Fantasy Life Week 14 Picks Against the Spread
Woah dogger, what a disaster it was in Week 13. An 0-for-3 mark. If we’re talking strikeouts in baseball, that’s just one short of the notorious Golden Sombrero… with a couple of those strikeouts coming from swinging at pitches that were two feet off the plate.
The Colts (-1) felt close at least. Tied up at 17 apiece with five minutes to go, Adam Vinatieri lined up for a potential go-ahead field goal from 45 yards out, but he had the kick blocked and brought back for a Titans touchdown. Once Indianapolis got the ball back a couple plays later, Jacoby Brissett threw an interception to Logan Ryan while trying to go deep. It was practically immediate that Ryan Tannehill delivered the knockout punch for Tennessee, tossing a 40-yard TD to Kalif Raymond to put the game out of reach at 31–17. Two minutes of game action, a 17-point swing against Indy. Woof. As Bar Rescue host Jon Taffer might say, “Shut this pick down!”
Trusting the Jets, meanwhile, is a bold strategy. Last week it was one that did not pay off, as the 0–11 Bengals boned us. No giveaways, no disastrous special teams meltdowns. Just a lethargic, lifeless effort from Gang Green. It wasn’t exactly a performance to write home about from the offensive line’s perspective, as Sam Darnold absorbed four sacks and the ground game managed a meager 3.6 yards per carry on the afternoon. For Cincinnati, Andy Dalton made his first appearance since Week 8, establishing a win-worthy QBR of 59.7 and leading three first-half scoring drives to chalk up a 17–6 lead before the break. The Jets’ second-half drives went punt, safety, punt, punt, turnover on downs, turnover on downs. Just the kind of fight you like to see out of a young ball club right there. Aye marone.
How about the Patriots? They’ve got to deliver a W in the night cap with Bill Belichick and the 10–1 Pats taking on protege Bill O’Brien and the Texans. New England’s defense had allowed four total TD passes through its first 11 outings of 2019, but on Sunday Night Football got lit up for four TD throws — three from Deshaun Watson and one from DeAndre Hopkins — while suffering a 28–22 defeat.
Season-To-Date: 16–15–1
Last Week: 0–3, L — IND (-1) 17–31 v. TEN, L — NE (-3) 22–28 @ HOU, NYJ (-3.5) 6–22 @ CIN
Week 14 Picks
1. Seahawks (PK) @ Rams
This pick is the headliner for a reason. Seattle seems to be out-kicking its coverage somewhat from a talent perspective, but the Seahawks just keep on winning. They don’t have a secondary full of Pro Bowl-caliber players anymore. There isn’t a ton of pop at tight end, especially with the Will Dissly injury (Achilles). Chris Carson is beginning to look a former seventh-round pick on certain afternoons and currently owns four lost fumbles, worst among NFL RBs this season. The Russell Wilson-Pete Carroll collective steps up on just about every occasion, though. On Monday Night Football against the uber-talented Vikings they were able to get up 17 points in the fourth quarter, and ultimately hold off Minnesota 37–30. Home-field advantage is within reach as Seattle possesses the NFC’s No. 2 seed, sitting at 10–2 and behind New Orleans only as a result of playoff tie-breaking procedure. Los Angeles is “at home,” but as we know, the Rams/Chargers collectively possess the least prohibitive home-field advantage in the NFL. Sean McVay, Jared Goff and the Rams are coming off a blowout win over Arizona and find themselves in a must-win situation once again in Week 14, but it just feels like Seattle’s year in the NFC with Wilson being the conference MVP to this point. Look for Seattle to go on the road and erase the reigning NFC champion Rams from realistic playoff contention. Hawks 26, Rams 24.
2. Titans (-2 1/2) @ Raiders
Reversing course here and going with the Ryan Tannehill-led Titans this week. As President George W. Bush once said, “There’s an old saying in Tennessee… I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee, that says, ‘Fool me once… shame on, shame on you……. Fool me, you can’t get fooled again.’” It’s destiny. Mr. Bush, did specifically mention Tennessee after all. Tanney-hill and the Titans are smoking hot at the moment, rolling to a 5–1 record over the past six games and heading into the Black Hole to take on a Raiders bunch that recently got slammed by KC at Arrowhead Stadium. The philosophy on this selection seemingly runs counter-intuitive to the gambling textbook, as Tennessee is coming off a big inter-divisional win and Oakland an embarrassing road loss. The Raiders have their key offensive piece Josh Jacobs dealing with a fractured elbow, however, and the Titans own a relatively stout D, ranking seventh in scoring defense. Oakland, meanwhile, ranks 28th in scoring defense. Tannehill is completing nearly 73 percent of his passes this year and owns a 12:4 TD:INT. Look for the better team to go on the road and win by a field goal to stay well situated in the AFC playoff race. Titans 20–17 over the Raiders.
3. Ravens (-6) @ Bills
To bet against the stingy Bills is a risky play. They are a very solid team, and as written on this column before, will (now clear) make the playoffs and potentially even go on the road and win a game against a Houston or a Tennessee in the wild-card round. Heck, at this point, Buffalo getting its first division title since 1995 isn’t out of the question. They are coming off the franchise’s biggest win of the decade over the Cowboys, and have big letdown potential against the far superior Ravens. The Lamar Jackson-led Ravens just joined the 10–2 Seahawks as the only teams to beat San Francisco this season. Prior to defeating the NFC blue blood Niners, they were blowing teams out and warming up the buses by the start of the fourth quarter most weeks. Baltimore will have to take a trip up to Orchard Park to accomplish the mission, but has won by 14-plus points over five of its past six games coming into Week 14. Ravens to win and cover the six points.
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