Week 14 is crucial to the fantasy football community as the playoffs are set to begin in most leagues. In reality, we’re into the home stretch as the teams have four more games to make their move. The drama starts early this week with a critical AFC West showdown on Thursday night. Here are the best games of the week for bettors.
Oakland Raiders @ Kansas City Chiefs
Odds: Chiefs -3
The Raiders lead the AFC West at 10-2 after a 38-24 home win over Buffalo, but the Chiefs stayed on their tail at 9-3 by holding off the Atlanta Falcons 29-28 on the road. The Chiefs have had the upper hand in this rivalry, winning six of the last seven SU, including four in a row. Kansas City won 26-10 in Oakland in Week 6, holding the Raiders to 285 yards while forcing two turnovers. The Chiefs have had the better defense this season and they don’t give up much at home (16.8 points per game).
Three of the Chiefs’ last four games are at home, so the stakes are high in this showdown.
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Buffalo Bills
Odds: Steelers -1
The Steelers have quietly won three straight as they’re 7-5 following a 24-14 home win over the New York Giants. They’ve outscored their opponents 76-30 in that span and their +54 point differential is now third-best in the AFC.
The Bills are hanging around at 6-6 after their loss in Oakland, and their eighth-ranked pass defense will be tested against Pittsburgh’s eighth-ranked pass offense. It’s looking more and more like they’re an overrated outfit as their only win against a team with a winning record was against the Tom Brady-less New England Patriots.
The Steelers are 9-1 SU and ATS in their last 10 against Buffalo, whose lone win came at home by a score of 24-21 on October 10, 1999.
Seattle Seahawks @ Green Bay Packers
Odds: Seahawks -3
The Seahawks are 8-3-1 after a muscle-flexing 40-7 rout of Carolina at home on Sunday night, but it was marred by the loss of safety and defensive leader Earl Thomas, who is out for the season with a leg injury. That loss aside, momentum is on their side as they’ve won four of their last five.
The Packers are 6-6 after their 21-13 win over Houston at home but it wasn’t a dominant effort. They still have issues with their running game and their defense, which could be a problem in this spot once again.
The Seahawks are 4-6 SU in their last 10 with Green Bay, who beat Seattle 27-17 at home on September 20, 2015.
Dallas Cowboys @ New York Giants
Odds: Cowboys -3
The Cowboys rolled to 11-1 with their 17-15 win in Minnesota last Thursday. They’re now a perfect 6-0 SU on the road this season. The Giants are 8-4 following a loss in Pittsburgh, which ended their six-game winning streak.
This will be the second meeting between the teams this season after the Giants held on for a 20-19 win in Dallas back in Week 1. They’re the only team to beat Dallas this year. The Cowboys have clinched their spot in the playoffs, but you can expect revenge to be on their minds.
Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots
Odds: Patriots -7
The Ravens are 7-5 after romping over Miami 38-6 at home in what was arguably their best performance of the season. They’re now tied with Pittsburgh atop the AFC North. However, this will be a tough spot for them as they head out on the road attempting to beat the team that is the Super Bowl favorite. The good news is they’re peaking at the right time as they’ve won four of five while allowing just 13.6 points per game in that span.
The Patriots are 10-2 after a 26-10 home win over Los Angeles, but New England’s offense, now missing Rob Gronkowski, will have a tough test ahead on Monday night against a Baltimore defense that is No. 1 in yards allowed.
The Patriots have had the upper hand in this AFC rivalry, going 7-3 SU, but the Ravens have played them tough as they’re 5-4-1 ATS against New England.