Week 15 NFL best bets and picks for the Sun’s handicapping contest

By Case Keefer (contact)

Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016 | 2 a.m.

For the competitors in the Sun’s handicapping contest to perform well this week, road teams will need to perform well this week.

Thirteen of the combined 18 picks between the three sports writers were on teams playing away from home. One of the prognosticators used all six of his weekly picks off of the South Point betting boards on road teams.

Find all of the picks and best bets for the Sun’s handicapping contest below.

Ray Brewer (2013 co-champion)

2016 record: 43-37-4 (5-1 last week)

Buccaneers plus-7 at Cowboys

Packers minus-5 at Bears

Chiefs minus-5.5 vs. Titans

49ers plus-13.5 at Falcons

Steelers minus-3 at Bengals

Best Bet (5-8-1): Giants minus-4 vs. Lions I have little confidence in the Lions. While they have won five straight games, and eight of their last nine, some of the victories were a fluke — a 3-point win against the Bears’ backup quarterback last week, or a pair of close wins against the Vikings, for instance. The Giants aren’t getting enough credit for their 9-4 record.

Jesse Granger

2016 record: 44-39-1 (3-3 last week)

Buccaneers plus-7 at Cowboys

Lions plus-4 at Giants

Browns plus-10 at Bills

Saints plus-3 at Cardinals

Patriots minus-3 at Broncos

Best Bet (9-5): Packers minus-5 at Bears I hate laying points on the road, but the Packers have owned Chicago so thoroughly on Soldier Field that they might as well own it. Green Bay has won the last five games against the Bears in Chicago and covered the spread in all five of them. I don’t see that changing with Aaron Rodgers finally looking like himself. The all-pro quarterback has thrown 10 touchdowns and no interceptions in the last four games, and the Packers have won three straight.

Case Keefer (2012, 2014 & 2015 champion, 2013 co-champion)

2016 record: 31-49-4 (3-3 last week)

Eagles plus-6 at Ravens

Vikings minus-5 vs. Colts

Jaguars plus-5.5 at Texans

Saints plus-3 at Cardinals

Broncos plus-3 vs. Patriots

Best Bet (4-10): Chargers plus-3 vs. Raiders My insistence of betting against the Raiders has hurt me all year. Well, I guess, everything has hurt me all year. Just look at my record. But I really believe these AFC West rivals are much more evenly matched than their records, and this spread suggests. Oakland shouldn’t lay the same price on the road against San Diego as it did at home.

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.