Picks for 1/16/26
NFL
4:30 PM EST
Rotation # 391
Bills +1.5 over Broncos (loss)
The key to winning on the road is having a good running game and being able to stop the run. The Bills have the best running back in football this season in James Cook. When it comes to stopping the run, the Bills are not good, but luckily for them, the Broncos have been without their best running back, JK Dobbins, since November. Denver might rush him back, but I doubt he can have an immediate impact. I don’t think rookie RJ Harvey is polished enough in this league to take full advantage of that. Buffalo has the best pass defense in the NFL, so it will be hard for Bo Nix to shred their secondary. The Bills are a veteran team that had a long playoff run last year. James Cook was phenomenal in the playoffs, so this isn’t new territory for him. QB Josh Allen always brings the element of surprise as he can torch teams with his arm and his legs. Denver is a great football team and played outstanding at home this season, but their running game lacks a true number-one back right now, and sooner or later, it will catch up to them. Take the Bills.
NFL
8:00 PM EST
Rotation # 390
Seahawks -7 over 49ers (win)
Seahawks/49ers Over 45.5 (win)
The 49ers’ defense looked great last week, but they had the wind gusts working in their favor, and they had a Philadelphia offensive coordinator who wasn’t capable of opening up the playbook. It’s hard to believe that a bunch of 4th and 5th stringers in key positions can keep up. Tonight’s game is an interesting one between the two offensive coordinators, Klay Kubiak and Klint Kubiak. The two brothers come from a great football family and are phenomenal playcallers. The 49ers are without George Kittle again, but Brock Purdy has a talented receiver room, and running back Christian McCaffrey is great at moving the chains. I don’t think Seattle will hold down the 49ers as they did in the final week of the regular season, but they clearly were the better team and have home-field advantage because of it. Seattle will look to get Kenneth Walker going, which will then allow Sam Darnold to take his shots. The 49ers have too many injuries on their front seven, and get the bad news that Ji’ayir Brown isn’t playing tonight in the secondary. San Francisco has the offensive firepower to stay in the game, but at some point, the defense will not be able to hold on, and Seattle should run away with it. I like the side and total in this scenario, both treated as straight bets. Take the Seahawks. Take the Over. No parlays.