NFL Odds: Here Are Three Betting Favorites To Avoid In Week 17

There’s plenty of money to be made in Week 17 of the NFL, but if anyone tells you they know what they’re doing, they’re full of it.

The season’s most unpredictable week is here, and handicapping the action is next to impossible. The few games that actually mean anything will have the sharpest lines, while the “meaningless” games feel like coin flips at best.

But we’re not taking the week off, and just like we do every week, we’re looking for favorites you might want to avoid betting or picking in your pools.

Here are three from the Week 17 slate we’re likely to avoid.

(-1) Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins
The Bills opened as 5.5-point favorites and already are down to pick ’em in some spots, so this is a bit of a no-brainer. Buffalo has already wrapped up the AFC East title and obviously can’t catch Kansas City for the top seed. Technically, a win and the two-seed would ensure they get to miss the Chiefs until the AFC Championship Game, but it likely makes more sense to rest starters and treat this as a quasi-bye. Meanwhile, the Dolphins need a win to get into the playoffs. Miami also has a clear rest advantage having played Saturday night while the Bills played Monday. There’s a lot going against Buffalo here, who could be an underdog by kickoff anyway.

(-3) New England Patriots vs. New York Jets
My, how the mighty have fallen. Obviously, neither team has anything to play for this week. Heck, the Jets are even locked into the No. 2 pick, so it’s not like losing improves their stock in that regard. Already reeling, the Patriots’ injury list grew considerably in their Monday night loss to Buffalo. They could be dealing with a fairly depleted secondary, and it’s pretty much fact New York has the better quarterback in this one. Perhaps the only real reason to take the Patriots here is Bill Belichick’s disdain for the Jets, but not even that might make up for how bad this team is right now.

(-6.5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Atlanta Falcons
We’re just two weeks removed from the Falcons holding a 24-7 lead on Tampa Bay midway through the third quarter. Obviously, the Falcons did their Falcons thing and vomited away that lead. This week, though, could be different. If Atlanta can race out to another early lead, Tampa Bay might just pack it in and rest up for the wild-card round. Even without that caveat, we have recent evidence that the Falcons can move the ball against the Bucs’ defense, and this one could be close even if Tampa Bay fights to the very end.