How To Pick Against The Point Spread

Point Spread Pick Ole Miss can ill-afford to get swept against SEC bottom-feeder Vanderbilt as the Rebels attempt to build momentum heading into the SEC Tournament. Ole Miss is on the wrong side of the bubble entering their last regular-season game and will need to win the SEC Tournament in order to receive an automatic bid to the big dance. If a lot of people pick against the crowd then you have to as well. If a lot of people pick with the crowd, you can go with the crowd more. Also, if you’re up in the standings, pick against the crowd less. If you’re down in the standings, pick against the crowd a lot. Overall, this type of. In sports betting, oddsmaker's calculate the odds, or probability, of one team or person winning against the other. The odds are presented showing a favorite and an underdog, a point spread or moneyline, and a total, each of which is used to make various types of bets.

We’re on to Week 4 in the NFL, with the New York Jets and Denver Broncos kicking off on Thursday. That means it’s time once again for our weekly look at the point spreads in order to help you win some money.

Free NBA Picks Against the Spread. When you want to bet on an elite team but don’t want to risk $600 or more to win $100, our expert NBA picks against the spread are the way to go. NBA betting against the spread means you’re wagering not only on a team to win, but also to win by a certain amount of points.

Last week, Steven Ruiz went 7-9-0 (23-22-3 overall) and Charles Curtis went 10-6-0(23-22-3 overall).

We now go to each of them for comments before their picks.

Charles: Look: this only happens like once a year when I somehow beat Steven. Expect a regression to the mean next week. But until then: WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Steven: We’re onto Week 4.

(All bets courtesy of BetMGM)

(NOTE: The Titans-Steelers and Vikings-Texans games were off the board as of publishing this post.)

Broncos at Jets (+1)

Charles: Jets

Do we have to? I mean, really. Don’t bet on this game, because it means you’ll actually have to watch it. But fine: if there’s a game the Jets can actually win, it’s one at home against the Broncos’ depleted defense and against Brett Rypien. For the record: I hate this pick.

Steven: Broncos

At the very least, the Broncos have looked like a competent team this season. We can not say that about the Jets. But as Charles advised, stay away from this line. The under is looking pretty tempting, though.

Colts at Bears (+2.5)

Charles: Colts

I thought about taking the Bears now that Nick Foles is in at quarterback, but then again: do we really believe in a team that’s beat the Lions, Giants and Falcons, mostly with Mitchell Trubisky at QB? Me neither.

Steven: Colts

This line is way too small. The Colts are a tier or two above the Bears, who really didn’t make much of an upgrade at QB by moving to Foles. Sure, he played well enough to lead the team to a W in Atlanta, but he got away with some brutal mistakes the Falcons defense couldn’t capitalize on.

Saints at Lions (+4)

Charles: Saints

Yes, I’m alarmed about Drew Brees. Yes, the Lions pulled out a nice win on the road against the Cardinals. But nope, Detroit isn’t covering in this one.

Steven: Saints

Brees is washed but the Lions defense should present him with a “get right” game. If New Orleans doesn’t cover here, it’s officially time to panic … and maybe think about starting Jameis.

Cardinals at Panthers (+3.5)

Charles: Panthers

This is a tough one for me, so I took the points, figuring the Arizona trip East and the fact that the Panthers played well last week will get this to within a field goal.

Steven: Cardinals

Kliff Kingsbury v. Phil Snow, the Panthers defensive coordinator, is a coaching mismatch. Kyler Murray will bounce back against a porous secondary and cover this one easily.

Jaguars at Bengals (-3)

Charles: Jaguars

I do love what I’ve seen out of Joe Burrow, but this feels like a game where James Robinson will run all over Cincy’s defense and Gardner Minshew will rebound.

Steven: Jaguars

That Bengals offensive line is a mess and the Jags offense shouldn’t have a problem moving the ball against a mediocre defense. I’ll take the points.

Browns at Cowboys (-4.5)

Charles: Browns

Dallas’s defense stinks. Bad. So asking them to cover this much against a Cleveland team that has put up points in the past two weeks seems tough. I do think Dak Prescott can throw for a bajillion yards again, but I’ll take the points here.

Steven: Cowboys

I’m still not convinced by this Browns team after two wins against bad teams. The Cowboys, meanwhile, are due for a comfortable win.

Seahawks at Dolphins (+6.5)

Charles: Dolphins

The Seahawks continue to pile on the offense. But defensively? They give up a ton of passing yardage. That’s what I see happening again: the Hawks go up 27-7 and win 27-21.

Steven: Dolphins

I’m with Charles here. The Seahawks are making an east coast trip and doing so against a team with a few extra days of rest. Seattle will win but it will be one of those weird games the Seahawks are destined to play.

Chargers at Buccaneers (-7)

Charles: Buccaneers

It’s a large spread, but the Bucs’ offense is clicking and the pass rush will keep Justin Herbert in check.

Steven: Buccaneers

Tom Brady looks comfortable and with those weapons, that’s bad news for a defense that is relying on a rookie quarterback to score points. Oh yeah, this Bucs defense is going to pressure the hell out of Herbert, who has a tendency to hold onto the ball a bit too long.

Ravens at Washington (+13.5)

Charles: Ravens

I thought Washington was a lock last week to cover as seven-point underdogs to the Browns. They did not. And this is setting up to be a spot where the Ravens want to prove last week’s dud against the Chiefs was just a minor hiccup.

Steven: Ravens

The Ravens could not have played worse on Monday night. They’re too well-coached for that to happen again. Baltimore is going to take its anger out on a bad Washington team.

Giants at Rams (-12.5)

Charles: Rams

L.A. will cover this by halftime.

Steven: Rams

What Charles said. You saw what Kyle Shanahan did against this defense with a banged-up offense? Sean McVay is going to put on a clinic.

Patriots at Chiefs (-7)

Charles: Patriots

Hmmm. Patrick Mahomes dismantled the Ravens’ D last week, and I think he and the Chiefs win this one. But by seven, with Bill Belichick scheming? It’s too large. Take the points.

Steven: Patriots

Nobody is going to stop this Chiefs offense, but Belichick has the dudes to at least slow it down. Cam Newton will have to play well but I think he’s got it in him after a bit of a stinker in Week 3.

Bills at Raiders (+3)

Charles: Bills

The Raiders’ secondary is banged up. Buffalo got the blueprint on stopping Darren Waller from the Pats, so I think it’s the Bills by four.

Steven: Bills

The Bills have the advantage in basically every facet of the game, and I’m including quarterback play in there. I’m as shocked as you.

Eagles at 49ers (-7)

Charles: 49ers

Until Carson Wentz starts looking like an actual NFL quarterback, how can you back Philly?

Steven: Eagles

I keep getting burned by picking the Eagles, but I’m doing it again. The defense will do a decent job of slowing down Nick Mullens and with all the injuries to the 49ers defense, things should be easier for Wentz.

Falcons at Packers (-7)

Charles: Packers

Green Bay hasn’t scored less than 37 points in each of its first three games this season. And while Matt Ryan will end up throwing for like 425 yards, he’ll still fall short. Packers by 10.

Steven: Packers

It’s still up in the air whether Julio Jones will play and that’s what this game comes down to for me. If he’s in the lineup, the Falcons offense will put up enough points to cover. If not, I don’t see Atlanta having a lot of success.

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SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 16: Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks calls the snap count against the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on December 16, 2018 in Santa Clara, California.

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended the NFL schedule once again, with the Steelers' big rematch with the Ravens being moved from Thursday to Sunday to Tuesday as Baltimore battles an outbreak in its organization. Several other teams have had to deal with positive tests and canceled practices throughout the week as well with players coming and going from the COVID reserve list. If the schedule holds, we're looking at primetime matchups with playoff implications on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. What could be more exciting than that?

Each week, we'll collect all of the best picks and gambling content from CBSSports.com and SportsLine in one place, so you can get picks against the spread from our CBS Sports experts as well as additional feature content for each game, including plays from top SportsLine experts and the SportsLine Projection Model, best bets from our staff, survivor picks and more.

Enjoy our run-through of Week 12, and good luck in your games! All NFL odds via William Hill Sportsbook.

What picks can you make with confidence in Week 12? And which Super Bowl contender goes down hard? Visit SportsLine to see which NFL teams are winning more than 50 percent of simulations, all from the model that is up over $7,800 on its top-rated picks.

Chargers at Bills

Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on CBS All Access

'I like the Bills a lot. With the Dolphins losing last week, Buffalo can put some distance between them in the AFC East race. Josh Allen should have a huge game against this Chargers' defense. Buffalo is rested and should win by at least a touchdown.' -- Hammerin' Hank Goldberg on why the Bills are one of his best bets

A legendary Vegas handicapper, Goldberg is on a 38-24-1 run with his best bets dating back to last year. Check out the other teams that made the grade in his best bet parlay by heading over to SportsLine.

Dolphins at Jets

Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on CBS All Access

'The Jets have been competitive in their last few games as the offense gets healthier and healthier, and now they're getting Sam Darnold back for this game. That makes them a massive value play against a Dolphins offense that has not looked good despite putting together a five-game win streak before Sunday's loss in Denver. Teams have been able to run all over the Dolphins, but a mediocre Broncos passing attack had no issues carving them up last week either. With Tua Tagovailoa struggling enough to get benched in-game for performance reasons, this has a great chance of being the Jets' first win of the season.' -- R.J. White on why the Jets are one of his best bets

I've cashed twice in the Las Vegas SuperContest, widely considered the toughest sports gambling competition in the world. I've also hit on over 57% of my picks over the past five years combined. You can see all five of my Week 12 NFL picks against the SuperContest lines by heading to SportsLine, and use promo code WHITE to sign up for $1 for your first month of access to all SportsLine's picks and analysis.

Cardinals at Patriots

Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX), stream on fuboTV (Try for free)

'I expect the Cardinals to snap their 0-3 ATS streak against New England on Sunday. The Patriots had tremendous problems containing Deshaun Watson in Week 11 and those same issues could arise with Kyler Murray, who has a similar skillset and is currently playing at a higher level. Even if they try to apply a bit more pressure onto Murray than they did Watson, his speed should be able to get him out of whatever the Patriots throw his way. Together, Murray and head coach Kliff Kingsbury, a former Patriots quarterback once upon a time, are 8-3-2 on the road and are 5-1 ATS in the Eastern Time Zone.' -- Tyler Sullivan on why the Cardinals are one of his best bets

Sully is already bouncing back from a down Week 11 with two winners on Thursday. See who else he likes and all his final score predictions in his Wednesday column.

Giants at Bengals

Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX), stream on fuboTV (Try for free)

'Rookie phenom Joe Burrow tore the MCL and ACL in his left knee last week. He will now undergo reconstructive surgery, and rehab for 2021. Burrow was the main reason this Bengals team was competitive, as he threw for 300 or more yards a total of five times in his first nine games. That's tied for the second-most in NFL history by a rookie. With Burrow now sidelined, the Bengals will turn to Brandon Allen at quarterback after Ryan Finley completed just 3 of 10 passes for 30 yards and an interception. I don't think this is much of a discussion, you're going to have to ride with the Giants this week. With Burrow now gone for the year and Joe Mixon on IR, this Bengals team is going to be one of the worst in the league. The Giants aren't going to be competing for a Super Bowl this year, but they are a touchdown better than the Bengals.' -- Jordan Dajani on why the Giants are one of his best bets

Dajani has cooled off after a blazing-hot start to the season but is still 10 games over .500 against the spread on the year. Get all of his Week 12 picks and final score predictions in his Wednesday column.

Raiders at Falcons

Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on CBS All Access

'This line isn't high enough. And neither is the over/under, assuming that Julio Jones plays. If Julio is in the lineup, we're getting 60 points inside the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Atlanta can't stop anyone, the Raiders pass rush isn't that great and both teams will push the ball downfield when they're not trying to force feed the running backs they invested in. We may be sleeping on the free money that is Darren Waller's catches. He's on pace for 132 targets as a tight end. Let's ride this thing all the way down.' -- Will Brinson on why the Raiders are one of his best bets

Brinson also loves the Over on the total and the Over on Darren Waller's catches as best bets from this game. See all his best bets for every Week 12 game in his Thursday column.

Browns at Jaguars

Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on CBS All Access

'Sure, I would like this game even more if Myles Garrett was able to play in it, but regardless, I like the fight that Cleveland's defense showed without him last week and Mike Glennon will be a human statue behind a poor Jaguars offensive line. I don't see this quarterback change changing anything for Jacksonville except another quarterback gets beat up this week. The Browns are too physical for this opponent and they will absolutely move the ball up and down the field at will on the ground. I expect to see some double-digit point spreads in Jacksonville's future and I believe even with Cleveland's COVID situation there is value here getting them under a touchdown.' -- Jason La Canfora on why the Browns are one of his best bets

La Canfora has one other best bet for Week 12, and you can check it out in the NFL insider's Friday column.

Panthers at Vikings

Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX), stream on fuboTV (Try for free)

'Call me crazy but I'm going with Carolina. The Vikings seem to have their stuff together but Teddy Bridgewater has been eyeing this game ever since the schedule came out. I like the fight this Carolina team has, and I think they took a step in the right direction last week to fix their third-down woes on defense.' -- Jonathan Jones on why he's taking the Panthers to pull off the upset

Jones is 104-55-1 on the season with his straight up picks after his first losing week of the year but did nail both the Thanksgiving winners. Check out all of the NFL insider's picks in his Friday column.

Titans at Colts

Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on CBS All Access

'This game will mark the fourth time in six weeks that the Titans have played one of the best defenses in football and in the other three games -- against the Steelers, Bears and Colts -- the Titans were held under 300 yards each time. On the other hand, the Colts went up and down the field on Tennessee and put up their second-highest offensive total of the season (430 yards) in the first meeting. The biggest question for the Colts is whether or not Philip Rivers can play after injuring his toe on Sunday. Since I have no idea whether he'll be playing this week, I'm going with two picks. Also, I should start making two picks on every game, because then I'd never get one wrong.' -- John Breech on why he thinks the outcome depends on Rivers playing

Breech has the Colts winning by three if Rivers is under center but the Titans winning by three if he can't go, so check the inactive list on Sunday before putting in your bets. Check out the rest of Breech's Week 12 picks in his Tuesday column, and be sure to sign up for the Pick Six newsletter to get more Breech in your inbox all week long.

Saints at Broncos

Time: Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET (FOX), stream on fuboTV (Try for free)

Pete Prisco: 'Don't you think [the Saints] come down a little bit this week, R.J.? They play a division rival -- and granted the Falcons aren't good -- but it was Taysom Hill, and you rise up your game and try to cover for him. And now you go out on the road in the altitude -- I don't know, I just think it's a tough scenario.'

R.J. White: 'But what does coming down look like? Does it look like 10 points, 13 points? Does it look like 17, 20 points?'

Prisco: 'But even in that game, as dominant as they were, the Falcons had the ball to cut it to a one-score lead. Remember, they hit the fourth-down play to Julio (Jones), could have cut it to a one-score game if they go in there. And so, it was dominant on defense, but it wasn't dominant on offense, and that's why I think they could lose [to Denver]. We'll see, I just think Denver's defense is playing really well.'

That's from the Pick Six Podcast, where I join Pete Prisco, Kenny White and Will Brinson every Friday to break down all the games from a gambling perspective, give out best bets and put together a Pick Six Parlay, which has hit four times this season. Give it a listen below and subscribe for great NFL content in your feed daily.

49ers at Rams

Time: Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET (FOX), stream on fuboTV (Try for free)

'The Rams impressed while beating Tampa Bay on the road Monday night but now face a division rival coming off a bye on a short week. That's tough, even if the 49ers are banged up. I think the Rams will win the game with a late score, but the 49ers will hang around. It's close.' -- Pete Prisco on why he has the 49ers covering but the Rams getting the win

Prisco weathered a tough ATS week overall with a 3-3 record on his best bets, putting him at 40-25-1 on the year for his Pick Six Podcast best bets. You can see all his Week 12 picks and final score predictions in his Wednesday column.

Chiefs at Buccaneers

Time: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on CBS All Access

'I know it's dangerous to say it, but I think we've seen the beginning of the decline phase for Tom Brady. Or at least an acceleration of the decline phase. He's playing in an offense in which Bruce Arians wants him to bomb the ball down the field, but his accuracy doing so has been missing. The Tampa offense still ranks eighth in DVOA, but it's been trending in the wrong direction lately, and I have a hard time imagining that Brady will be able to keep pace with Patrick Mahomes and the best offense in the NFL.' -- Tom Fornelli on why the Chiefs are one of his best bets

Fornelli is coming off a winless Week 11 with his best bets and looking to bounce back strong. You can see the rest of his Week 12 best bets in his Friday column.

How To Beat The Point Spread

Bears at Packers

What Does Picking Against The Spread Mean

Time: Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC), stream on fuboTV (Try for free)

I'm the top-ranked NFL expert over at SportsLine thanks to a 33-23-3 ATS run that includes two winners on Thanksgiving, and I've got a strong pick in this game. And not only am I on a good run in recent weeks overall, but I've nailed Packers ATS picks for several years, going 40-10 in my last 50 ATS picks involving Packers games.

I'm leaning to the Under on this game, but if you want to see which side of the Bears-Packers spread I love this week, head over to SportsLine.

Seahawks at Eagles

What's The Point Spread

Time: Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN), stream on fuboTV (Try for free)

A national sportswriter whose work appears in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, Mike Tierney has covered the NFL for decades and reported from seven Super Bowls. He prefers to evaluate each game from the underdog's point of view and has used that philosophy to dominate the NFL, going 66-44 against the spread in 2019 and 63-46 in 2018. Tierney entered the 2020 season with a 282-222 record at SportsLine (2016-19) on all NFL picks, returning $3,704 to $100 players.

Tierney has been particularly strong in Seahawks games, putting together a 16-7 ATS record in his last 23 picks for or against the Seahawks. He's leaning to the Under in this matchup, but you can find his spread pick for Seahawks-Eagles by heading over to SportsLine.

Ravens at Steelers

How To Pick Against The Point Spread

Time: Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET (NBC), stream on fuboTV (Try for free)

This game has already been postponed twice, and the Ravens will be extremely shorthanded with several players testing positive for COVID-19, including Lamar Jackson. William Hill had yet to hang a new line for the game as of Friday night after it ranged from Steelers -3.5 to -4.5 earlier in the week, but suffice to say that the absence of Jackson will have a big impact on the line, with the Steelers likely double-digit favorites or close to it by the time the game kicks off, if it does.

Nfl Picks Against The Spread

Thanks for checking us out, and good luck with your picks!