Welcome back for Week 3 of the 2020 NFL season! It’s too early to draw too many conclusions about the league, but we’re starting to get a handle on some of the good and bad teams. Whether that’s enough to make solid betting decisions is another question entirely.
Week 3 got underway on Thursday with the Dolphins thumping the Jaguars thanks to one of Ryan Fitzpatrick’s most efficient performances in recent years. The Dolphins won 31-13, easily covering as a field goal underdog. I thought this game would be much closer and took the points with Miami, so, win for me to get the week going!
We’ve got 15 more games to go, so a whole lot of work in front of me. I don’t bet on every game every week, but I will offer picks against the spread for the full slate each week and some of my best bets for the week.
Last week was not a pretty one. I went 6-10 with my picks, but did go 3-2 with my five best bets of the weekend. It drops me to 15-16-1 on total picks and 7-3 on my best bets. A year ago, I went 131-117-4, finishing with a 52.78 win percentage. That’s barely turning a profit, but for a season’s worth of picks, that’s not too bad. I did not track my best bet percentage over the course of the season, but will make sure to do that this year.
I’m going to pick my five “best bets” each week, similar to what you might use in the DraftKings Pro Football Pick ‘Em National Championship. Lines are moving so some of the lines below will be different from what you see on game day. Look for value where you can!
In the meantime, here are my five picks of choice for this weekend:
Patriots (-6.5) over Raiders
Panthers (+6.5) over Chargers
Lions (+5.5) over Cardinals
Saints (-3.5) over Packers
Chiefs (+3.5) over Ravens
Here’s my full list of picks for Week 3.
Dolphins @ Jaguars (-4): Dolphins — WIN
Raiders @ Patriots (-6.5): Patriots
Rams @ Bills (-2.5): Rams
Texans @ Steelers (-4): Steelers
49ers @ Giants (-3.5): 49ers
Titans @ Vikings (+2.5): Titans
Washington @ Browns (-7): Browns
Bengals @ Eagles (-4.5): Eagles
Bears @ Falcons (-3.5): Falcons
Jets @ Colts (-11.5): Colts
Panthers @ Chargers (-6.5): Panthers
Lions @ Cardinals (-5.5): Lions
Buccaneers @ Broncos (+6): Buccaneers
Cowboys @ Seahawks (-4.5): Seahawks
Packers @ Saints (-3.5): Saints
Chiefs @ Ravens (-3.5): Chiefs
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