X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Top Three Upset Picks for Week 15 of the NFL Season

Last week I went 3-for-3 in my picks, including picking the Raiders and Broncos as the game to avoid.

I am not sure how many survivor pools are still going on, but I doubt there would be many left due to the insane amount of rash upsets there have been this season.

Therefore, the last three weeks of this column will be an upset guide, not a survivor contest.

 

Upset Bids for Week 15

3. Cowboys +3.5 vs Jets (Saturday night)

Are the Jets the good bad team? Their eight wins came against the Browns, Colts, Dolphins x2, Washington, Jaguars, Giants, and Titans. Those teams combined record is 39-65. The Jets lost to the Eagles, Patriots, Raiders, Bills, and Texans, whose combined record is 35-30. The Jets do not have one signature win that gives you confidence they can make a playoff run. I am predicting for the Jets to lose their next three games.  As a Jets fan, I've seen this tale all too well. Get your hopes up, then not make the playoffs. I'm not falling for it this year. It starts with a loss this Saturday night to the Cowboys.

The Cowboys are not as awful as their record shows (they are still bad though). They lost by one possession in four straight games and blew a two possession lead in another. Matt Cassell will have time to throw the ball. The Jets pass rush is ranked 18th according to Football Outsiders.  The Cowboys defense should have a good game. The Jets are ranked 26th in pass protection per Football Outsiders. That's not good news when facing Greg Hardy. Good luck D'Briskshaw Ferguson and Breno Giacomini . The pass rush will cause Ryan Fitzpatrick  to shuffle his feet, leading to some terrible throws and throw the game away.

Additionally, Vegas is practically begging you to bet the Jets. Three points seems a little low for a team in the playoff picture, against a Cowboys team that is 4-9. Take the home dog in this Saturday night slate.

 

2. Giants +6 vs. Panthers

When the Panthers were 10-0, I looked ahead at their schedule and predicted this is where they would lose their first game. The Giants show up for big games. Their best game of the year was in a loss to New England. They also had a great showing in Buffalo against a then hot Bills team. So long as Eli Manning gets time to throw, he and Odell Beckham Jr. are unstoppable. In Beckham's 25 career NFL games, he has 24 receiving touchdowns. Beckham will face-off against the best cornerback in the NFL this year, Josh Norman. Beckham will win, though. He's too fast and elusive for anyone.

The Panthers are banged up on the offensive side. Greg Olsen will play, but injured his knee on Sunday. Running back, Jonathan Stewart was diagnosed with a foot sprain and is day-to-day. Stewart has been great all year, with 989 yards rushing and 6 touchdowns, and will be greatly missed if he can't go.

This is a must win game for the Giants, as next week the Giants play in freezing Minnesota on Sunday night football. I think the NFC East can be won at 8-8,  but not 7-9. The Giants can afford to lose one more, which will be in Minnesota, but not against Carolina.

 

1. Broncos +6.5 at Steelers

This could not be a better matchup. Hottest offense meets best defense. The Broncos have the best defense and pass rush, per DVOA. . If Peyton Manning were playing, I have a feeling the line would be two points lower. The Broncos are 10-3 and coming off a bad home loss to the Raiders. They are still alive for home-field advantage in the playoffs, so long as they win this game. Brock Osweiler is one of the worst deep ball throwers, but one of the best short throwers. He reminds me of Chad Pennington. Gary Kubiak knows all of this, and will go towards a more run heavy offense this week. More bootlegs, and easy throws for Osweiler to gain confidence.

The Steelers defense was susceptible to AJ McCarron. They allowed 280 yards, including a beautifully thrown 66-yard touchdown pass down the sideline to A.J. Green. McCarron did throw one of the worst pick-sixes of the year, but he was put into an un-winnable situation. I can't help but remember Russell Wilson lighting up this Steelers secondary three weeks ago. I don't see how Osweiler can play any worse than last week.

I'm not going to waste my time writing about how good the Steelers offense is. But, defense wins games. The best defense usually wins against the best offense. I wouldn't really consider this an upset though.

 

NFL & Fantasy Football Chat Room

[iflychat_embed id="c-0" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Cal Raleigh

Continues Historic Homer Pace Tuesday
Jacob Wilson

Exits Early On Tuesday With Left Hand Contusion
Scottie Scheffler

Headlines Field at Genesis Scottish Open
Rory McIlroy

a Smart Play for Scottish Open
Adam Scott

Looking to Build on History at The Renaissance Club
NASCAR

Sepp Straka Not Likely to Find Momentum at Scottish Open
Justin Rose

Hopes Month Hiatus Helps Him Bounce Back at Scottish Open
Laken Tomlinson

Confident in Texans Offensive Line
J.K. Dobbins

the Starter in Denver?
JT Woods

Seahawks Release JT Woods
Darren Waller

Trade to Miami Becomes Official
Asante Samuel Jr.

Dolphins Interested in Asante Samuel Jr.
Nyheim Hines

Seeking Return to NFL
Dak Prescott

Expects to be Full-Go for Training Camp
Ajay Mitchell

Posts 16 Points in Summer League Win on Monday
Milwaukee Bucks

Vasilije Micic Waived by Bucks
Brice Sensabaugh

Logs 37 points in Summer League Win on Monday
Luis Garcia

Fans Four in Rehab Outing
GG Jackson II

Collects 27 Points in Summer League Loss
Ace Bailey

Scores 18 Points in Summer League Victory
NHL

Tyler Johnson Retires After 13 NHL Seasons
Jack McBain

Inks New Five-Year Deal with Mammoth
Cam York

Re-Signs with Flyers for Five Years
Kobe Bufkin

Cleared for Summer League Action
Jake Knapp

Fits the Mold for Success at The Renaissance Club
Milwaukee Bucks

Vasilije Micic Agrees to Contract Buyout with Bucks
PGA

Sungjae Im Still a Liability at Scottish Open
James Wiseman

Pacers Bring Back James Wiseman
Ludvig Aberg

is a Solid Option at Scottish Open
Tyrese Haliburton

to Miss Entire 2025-26 Campaign
Paolo Banchero

Signs Historic Five-Year Extension with Magic
Anthony Santander

Hoping to Hit Soon
Luis Robert Jr.

Returning in Short Order
Alex Bregman

Could Return Later This Week
Ketel Marte

Day-to-Day with Groin Tightness
Ty Gibbs

Finishes Second at Chicago and Advances in In-Season Challenge
Alex Bowman

Defeats Bubba Wallace in In-Season Challenge, but Not Without Controversy
Alex Bowman

Bubba Wallace Wrecked by Alex Bowman Again, Putting Playoffs in Doubt
Michael McDowell

Throttle Failure Ends Michael McDowell's Chances to Win at Chicago
Austin Hill

Earns First NASCAR Cup Series Top Ten at Chicago
Tyler Reddick

Scores a Strong Third-Place Run at Chicago
Kyle Busch

Matches his Best Career Finish At Chicago on Sunday
Denny Hamlin

Fights his Way to a Top-5 Finish at Chicago
William Byron

has his Worst Weekend of the Season at Chicago
Hunter Greene

Suffers Setback on Monday
Kyle Lowry

Staying With 76ers
Kyle Anderson

Lands in Utah
Kevin Love

Traded to Jazz in 3-Team Swap
Norman Powell

Traded to Miami
John Collins

Dealt to Clippers
J.J. Spaun

Finishes Tied For 14 at Travelers Championship
Xander Schauffele

Finishes Tied For 61 at Travelers Championship
Collin Morikawa

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Robert MacIntyre

Finishes Tied For 17 at Travelers Championship
Si Woo Kim

Finishes Tied For 11 at John Deere Classic
Viktor Hovland

Withdraws From Travelers Championship
Tommy Fleetwood

Finishes Tied For Second at Travelers Championship
Brian Campbell

Wins John Deere Classic
Bronny James Jr.

Scores 10 Points
Harrison Ingram

Limited on Sunday
Golden State Warriors

Isaiah Mobley Drops 16 Points
Ryan Rollins

Staying with Bucks
T.J. Watt

Pittsburgh Still Not Close on New Contract
Terry McLaurin

Still Not Pleased with Contract Situation
Sonny Milano

on Track to Be Ready for Training Camp
Yu Darvish

to Make Season Debut on Monday
MLB

Nationals Fire Dave Martinez, Mike Rizzo
Jakub Dobes

Signs Two-Year Deal with Canadiens
KaVontae Turpin

Arrested on Two Charges
Cole Ragans

to Begin Throwing on Monday
Theo Johnson

Prioritizing his Health this Offseason
Andrés Giménez

Andres Gimenez Hits 10-Day Injured List
Jermaine Burton

Continues to Show Growth
NHL

Hendrix Lapierre Signs One-Year Deal with Capitals
Carson Hocevar

Should DFS Players Consider Carson Hocevar for Chicago Lineups?
Tye Kartye

Kraken Re-Sign Tye Kartye for Two Years
Ross Chastain

May be A Decent DFS Option for Chicago Lineups
Dmitri Voronkov

Signs Two-Year, $8.35 Million Extension with Blue Jackets
Ryan Preece

Should DFS Players Roster Ryan Preece at Chicago?
Austin Dillon

Is Too Great of A Risk to Add to Chicago Lineups
Zane Smith

Is A Value Play Worth Rostering At Chicago
Austin Hill

is A Favorable Value Option for Chicago DFS Lineups
Ty Dillon

Is Ty Dillon A Decent Driver to Add For NASCAR DFS At Chicago?
William Byron

Qualifying Crash Makes William Byron a Likely DFS Must-Have
Alex Bowman

Should Finish Well, but Probably Costs Too Much for Serious DFS Consideration
Joey Logano

Has Been Relatively Mediocre on Road Courses Lately
Ryan Blaney

Doesn't Really Fit Neatly into Optimal DFS Lineups
Cam Ward

"Not Expecting" to be handed Starting Job
Chase Claypool

Eager to Get Back on the Field
Wyatt Langford

Activated, Playing on Saturday
Jay Huff

on the Move to Indiana
Cam Whitmore

Wizards Acquire Cam Whitmore from the Rockets
LaJohntay Wester

Stands out on Special Teams
Clarke Schmidt

Likely to Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Nolan Arenado

Scratched from Saturday's Lineup
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Starting on Saturday
Corbin Carroll

Activated from 10-Day Injured List
Cincinnati Bengals

Shemar Stewart, Bengals Continue Contract Talks, No Progress Made
Ha-Seong Kim

Removed Early During Season Debut
ARI

Christian Fischer Retires From NHL at 28
NHL

Spencer Martin Moves to Russia
WAS

Anthony Beauvillier Re-Signs With Capitals for Two Years
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Sitting Out With Foot Issue
Isaiah Neyor

Impresses at Minicamp
Bo Bichette

Back in Blue Jays Lineup
Miles Sanders

Works With Starters During Mandatory Minicamp
Chimere Dike

Titans Could Move Chimere Dike Inside
Keandre Lambert-Smith

KeAndre Lambert-Smith not Guaranteed Roster Spot
Anthony Bradford

Working Hard to Win Back Starting Job
Clarke Schmidt

Placed on Injured List
SJ

Sharks Claim Nick Leddy Off Waivers
SJ

Sharks Sign Dmitry Orlov to Two-Year, $13 Million Contract
CAR

Nikolaj Ehlers Joins Hurricanes on Six-Year Contract
COL

Brent Burns Inks One-Year Deal with Avalanche
STL

Blues Land Pius Suter on Two-Year Deal
Morgan Frost

Agrees to Two-Year Extension with Flames
WPG

Gustav Nyquist Moves to Winnipeg
Cody Glass

Devils Re-Sign Cody Glass to Two-Year Deal
PIT

Anthony Mantha Joins Penguins
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF