must be able to hold onto the football. Too many dropped balls and poor special teams play cost them the game last week against the Jets.

Baltimore at New England (-2)- Pick Baltimore
We’re still not buying into Brady and the Patriots. Fred Taylor was the reason they were able to move forward and get a win in the second half against the Falcons. We all know that they’ll have no chance at running the football against the Ravens. Joe Flacco and the Ravens are just a bad matchup for the Patriots.

Cincinnati (-5.5) at Cleveland – Pick Cleveland
The Bengals are one of those teams that are currently over rated. Offensively Cedric Benson is getting praised but isn’t doing anything nifty. He is running hard with the football and taking a beating for it. He’ll begin to wear down with that type of running style. Cleveland has went to Derek Anderson and the team should respond better with that move. It should be a close game decided by a field goal.

NY Giants -8.5 at Kansas City- Pick NY Giants
The Giants will cover by a wide margin for the second week in a row. Matt Cassel is still in preseason form and Larry Johnsons career seems dead in the water. Eli Manning will be resting by the middle of the 4th period.

Detroit at Chicago (-10)- Pick Chicago
It’s only a matter of time before Cutler gets to really pick apart defenses once they get an established ground game. Matt Forte will answer the bell this week and have a breakout game. This should be the Bears best offensive performance thus far this season.

Tampa Bay at Washington (-7)- Pick Washington
A rookie quarterback means the Buccaneers will try to get their running backs of Cadillac Williams, Derrick Ward, and Earnest Graham heavily involved. Either way this is an angry Redskins team that has to show up in a major way. A blow out is the only option for the Redskins.

NY Jets at New Orleans (-7)- Pick New Orleans
There is going to be a week where the rookie has to go through his growing pains. This will be the week, and he’ll get a chance to watch the best in the game pick the Jets defense apart.

Buffalo (-2.5) at Miami- Pick Buffalo
The pressure is on Trent Edwards. Miami has too many concerns going on with Pennington out, a new quarterback starting, and Joey Porter ailing on the defensive side. With Marshawn Lynch back the Bills will grind it out with Lynch and Jackson. Miami has always giving up the big pass play to the Bills, especially Lee Evans in recent years. Once the Dolphins are down the wildcat and run game will be thwarted.

St. Louis at San Francisco (-9.5)- Pick St. Louis
Were assuming Kyle Boller gets the start here. San Francisco doesn’t seem to be a big cover team this year. They settle too much offensively, and that was with Frank Gore in the lineup. With him out we like the Rams chances to hang around in this game. Definitely too many points are being offered up here.

Dallas (-3) at Denver- Pick Denver
Denver’s defense has been playing exceptional and should have no problem shutting down the Cowboys passing game. They’ll put pressure on Romo and force him into bad decisions. They’re been relying heavily on the ground game just like the Broncos, and that’s where the Broncos have the edge in this game. Dallas has a banged up Marion Barber and Felix Jones out with a knee sprain. That means Tashard Choice will have to carry the load, and will be halted with ease. Roy Williams step up and show that you’re worth all those draft picks the Cowboys traded you for.

San Diego at Pittsburgh (-6.5)- Pick Pittsburgh
LT playing or not is the main factor on this pick. Philip Rivers has been able to win at the onset of this season with his arm, as Darren Sproles is proving to be too small to be an every down back. That type of play will get you wins over teams like Miami and Oakland but not Pittsburgh. This is also a big distance traveler for the Chargers, against a Pittsburgh team amped and ready to get back on the field after an embarrassing loss.

Green Bay at Minnesota (-3.5)- Pick Minnesota
Favre was just warming up that arm that wasn’t on display the first few weeks of the season. He tested it against the 49ers and now the dream matchup he has wanted will come to fruition. This is going to be a MNF classic high scoring game, but in the end Favre and company will pull it out. Definitely spend the extra dough on securing yourself from a half point loss.

Currently OTB

Seattle at Indianapolis- Indianapolis

We’ll set this line at 9.5 and see how close we end up being. Obviously the wait here is on the status of Matt Hasselbeck. He’ll likely sit out again and that means Seneca Wallace will earn his 13th start. He didn’t do bad against the Bears but there was room to close out the Bears and he didn’t get it done. When Manning is in a zone as he has shown the past few weeks, it leads to a tear that can’t be stopped. His onslaught games against the Dolphins and Cardinals were both on the road. Imagine what he’ll do at home.