NFL Week 16 Betting Picks for Saturday
We may be without Thursday Night Football in Week 16, but don’t fret. We get three NFL games this Saturday. Lunch is served with the Texans at Buccaneers, followed by an AFC East matchup between the Bills and Patriots before the night ends with the Rams at 49ers.
Let’s look at NFL Week 16 betting lines and make NFL betting picks for all three games on Saturday.
NFL Week 16 Betting Lines for Saturday
Use RotoGrinders’ NFL odds tool to look at Saturday’s NFL Week 16 lines across the online sports betting industry.
- Houston Texans at Tampa Bay Buccaneers +3, O/U 50.5
- Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots -6.5, O/U 37.5
- Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers -6.5, O/U 44
*All odds referenced herein are from FanDuel Sportsbook and accurate as of Friday afternoon.
NFL Week 16 Betting Picks for Saturday
Houston Texans at Tampa Bay Buccaneers +3, O/U 50
The Houston Texans travel to the Sunshine State with the AFC South within their grasp. A win Saturday will clinch the division for Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans, but it won’t come easy against a Buccaneers squad that is riding a four-game win streak behind the arm of Jameis Winston.
Fortunate for the Texans, Tampa Bay will be without Winston’s top two playmakers. The Buccaneers placed wide receiver Mike Evans, who hurt his hamstring in Week 14, on the IR Thursday. To add to their problems, Chris Godwin exited Week 15 with a hamstring injury of his own and is also done for the season.
Just how big of a deal are these losses? Godwin has the second-most receiving yards in the 2019-20 season, sitting behind only Michael Thomas, who has 1,552 yards through 14 games. Two spots and nearly 200 yards behind Godwin is Evans with 1,157 receiving yards. The duo combined for 17 of Winston’s 30 touchdown passes.
Now Tampa Bay will call upon Breshad Perriman and 2018 fifth-roudn draft pick Justin Watson to step up as wideouts. Watson, in particular, is a good, cheap option for DFS purposes.
Winston is the one quarterback who looks like he could be both an MVP candidate and out of a job in the same game. Without Godwin and Evans to rely on, I expect him to look more like the latter on Saturday.
If you didn’t bet on the Houston -1 when NFL 16 look-ahead lines came out last week, I think Texans -3 is still worth betting on. For the same reason I’m skeptical of the Bucs, I also like Under 50.5 total points. Find out my favorite player prop at Nj.com.
NFL Pick: Texans -3; Under 50.5
Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots -6.5, O/U 37.5
Public sentiment might be at an all-time low for the New England Patriots. According to VegasInsider, 57% of bets are coming in on the Bills as of Friday afternoon. The Patriots have struggled offensively throughout the season but have been the beneficiary of one of the easiest schedules in the NFL, which is why New England is currently the no. 2 seed in the AFC with an 11-3 record.
Despite their struggles, I expect the Patriots to come out on top against their AFC East rivals, the Buffalo Bills. The first time these teams met up was in Buffalo, and New England won 16-10. The Patriots disrupted Josh Allen, who completed only 13-of-28 pass attempts while throwing three interceptions in the loss. Expect more disruption ahead of Allen at Foxborough on Saturday.
NFL Pick: Patriots -6.5
Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers -6.5, O/U 45
The Rams suffered a devastating 23-point loss to the Cowboys in Week 15, diminishing the defending NFC champions’ hopes of making the playoffs. The Rams aren’t out of it yet, though. They have to beat the 49ers to keep their playoff chances alive.
The 49ers have plenty at stake as well, including an NFC West title and possible home-field advantage in the playoffs. San Francisco will try to bounce back from an embarrassing Week 15 loss themselves. A week after arguably the biggest win of the season, San Francisco lost as 10-point favorites to the Atlanta Falcons. Both weeks have been filled with dramatics for the 49ers. San Francisco’s huge win didn’t come without casualties on the defensive side of the ball, which may partially explain the subsequent loss.
Cornerback Richard Sherman has practiced in full all week, which means the 49ers should at least be a little healthier than they were versus Atlanta. The 49ers injuries go beyond just Sherman. There also have multiple injuries on their defensive line and in their secondary, plus they continue to play without linebacker Kwon Alexander. With or without Sherman, I’m betting on the Rams keeping this one close as they fight for their playoff lives while the 49ers try to navigate with a wounded defense.
NFL Pick Rams: +6.5
Image Credit: USA Today Sports Images