Atlanta Falcons 31, New Orleans Saints 24

I like the Falcons in this game because they are in the Georgia Dome and they have recovered from that devastating streak of losses that ultimately ruined their season. Saints QB Drew Brees is banged up and will have to face a tough pass rush and a tougher secondary. He did well in the first meeting, but the Falcons will play to win and use that small bit of momentum they have remaining. The Saints cannot match opponents who have a solid defense. New Orleans owns the worst defense in football, while the Falcons have a respectable one. Expect Matt Ryan and Julio Jones to make easy work of that secondary.

Atlanta DFS Picks: WR Julio Jones, RB Devonta Freeman, QB Matt Ryan, (buy-low option) TE Jacob Tamme .. Saints are the worst at defending TE’s.
New Orleans DFS Picks: QB Drew Brees, RB Tim Hightower, WR Brandin Cooks

Buffalo Bills 34, New York Jets 28

Some people say that Rex Ryan will get the Bills up for this game against his former team. Some people say Ryan Fitzpatrick struggles in big games. Some people say the Jets are not as good as their record says. While this pick was based off of a little bit of hope and desire for my Pittsburgh Steelers, I was not completely convinced that the Jets would run away with this game. The Jets are (3-3) on the road this year, so the Bills already have the upper hand. New York is a good team and would be in the playoffs if the system were not favored towards 8-8 division winners (sorry Houston, Washington). Aside from that, Rex Ryan would love nothing more than to end the Jets playoff chances in the final game of the season.

Buffalo DFS Picks: QB Tyrod Taylor, RB Karlos Williams, TE Charles Clay
New York DFS Picks: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, WR Brandon Marshall, RB Chris Ivory

Detroit Lions 24, Chicago Bears 16

The Lions defense has come on here at the end of 2015, going into 2016. Both teams are playing a game of lost seasons. Head coach John Fox is in a rebuilding process, which is understandable, but Jim Caldwell and the Lions really fell apart after an 11-5 season in 2014 and a playoff berth. The Lions should not have too much trouble in Chicago. I think there is more on the line for Caldwell and his job status and the Bears are aiming for a higher draft pick. I am not assuming they will throw the game, but one has to think realistically at what each personnel desires. In addition, Alshon Jeffrey is out, and Jeremy Langford and Matt Forte are knicked up. Going to be a long afternoon for Mr. Jay Cutler in what could be his final game as the Bears starting quarterback.

Detroit DFS Picks: Lions D/ST, WR Golden Tate, QB Matt Stafford
Chicago DFS Picks: Nope…

Cincinnati Bengals 23, Baltimore Ravens 13

This could end up being a really ugly game. The Ravens and Bengals might be sporting third string quarterbacks in week 17, which no one could have ever predicted. The Bengals are obviously the better all around team as they did not suffer the same types of team injuries that B-more did. The Ravens are also in pursuit of a higher draft pick, while the Bengals still have a chance at the second seed in the AFC should the Broncos lose. Regardless if AJ McCarron is sidelined with Dalton or not, the Bengals defense will definitely stand up to the Ravens make shift offense of rookies and waiver wire pick-ups.

Cincinnati DFS Picks: Bengals D/ST, RB Jeremy Hill
Baltimore DFS Picks: at the least RB Javorius Allen, he is utilized in the pass and run game too much to not have some value

Pittsburgh Steelers 38, Cleveland Browns 17

I think that the Steelers are going to absolutely unload on the Browns in Cleveland. For starters, they are probably angry and pumped as any locker room could be. This game is a must-win, not necessarily a challenging one, but a must-win. The Browns are abysmal as always; Johnny was ruled out with a concussion and just recently alleged to have been at a Las Vegas casino on Saturday night before game day. Hey, if I played for the Browns, I would want to compulsively drink and gamble too. Head Coach Mike Pettine and General Manager Ray Farmer do not look safe. Yes, their leash is a little short, but Rob Chudzinski was fired after one season and the Browns have progressively gotten worse. The Steelers will do what they do best and air it out against a team that has nothing to be happy about right now, except a shot at the first overall pick pending a Titans improbable win.

Pittsburgh DFS Picks: QB Ben Roethlisberger, WR’s Antonio Brown & Martavis Bryant, RB De’Angelo Williams, Steelers D/ST
Cleveland DFS Picks: WR Brian Hartline, TE Gary Barnidge (no seriously, these guys can be picked up in some leagues. These are Austin Davis’s favorite targets against an embarrassing Steelers secondary)

Washington Redskins 20, Dallas Cowboys 17

Washington has nothing to gain or lose in this game and neither does Dallas. The Redskins will look to rest key starters, but I feel like they can still defeat the beat up Cowboys with some second stringers mixed in.

Washington DFS Picks: avoid
Dallas DFS Picks: RB Darren McFadden

Indianapolis Colts 17, Tennessee Titans 13

Now this… is definitely going to be an ugly game. The Colts have lost Andrew Luck, Matt Hasselbeck and Charlie Whitehurst all to the IR. The Titans have elected to sit Marcus Mariota for precautionary reasons. If the Titans lose, they will remain in line for the number one pick in the 2016 draft. The Colts cannot get into the playoffs regardless, but Chuck Pagano should win this game for a final boost at staying in Indianapolis as the head coach

Indianapolis DFS Picks: Frank Gore, Colts D/ST
Tennessee DFS Picks: Yeah… okay

New England Patriots 33, Miami Dolphins 20

New York Giants 35, Philadelphia Eagles 24

Houston Texans 27, Jacksonville Jaguars 17

Denver Broncos 23, San Diego Chargers 6

St. Louis Rams 16, San Francisco 49ers 3

Arizona Cardinals 38, Seattle Seahawks 31

Carolina Panthers 28, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14

Green Bay Packers 31, Minnesota Vikings 23

The final game will be an interesting one. It is the battle for the NFC North crown and a chance at the number three seed. The Vikings were embarrassed by the Packers in Minnesota during their first meeting and are looking for revenge. The Packers were pummeled by the second seeded Cardinals and are looking to get back on track. This game is in Green Bay and the fans will be crazy tonight. The Vikings are definitely the hotter team right now, but the Packers are surely more experienced. I believe the Packers will come out on top because they are an experienced, veteran group that knows how to bounce back from adversity and they know the Vikings extremely well. With a win, the Packers would host the Vikings again in Green Bay in back to back weeks. With a loss though, the Packers will travel to Washington to face the Redskins.