NFL Week 7 Best Bets: Top 5 Picks Against the Spread
Week 7 is loaded with must-see matchups, and at this point in the season, there are seemingly a handful of teams that we know are worth backing or fading.
Before we get to our best ATS bets for this weekend, we'd like to highlight that our Week 7 TNF previews ahead of last night's instant classic (or something like that) between Denver and New Orleans included:
Now, let's get to our best ATS bets for the rest of Week 7, as we look to keep stacking profitable weeks.
Below are the week-by-week results of this piece so far this year.
Here's what we're going with in Week 7 in Bengals vs. Browns, Seahawks vs. Falcons, Lions vs. Vikings, Raiders vs. Rams and Panthers vs. Commanders.
All kickoff times below are ET.
Bengals vs. Browns - 1 p.m. (CBS)
It's hard to love what we've seen through six weeks from Joe Burrow and the Bengals, but they got the job done for a road win against the feisty Giants in primetime last week.
Meanwhile, the already-bad Cleveland offense took a step in the wrong direction this week by trading WR Amari Cooper to the Bills.
Are the Browns tanking? It's probably too soon to say, but either way, we don't expect Cleveland - which is 1-5 and yet to score more than 18 points in a game - to keep this one tight for 60 minutes.
Cincinnati is better than its 2-4 record, which includes close losses to three of the best teams in the league. We expect this team to make that clear on Sunday with a win that would give the Bengals victories in three of their last four after an 0-3 start.
Best bet: Bengals -5.5 (-108 at FanDuel)
Seahawks vs. Falcons - 1 p.m. (FOX)
Few offenses have looked better in recent weeks than Atlanta's, as Kirk Cousins appears to be in sync with the Falcons talented backs and receivers.
With 74 points in their last two games, Cousins and Co. are on a roll, and Sunday brings a matchup with a Seahawks defense that has struggled throughout an ongoing three-game losing streak.
Seattle will benefit from the return of several key defenders this week, including rookie DT Byron Murphy II. That should make this a close game.
Still, we like the Falcons at home given not only the roll this offense is on, but the fact that they've won three of the four games this year that were decided in the final minutes.
Best bet: Falcons -3 (-102 FanDuel)
Lions vs. Vikings - 1 p.m. (FOX)
Betting against either of these teams is a scary proposition right now.
The Vikes are 5-0 and fresh off a bye following a close win over the Jets in London back in Week 5.
Detroit is 4-1, and the Lions offense - which was expected to be outstanding this season - has reached another level the last two weeks in wins over the Seahawks (42-29) and Cowboys (47-9).
Defensively, the Lions will sorely miss star DE Aidan Hutchinson, who suffered a season-ending injury last Sunday. But with the way this offense is cooking, Detroit just needs average play by its defense to pull out a win.
Sam Darnold has been a pleasant surprise for Minnesota, but he's thrown four picks this year. On Sunday, he's facing a much-improved Detroit secondary that has picked off seven passes in five games this year.
We like the Detroit running game to help Jared Goff avoid the chaos that Vikes DC Brian Flores has been causing for opposing QBs in a slight road upset for coach Dan Campbell's hard-nosed Lions.
Best bet: Lions moneyline (+108 at FanDuel)
Raiders vs. Rams - 4:05 p.m. (CBS)
The 1-4 Rams, like the Bengals, strike us as a team that is much better than its record. This is also a favorable spot for L.A., which is coming off a much-needed bye week and could have star WR Cooper Kupp (ankle) back on the field after a three-game absence.
The Rams were blown out 41-10 by the Cardinals in Week 2. Their other three losses, however, all came in close games to NFC contenders Green Bay, Chicago and Detroit, and L.A. boasts an impressive comeback win against San Francisco.
At home vs. the Raiders - who have lost three of their last four games by at least 14 points and just traded away Davante Adams - we like the Rams to not only get the victory, but easily cover in the process.
Best bet: Rams -6.5 (-118 at FanDuel)
Bonus bet: Rams -9.5 (+128 at FD)
Panthers vs. Commanders - 4:05 p.m. (CBS)
There are only a few units across the entire league that feel like locks to either struggle or dominate every week.
But if there's one certainty in the NFL right now, it's Carolina's defense giving up a ton of yards and points. The Panthers offense has had its moments since Andy Dalton took over as the starter in Week 3, but Carolina has given up 34, 36 and 38 points the last three weeks to Cincinnati, Chicago and Atlanta.
Stop us if you've heard this before , but the Panthers just don't have the personnel to slow down any competent offense, as injuries continue to mount for a group that lost its best player, DT Derrick Brown, for the year back in Week 1.
Even if the Panthers bow up a bit against the Commanders, Washington feels like a safe bet to get to at least 30 points.
Star rookie QB Jayden Daniels and Co. scored 23 points on Baltimore in a respectable road loss last Sunday without starting RB Brian Robinson Jr., whose absence left the Commanders unable to run the ball.
With Robinson likely in action on Sunday, Washington should be able to recover the balance that has helped it average the second-most points per game (29.7) in the NFL this year.
Unfortunately, there's not a lot of value in taking the Commanders to just reach 30 points. We still like that play, though.
We'd also recommend throwing a half-unit at the Commanders to get to 35 points. That's a big number, but three of Carolina's six opponents this year have reached it, including both the Bears and the Falcons the last two weeks.
Best bet: Washington Team Total Over 30.5 (-108 at DraftKings)
Bonus bet: Washington Team Total Over 34.5 (+185 at DK)
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