It only took five weeks, but Del has finally decided to check in for the 2011 NFL season. After four unimpressive weeks to start the year off, the first week of byes served Del well as he was able to finally conquer the spread, finishing the week with a respectable 8-4-1 record. The top-3 were once again successful as they have been all year. Those are your money-maker picks each week and are still going strong at a success rate of 62 percent, so the picks shaded in blue are the ones you should be paying the closest attention to. Some underdogs made their way into the mix for Del’s Week 6 NFL Picks and we’re hoping last week is a sign of more good things to come. Don’t forget to check out the top-3 analysis after the picks chart.
(ATS = Against the Spread, SU = Straight Up)
For starters, this should be the week when we get to see truly how invested the Colts are in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. As we all know, the quarterback situation in Indy is a mess with Peyton Manning on the shelf. That being said, they have to win sometime. The Colts are not going to go 0-16 and they have lost their last three games by a combined total of 14 points. Granted it was against poor competition, but if they can’t stay within seven points of the Bengals and their rookie quarterback this team must really be desperate to score the first overall spot in the draft.
Coming off the bye week, the Ravens should be able to take advantage of a struggling Texans team. Baltimore is a well-rested squad going against a Houston team that could use a break — especially after a tough loss to the Raiders at home last weekend. With Andre Johnson out, the Ravens secondary should be able to take away Matt Schaub’s options and reek havoc. I like Baltimore to beat Houston by at least nine this week.
The Saints defense has struggled a bit so far this season and New Orleans has not been able to cover the spread the past couple weeks. Any other week and I might take Tampa Bay getting 4.5 at home, but not with LeGarrette Blount looking like he won’t play. Tampa Bay looked abysmal against the Niners last weekend and they have to be able to run the ball and establish a lead to be successful. That lead is unlikely to come against an offense like the Saints, so I expect Drew Brees and company to build an early lead and run with it. The Saints should win by at least a touchdown.
Be sure to check back Friday for Doc Brown’s picks.
