YANNI – Status – Did Not Survive (3 misses)
JJ – Status – Did Not Survive (2 misses)

Teams Used:

YANNI
Baltimore Ravens
Carolina Panthers (miss)
Green Bay Packers
Los Angeles Chargers
Kansas City Chiefs (miss)
Dallas Cowboys (miss)
Buffalo Bills
Pittsburgh Steelers
San Francisco 49ers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Oakland Raiders

JJ
Philadelphia Eagles
Baltimore Ravens
Dallas Cowboys
Los Angeles Chargers
Kansas City Chiefs (miss)
Washington Redskins
Buffalo Bills
Pittsburgh Steelers
San Francisco 49ers
New Orleans Saints (miss)
Oakland Raiders

Overview:

The Cincinnati Bengals put up a game effort behind backup quarterback Ryan Finley, yet they remain winless as they fell to the Oakland Raiders in a closer than some anticipated 17-10 defeat. The Raiders were in a dogfight for the duration of the game so while a victory provides a win in the world of survivor it’s a sign of how things can get tougher as the season goes on. Oakland was the top played survivor team nationally so for those still competing in your pools the beat goes on and into week number twelve. There are a couple of the usual suspects floating out there (to pick against), however who you have available to play will continue to pose the biggest questions as we near the end of the regular season.

Strategy / Odds:

As of Tuesday only three spreads sit at a touchdown or greater with one of those being a short-handed Pittsburgh Steeler team traveling on the road to take on a rival in what is basically their Super Bowl for this season. You can’t ever question going against the Bengals this season, but if you want to roll with Pittsburgh in that matchup you’re definitely on your own. A lot of people have used the Saints already, although a lot of people were bounced when they used them so you may have them available. Kyle Allen’s great start has fizzled out and they’ll have a tough time beating New Orleans in their dome, but again, asking for a sure victory against a quality opponent like Carolina is a little risky.

Here is a quick glance at the four largest spreads for the week:
(Bovada Sportsbook 11/19/19)

Miami Dolphins +10.5 at Cleveland Browns
Carolina Panthers +9.5 at New Orleans Saints
Pittsburgh Steelers -7 at Cincinnati Bengals
Dallas Cowboys +6.5 at New England Patriots

After the insanity that ensued at the end of the Thursday Night Football game with the Steelers and the Browns one has to wonder what kind of frame of mind that Cleveland will be in this weekend? Not to mention the fact the Browns will of course be without their best defensive player and helmet swinger Myles Garrett, and also lost safety Morgan Burnett to injury. Despite that, the real question is whether or not this team can be focused enough to keep their winning streak and bleak playoff chase alive? Ultimately, the Dolphins who are playing really hard for Brian Flores are just too void of talent to be able to win football games. With the biggest spread of the week, taking the Browns just seems to make sens.

JJ is taking a different approach as he’s passing on both the Browns and the Steelers and is taking a small road favorite that’s playing with their backup quarterback. On paper that seems shaky when you’re looking for a straight up win, yet when you really break it down the play makes quite a bit of sense. The Washington Redskins are an absolute mess at the moment and have set their rookie quarterback up for failure. The once proud homefield advantage of Washington has now turned on the ownership and organization. The Detroit Lions enter the game playing very competitive football despite having face of the franchise Matthew Stafford holding a clipboard with his persistent back injury. Jeff Driskel has performed well in his absence and even though this team’s defense is a liability, it’ll be tough for the Redskins to exploit that. A bit of a gamble, but if you can squeeze out a win with the Lions here, you played them in their only possible realistic spot which would really help you out.

Our Picks: