NFL picks against the spread for every game in Week 5

Sunday Titans update: Tennessee as had a staff member test positive Sunday morning, with Adam Schefter reporting it is a coach. The team has shut down the facility while it speaks to the league about next steps.

Sunday Patriots AM update: The Patriots have had another positive test Sunday morning and are retesting while closing their facility. Monday’s game is in serious question.

Welcome back for Week 5 of the 2020 NFL season, and scheduling is getting a little more complicated. The NFL had its biggest issue of Covid-19 thus far, but is currently on track to play the full 15-game schedule.

The Titans appear to have finally gotten through their outbreak and are hosting the Bills on Tuesday. The Patriots lost Stephon Gilmore to the Covid IR and will host the Broncos on Monday. We still don’t know if Cam Newton will be activated for the game.

The week started with a slow Bucs-Bears game that got wild late. The teams exchanged field goals late and the Bears got the 20-19 victory. I took the Bucs to cover and so I’m off to an 0-1 start. 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, I went 8-7 with my picks, and 3-2 with my five best bets of the weekend. It improves me to 34-28-1 on total picks and 14-6 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:

Texans (-6.5) over Jaguars
Bills (-3) over Titans
Browns (+1) over Colts
Chargers (+7.5) over Saints
Steelers (-7) over Eagles

Alternate if Bills-Titans doesn’t happen: Panthers +2 over Falcons

Here’s my full list of picks for Week 5.

Buccaneers @ Bears (+3) — Bucs — LOSS
Panthers @ Falcons (-2) — Panthers
Raiders @ Chiefs (-12) — Chiefs
Broncos @ Patriots (-8.5) — Patriots if Cam plays, Broncos if Cam isn’t off Covid IR
Rams @ Washington (+7) — Rams
Jaguars @ Texans (-6.5) — Texans
Bills @ Titans (+3) — Bills
Cardinals @ Jets (+7.5) — Jets
Eagles @ Steelers (-7) — Steelers
Bengals @ Ravens (-11.5) — Bengals
Dolphins @ 49ers (-9) — 49ers
Giants @ Cowboys (-9.5) — Giants
Colts @ Browns (+1) — Browns
Vikings @ Seahawks (-7) — Seahawks
Chargers @ Saints (-7.5) — Chargers

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL).

Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ/WV/PA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (NH/CO) or 1-800-BETS OFF (IA). 21+ (18+ NH). NJ/PA/WV/IN/NH/IA/CO/IL only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions.