Every week is unpredictable in the NFL, but Week 17 is in a league of its own. Which teams are resting starters for the playoffs? Which teams that are out of it will be motivated to play spoiler?
One of the new wrinkles in recent seasons is that Week 17 consists only of division matchups, so it's a good bet that teams will show up and not let a rival just coast into the postseason. That's the theme of this week, as many underdogs may not win but they should be able to cover big point spreads. Favorites went 8-6-2 against the spread (ATS) last week, giving them a 113-107-14 lead for the season.
My most confident picks ATS this week are: 49ers, Jaguars, Bengals, Cardinals and Colts. Tricky games to avoid: Lions-Packers, Bills-Dolphins and Chiefs-Broncos.
