Week 17 Panel Picks
‘Twas the night before Picksmas, when all through the chat,
The panel was buzzing—oh, just imagine that!
The standings were posted with great care and delight,
In hopes that the football gods blessed them that night.
George sat in Costa Rica, his lead far and wide,
His upset prowess a source of great pride.
Picking the Commanders last week over Philly’s fine crew,
Was proof that this season, he’s destined to break through.
Ray was in second, his form heating up,
Since ditching the Pats, he’s sipped from the cup.
His 16-1 streak was a panelist dream,
Now he’s chasing down George with his late-season scheme.
Rahul, in third, with his betting finesse,
Made picks like a pro—an analytical chess.
But his love for Seattle? It’s hurting his rank,
Yet RB1Picks has his followers banked.
Theo, the champ of the year that has passed,
Now finds himself sinking, not climbing up fast.
He picks all the favorites, a strategy flawed,
And his lock pick performance? It’s deeply outlawed.
Ben, the newcomer, has risen of late,
After Panthers and Browns led him to his fate.
Though his early missteps had us all in suspense,
He’s found his groove now and makes more sense.
Now I, Webb, with my trio of picks—
Jets, Niners, and Bengals, they’ve left me in the sticks.
I’m good at my locks, but distracted, you see,
By hounding poor Josh—oh, when will he be free?
Josh, the upset merchant with a wild streak,
Sits seventh this year, though his cash flows peak.
He’s bold and brash, but results often grim,
Yet his weekend winnings keep spirits in him.
And Jackson, oh Jackson, way down in the mire,
His season a tale of a car with no tire.
A fantasy hero who’s lost his pick charm,
But hopes next year brings less football harm.
Then up from the rankings arose such a clatter,
I sprang to my phone to see what was the matter.
The panel refreshed, and what did appear,
But George’s victory looking perfectly clear.
"Now George! Now Ray! Now Rahul and Theo!
On Ben! On Webb! On Josh and poor Jackson!
To the top of the standings! To football renown!
Keep picking, keep locking, don’t let us all down!"
And as the panel concluded its weekly affair,
We wished one another a Picksmas to share.
With George in the lead and us chasing with glee,
Merry Picksmas to all, and to all a win spree!
In case the poem didn’t paint a clear enough picture, here are the full standings.
Now for the week 17 picks.
Primetime Games
Early Window
Late Window
Most alike picks: Josh differed from George and I on six different games.
Least alike picks: The duos of Ray/George and Rahul/Ben had one differing pick each.
Most upsets picked: Josh took a shot in the dark this week and picked five upsets.
Fewest upsets picked: Every panelist besides Josh, George, and myself picked the minimum requirement of two upsets.
Most picks with majority: Ray and Ben were in the majority for every game.
Most picks against majority: Josh was in the minority for four of the 16 games on the slate.
What Stands Out?
The game of the week is undoubtedly Vikings vs Packers. Vegas has the line at -1.5 which means that if this game was held at a neutral site, the odds would be dead even. The panel has this game dead even too. Both teams received four votes each.
The second most important game of the week is Bengals vs Broncos. Cincinnati has won three straight and still has a chance to make the playoffs. They need to win out, for the Broncos to lose to Kansas City in week 18, and for the Colts and the Dolphins to lose at least once in the next two weeks. The panel believes their first wish will come true—only George and I picked Denver this week.
The Broncos aren’t the only team who can clinch the playoffs this week. The Commanders, Rams, and Chargers are all in win-and-in scenarios this week. The panel picked all three to win.
It’s time we give the tanking teams a little attention with a draft order. With the results that we picked for week 17 taken into account, the updated order is 1) Giants, 2) Patriots 3) Titans, 4) Browns, 5) Raiders, 6) Jaguars, 7) Panthers, 8) Bears, 9) Jets, 10) Saints.
The obvious race to watch in the panel standings is George vs Ray. After Ray cut the lead to three games, George has stretched it back to seven by means of yet another 14-3 week. It gets even harder for Ray now who can’t gain much ground this week—he only picked one game differently from George (Bengals vs Broncos). George will have a minimum six-game lead heading into week 18.
Playoff Picture
Let’s pretend our majority pick in each matchup won this weekend. Here are the projected playoff matchups on Wild Card Weekend.
AFC
(1) Kansas City Chiefs vs BYE | Kansas City would become the first team to win 15 games since the Panthers in 2015.
(2) Buffalo Bills vs (7) Denver Broncos | A loss to Cincinnati would bring the Broncos’ playoff probability down to 61%.
(3) Baltimore Ravens vs (6) Los Angeles Chargers | Baltimore beat LA 30-23 in week 12.
(4) Houston Texans vs (5) Pittsburgh Steelers | In terms of DVOA, Houston and Pittsburgh are 1st and 3rd in defense across the AFC.
NFC
(1) Detroit Lions vs BYE | Detroit currently has a 72% to capture the 1st seed in the NFC.
(2) Philadelphia Eagles vs (7) Washington Commanders | Washington beat Philadelphia 36-33 last week.
(3) Los Angeles Rams vs (6) Green Bay Packers | Green Bay beat Los Angeles 24-19 in week five.
(4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs (5) Minnesota Vikings | This would be a battle of the first two quarterbacks taken in the 2018 draft.