
Nick Whalen
122 - 117
A multi-time FSGA and FSWA award winner, Nick co-hosts RotoWire's flagship show on Sirius XM Fantasy alongside Jeff Erickson, as well as The RotoWire NBA Show on Sirius XM NBA with Alex Barutha. He also co-hosts RotoWire's Football and Basketball podcasts. You can catch Nick's NBA and NFL analysis on VSiN and DraftKings, as well as RotoWire's various social and video channels.
Nick's Picks
Past Picks

Indianapolis Colts
Pittsburgh Steelers
Colts -3.0 (-115) vs Pittsburgh Steelers
Colts -3.0 (-115) vs Pittsburgh Steelers
Proj: --
We know the trends suggest betting against Mike Tomlin as a home dog -- and coming off of a loss -- is a bad idea, but the Steelers were in this same spot last week and came up short against the Packers. Now, they face the best offense in the NFL and will be asked to keep up with a Colts team that seems to effortlessly put up 30-plus points on a weekly basis. The same concerns about the Steelers' defense we had last week still very much apply here.

Minnesota VIkings
Detroit Lions
Lions -8.5 (-110) vs Detroit Lions
Lions -8.5 (-110) vs Detroit Lions
Proj: --
While 8.5 is an uncomfortable number for a divisional game, the Vikings are going back to J.J. McCarthy and will likely struggle to score on what's been one of the better overall defenses in the NFL. The Lions are getting healthier on that side of the ball and should be poised for another explosive game, offensively, coming out of the bye. Jared Goff is 12-4 ATS with the Lions on extended rest, covering those games by nearly a full touchdown.

Green Bay Packers
Pittsburgh Steelers
Packers -2.5 (-110) vs Pittsburgh Steelers
Packers -2.5 (-110) vs Pittsburgh Steelers
Proj: --
We're throwing all of the Aaron Rodgers narratives out the window and focusing on the game itself here. While the Packers have strung together a few underwhelming showings, they're still the superior team and should enter this game as healthy as they've been all season. My primary concern for Pittsburgh is the defense, which was carved up by Joe Flacco last week while allowing Chase Brown to rip off nearly 10.0 yards per carry. On the season, that Pittsburgh defense ranks 25th in EPA/play, 22nd in success rate, 20th in EPA per pass and 21st in EPA per rush.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
New Orleans Saints
Bucs-Saints U47.0 (-110) vs New Orleans Saints
Bucs-Saints U47.0 (-110) vs New Orleans Saints
Proj: --
I'm staying away from the side here, but I do see this as an under spot with Tampa Bay still dealing with a number of key injuries offensively. Meanwhile, the Saints have scored under 20 points in five of seven games and are coming off of a dreadful, four-turnover showing last week against Chicago.

Miami Dolphins
Atlanta Falcons
Falcons -7.5 (-110) vs Atlanta Falcons
Falcons -7.5 (-110) vs Atlanta Falcons
Proj: --
Trusting the Falcons is always going to be a dangerous game, but I like Atlanta more at home than on the road, and this should be a spot where the defense can hold down the Dolphins, while Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier run all over the worst rush defense in football.

Atlanta Falcons
San Francisco 49ers
U47.5 Falcons-49ers (-110) vs San Francisco 49ers
U47.5 Falcons-49ers (-110) vs San Francisco 49ers
Proj: --
The Falcons are coming off of an impressive win against Buffalo, in which they put up 335 yards of offense in the first half, but I'm not sure I'm ready to fully trust that unit away from home, even against a Niners defense without Fred Warner and Nick Bosa. Meanwhile, the Niners should get some pieces back this week, but they're still incredibly banged up and will face an improved Falcons defense that rates out as one of the five best units in the NFL against the pass. I'm staying away from the side, but I see this as a lower-scoring game than the total implies.

Miami Dolphins
Cleveland Browns
Browns -2.5 (-110) vs Cleveland Browns
Browns -2.5 (-110) vs Cleveland Browns
Proj: --
It's still strange to see the Browns sitting as a favorite, but this should be a good spot for the Cleveland defense to hold down the Dolphins, while Quinshon Judkins rolls over the worst run defense -- bar none -- in the NFL. The conditions in Cleveland will likely make this a low-scoring game and favor a Browns team that prefers to grind games out.

Las Vegas Raiders
Kansas City Chiefs
Chiefs -11.5 (-110) vs Kansas City Chiefs
Chiefs -11.5 (-110) vs Kansas City Chiefs
Proj: --
We know that laying a big number with the Chiefs traditionally has not worked out, but I love this spot for Kansas City at home against a Raiders team that's lost by double-digits to the Chargers, Commanders (with a backup QB) and Colts. The Raiders simply cannot run the ball, and putting this game on the arm of Geno Smith is a dubious proposition, to say the least. Meanwhile, Kansas City's offense continues to pick up steam, and the return of Rashee Rice will push that unit to an even higher level.

Chicago Bears
Washington Commanders
Commanders -4.5 (-110) vs Washington Commanders
Commanders -4.5 (-110) vs Washington Commanders
Proj: --
The Bears are coming out of a bye week, but they head out on the road against a Commanders team that just handled the Chargers in Los Angeles. While the Bears may have some success hitting chunk plays on the Washington defense, this should be a great spot for the Commanders to run all over what's been a leaky Bears defense. Chicago ranks dead-last in the NFL in yards per carry allowed and is yet to face a true running quarterback like Jayden Daniels.

New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
Pats-Saints U46.0 (-110) vs New Orleans Saints
Pats-Saints U46.0 (-110) vs New Orleans Saints
Proj: --
The Pats are riding high after two straight wins over Carolina and Buffalo, but they now play a second straight road game against what's been a surprisingly solid Saints defense. New Orleans ranks 14th in EPA/play and 12th in EPA/rush, so even while they're sitting at 1-4, I see this as a competitive team that's already been able to hang around against superior competition. Offensively, the Saints rank dead-last in the NFL in plays of 20-plus yards. Ultimately, I see this as a close, lower-scoring game.
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