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Must Start

1. Baltimore Ravens vs. JAX – It’s Monday Night and the Jags are starting a rookie QB. Look for Ray Lewis and Co. to be active and force QB Blaine Gabbert into multiple turnovers.

2. Green Bay Packers vs. Min – Christian Ponder will meet Clay Mathews on Sunday and also see a few passes end up in Packers DB’s hands.

3. Dallas Cowboys vs. Stl – QB Sam Bradford could miss this week. Regardless, look for a bounce back effort by the Cowboys at home.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arz –The Steelers D will get after Kolb and Co.

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Detroit Lions vs. Atl – Expect a much more aggressive Lions D now that they’ve suffered their 1^st loss.

New Orleans Saints vs. Ind – The Colts look like they’re going to give their all to win the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.

Washington Redskins vs. Car – The Skins defense is active and will force Cam Newton into errors.

The Rest

Oakland Raiders vs. KC – The Chiefs will find the Raiders D tougher to come back against than the Colts were two weeks ago.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Chi – The Bears offense has been much less effective on the road.

Arizona Cardinals vs. Pit – Big Ben is a turnover machine away from home.

New York Jets vs. SD – Rivers has been turnover prone in 2011.

San Diego Chargers vs. NYJ – The Jets offense is horrible; the Chargers will be tougher than the Dolphins.

Tennessee Titans vs. Hou – QB Matt Schaub is banged up and WR Andre Johnson is still out. The fresh Titans will force turnovers on Sunday.

Houston Texans vs. Ten – Expect Wade Phillips to have a plan in place to limit Chris Johnson and attack Matt Hasselback.

Chicago Bears vs. TB – Julius Peppers and Co. will attack Josh Freeman all afternoon. KR Devin Hester is always a threat to score on special teams.

Fantasy Sleeper

Cleveland Browns vs. Sea – The Seahawks don’t travel well unless they’re playing the Giants apparently. Look for the Browns to employ a more aggressive game plan and get after QB Tavaris Jackson and Co. They’re a solid fantasy sleeper and fill in if your No. 1 D/ST is out.

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Best Bet

1. Minnesota Vikings (+3) vs. Chicago Bears – See money line bet.

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2. Baltimore Ravens (-7.5) vs. Houston Texans – This is a tall order for the Texans. They’re coming off a crushing defeat which also saw LB Mario Williams lost for the year. Star WR Andre Johnson is also still out.

The Ravens on the other hand are fully rested and will win this by double digits.

3. Oakland Raiders (-6.5) vs. Cleveland Browns – This is the 1^st home game since Al Davis’ passing. Expect the energy level to be high and for the Raiders to run the ball all over the Browns D. Defensively, they’ll attack Colt McCoy en route to covering the point spread with a TD victory.

4. St Louis Rams (+15) vs. Green Bay Packers – 15 points is a TON to give. The Packers are also headed home after a physical Sunday Night win which saw LT Chad Clifton lost for an extended period of time. The Rams are well rested and we think the Packers could overlook this opponent… leading to a much closer finish than the odds makers predict.

The Rest

Detroit Lions (-4.5) vs. San Francisco 49ers – The 49ers are playing great ball but this is a tough match-up. The Lions D is flying around and tough on opposing QBs. The offense is starting to click as well which is why the Lions will advance to 6-0 with a 24-17 win.

New Orleans Saints (-4.5) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – The Bucs ’11 version is much different than a year ago. A year ago they were able to sneak up on teams playing a last place schedule; this year, expectations are higher and they’re not measuring up. The Saints on the other hand are playing very well and will head into Tampa and pull out the win by at least a TD.

Miami Dolphins (+7) vs. New York Jets – The Jets are in a tail spin coming off three losses and there’s problems in the locker room. They should win this game, but Miami ALWAYS plays tough in New Jersey, and coming off the bye week we expect that to continue again on Monday Night.

Money Line Bet

Minnesota Vikings (+130) vs. Chicago Bears – The Vikings got their 1^st win last week but are only a few plays away from being perfect on the season. Each loss has been by one TD or less.

This week they get the Bears who could be without standout DE Julius Peppers, which further hurts an already reeling defensive unit. Look for the Vikings to feed the ball to RB Adrian Peterson all evening long and for the offense to put 17 on the board.

Defensively, Jared Allen and Co. will get after Cutler who is standing behind a shoddy line and force the QB into mistakes.

We expect the Vikings to earn their 2^nd win of the season with a 17-14 win.

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Best Bet

1. Buffalo Bills (+3) vs. Philadelphia Eagles – Andy Reid’s teams usually have a way of bouncing back after rough stretches. But those were teams where players were familiar with one another and the coach.

The high priced FA spree hasn’t worked out thus far and it remains to be seen whether the team has the character guys to pull them out of this slump. We’re not so sure which is why Buffalo is positioned well here.

Ryan Fitzpatrick and Co. will torch a depleted Eagles D under embattled DC Juan Castillo, and keep things close throughout. Because we know Philly will put points on the board too.

However, it’s likely that Buffalo will win outright making the money line bet at +120 attractive too.

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2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+3) vs. San Francisco 49ers – See money line bet.

3. New England Patriots (-9) vs. NY Jets – The Jets are struggling mightily after losing two straight on the road. They have no running game and can’t protect the QB. That’s not a winning combo when heading into New England.

While the Patriots D has its issues, Belichick is still creative enough to confuse a QB like Sanchez into mistakes.

Offensively, look for Brady to Brady, attacking Cromartie’s side all afternoon, and for the Patriots to rout their rivals.

4. Green Bay Packers (-6) vs. Atlanta Falcons – The Falcons thought they addressed their weaknesses in the off-season but sit at 2-2 and are playing uninspired football. The same can’t be said for the Packers, who are led once again by QB Aaron Rodgers who is playing out of his mind.

Expect another dominant performance by Green Bay’s offense and the TD victory on Sunday Night.

The Rest

Minnesota Vikings (-2.5) vs. Arizona Cardinals – The Vikings have to win one of these games. A play here or there and this team is 4-0.

The incoming 1-3 Cardinals are the perfect team to get the Vikings a W.

Look for them to cover the point spread and win by three.

Kansas City Chiefs (+2) vs. Indianapolis Colts – The Chiefs notched their 1st win at the expense of the above mentioned Vikings in Week 4. We expect a sloppy game which the Chiefs end up pulling out late.

Detroit Lions (-5.5) vs. Chicago Bears – Do you believe yet? The 4-0 Lions are certainly making noise and will be ready when Jay Cutler’s Bears come to town on Monday Night.

Look for another impressive performance both offensively and defensively with a 10 point Lions’ victory.

Money Line Bet

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+120) vs. San Francisco 49ers - The Bucs went into SF last year and shut them out. This is a different Niners squad led by a new coach, Jim Harbaugh, and Tampa is coming in off a short week. That aside, this game will come down to the wire with Josh Freeman being the difference maker.

He has a knack for leading his team to late game victories and will do so here.

Look for Tampa to attack the 49ers weakness, its pass defense, and put points on the board through the air.

This will put pressure on Alex Smith who will not be up to the task late.

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Must Start

1. Detroit Lions vs. Chi – We know Jay Cutler is turnover prone, and the Lions will be roaring on Monday Night.

2. Houston Texans vs. Oak – This unit looked excellent vs. the Steelers.

3. New York Giants vs. Sea – If DE Justin Tuck is healthy, the Giants will be very tough on Seattle. If not, still a solid play.

4. Tennessee Titans vs. Pit – If Ben doesn’t play, this is a no-brainer. Even if he does play, Tennessee is playing very well right now and Roethlisberger is prone to mistakes.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. SF –The Bucs  D will force Alex Smith into mistakes.

Cincinnati Bengals vs. JAX – The defense has not been the problem in Cincy.

Minnesota Vikings - The Cards don’t travel too well.

The Rest

San Francisco 49ers vs. TB – The Niners are riding sky high after their win over Philly.

Green Bay Packers vs. Atl – Matt Ryan’s playing behind a porous O-Line and the Packers front 7 will be coming.

New England Patriots vs. NYJ – The Patriots played better defensively in Oakland. Now comes the Jets who are in an offensive slump.

San Diego Chargers vs. Den – The Bolts will force Kyle Orton into costly mistakes.

Arizona Cardinals vs. Min – It’s Donovan McNabb, so a few turnovers can be expected.

Fantasy Sleeper

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Ind – The Chiefs finally posted a victory and their defense was a big part of it. They’re a solid fantasy sleeper facing Curtis Painter and Co.

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Best Bet

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-10) vs. Indianapolis Colts – The Colts are in real trouble. They most likely have to go with QB Curtis Painter and are on the road Monday Night. This team is not built to play on the grass or from behind.

Look for QB Josh Freeman and Co. to win this going away.

They’re our top bet on the board and will cover the point spread easily. Expect a 30-7 or 30-10 final.

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2. Atlanta Falcons (-4.5) vs. Seattle Seahawks – The Seahawks will find the Falcons a much more formidable opponent than the Cardinals were a week ago. Atlanta will be able to control the clock offensively while putting 24+ points on the board, and their defense will make life miserable for QB Tavaris Jackson.

3. Detroit Lions (+1.5) vs. Dallas Cowboys – The Cowboys are still shorthanded without WR Miles Austin and with WR Dez Bryant not being 100% healthy. It’s forced them to make adjustments to their passing game and the unit isn’t in rhythm right now. On top of that, QB Tony Romo is still hurting.

Dallas will find that the Lions are not the Redskins, and Matt Stafford is not Rex Grossman.

Look for the upstart Lions to pull out the win on the road to improve to 4-0.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (+4) vs. Houston Texans – See money line bet.

The Rest

New Orleans Saints (-7) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars – This game will be competitive until the half, but look for the Saints offense to put this game out of reach in the 3rd quarter. Defensively, we expect New Orleans to blitz QB Blaine Gabbert heavily and show him all sorts of confusing looks.

The result will be a long day for the rookie QB and an easy win for the Saints.

Chicago Bears (-6.5) vs. Carolina Panthers – Cam Newton cooled down in Week 3 after starting the season so strong. Expect DE Julius Peppers and Co. to get after the rookie QB and frustrate him all afternoon. On the other side of the ball,  Jay Cutler will toss multiple TDs and Chicago will cover the point spread with a 10 point win.

New England Patriots (-4) vs. Oakland Raiders – The Patriots got greedy offensively and Tom Brady’s 4 INTs after being up 21-0 allowed Buffalo to stick around and ultimately pull out the win. Expect New England to limit their mistakes and pull out the 7 point win in Oakland.

Money Line Bet

Pittsburgh Steelers (+170) vs. Houston Texans -

Everyone’s on the Texans bandwagon this year, and they should finally win a weak AFC South. However, they still have not shown an ability to beat the better teams and Pittsburgh will look sharper than they did a week ago

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It’s onto Week 4 of the NFL suicide pool.

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Indianapolis Colts – The Colts season is over. They know it, and so does the rest of the league. QB Peyton Manning‘s loss was far too big to overcome.

They’ve remained competitive the past two games because they’ve been played at home, but this is on the road.

Expect the 2-1 Bucs to bury Indy on Monday Night. We expect a final score somewhere in the vicinity of 30-7 or 30-10.

The is the best suicide pool pick on the board.

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2. Atlanta Falcons vs. Seattle Seahawks – The Seahawks shouldn’t get too excited after their 13-10 win over the Arizona Cardinals, which we picked for our money line bet in Week 3.

The Falcons aren’t the Cardinals.

In fact, the only thing Seattle has going for it is the game will be played in the Pacific Northwest, which is a difficult trip for many teams to make.

Expect Matt Ryan and Co. to have their way with a soft D and control the clock. Defensively, Atlanta will force Tavaris Jackson into a few errors which allow the Falcons to pull away to an easy win.

3. Chicago Bears vs. Carolina Panthers – Cam Newton came back to reality in Week 3 after lighting up both the Cardinals and Packers the 1st two weeks. We expect more growing pains as he leads his team into Chicago.

Look for Julius Peppers and Co. to contain Newton and force him into costly mistakes. And for the Bears to do enough offensively to pull out the 10 point win.

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Must Start

1. Green Bay Packers vs. Den – The Packers D will regain its form with Denver coming to town.

2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Ind – The Colts are running out of answers at QB quickly. Monday Night could get ugly.

3. Baltimore Ravens vs. NYJ – New York has no running game and Sanchez is turnover prone.

4. New Orleans Saints vs. JAX – QB Blaine Gabbert will see plenty of blitzes from the Saints this week.

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New York Giants vs. ARZ – Will look to build off of the momentum from their win at Philly.

San Diego Chargers vs. Mia – The Dolphins offense is pathetic. Period.

Washington Redskins vs. Stl – The Rams offense has made every opponent a quality fantasy football D/ST play in 2011.

The Rest

Buffalo Bills vs. Cin – Rookie QB Andy Dalton continues to struggle for the Bengals.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. SF – The Eagles D is overrated, but QB Alex Smith keeps them as a starting fantasy defense this week.

Atlanta Falcons vs. Sea – Things could get pretty bad for Tavaris Jackson and Co. in Week 4. The Falcons are starting to create turnovers.

Chicago Bears vs. Car – Expect Cam Newton’s struggles from a week ago to continue as he heads back on the road.

San Francisco 49ers vs. Phi – This unit has surprised thus far. The Eagles are a high risk high reward offense, which comes with turnovers.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Hou – We think the Steelers took the Colts lightly which led to the close final score. Expect a stronger performance here.

Houston Texans vs. Pit – Ben Roethlisberger is a turnover machine in 2011.

Minnesota Vikings vs. KC – The Chiefs offense is non-existent. Look for the Vikings,  who haven’t been bad in 2011, to pounce.

Detroit Lions vs. Dal – Tony Romo is still hurting and the Cowboys offense had all sorts of trouble on Monday Night without WR Miles Austin in the lineup. He’s out again this week.

Fantasy Sleeper

Cleveland Browns vs. TEN – The Titans suffered a HUGE blow with the loss of WR Kenny Britt to a torn ACL. The Browns will load the box heavy to stop Chris Johnson and are a solid fantasy sleeper in Week 4

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Best Bet

1. Detroit Lions (-3.5) vs. Minnesota Vikings – Let’s continue with the feel good story of 2011. The Lions are off to a 2-0 start and will make it 3-0 this week. Detroit’s defense will harass QB Donovan McNabb all afternoon and keep RB Adrian Peterson from busting loose.

On the other side of the ball, even with the return of DT Kevin Williams, we expect Stafford and Co. to keep the good times rolling with another big time performance.

Expect Detroit to cover the point spread with a TD victory.

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2. Buffalo Bills (+9) vs. New England Patriots – Tom Brady and the Patriots will put up points. A lot of them. The problem is their defense will allow them too. The Bills offense is for real and we expect another shootout this week in Buffalo. We like Ryan Fitzpatrick and Co. to keep this game within reach throughout.

3. Oakland Raiders (+3.5) vs. New York Jets – The Jets travel cross country and are a little beat up on the offensive side of the ball. It’s doubtful C Mangold will play and Sanchez, on top of his early season struggles, is a bit dinged himself.

We like to Raiders to play fired up in their 2011 home opener and could easily pull out a win which would make for a solid money line bet (+160) too.

4. Seattle Seahawks (+3) vs. Arizona Cardinals – See money line bet.

The Rest

San Diego Chargers (-14.5) vs. Kansas City Chiefs – The Chargers inexplicable early season struggles under Norv Turner are the only reason they wouldn’t win by more than two TDs. The Chiefs have been beaten 89-10 combined in their 1st two games.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-1.5) vs. Atlanta Falcons – Josh Freeman will be the deciding factor here. He alone is worth the 2 points. The Falcons are clearly not the same team as a year ago and they’re fortunate not to be 0-2.

The Bucs overcame a 17 point 2nd half deficit vs. the Vikings to pick up their 1st win of the season. Look for the confidence they gained to carry over…

Baltimore Ravens (-3.5) vs. St. Louis Rams – Unfortunately for the Rams, they’re staring at an 0-3 start to the season. Baltimore was caught in a trap game last week and unable to carry over their emotion from Week 1 (win over Pittsburgh).

The Rams are banged up and still learning how to win. It won’t happen on this day. Expect Baltimore to pull out the seven point victory.

Money Line Bet

Seattle Seahawks (+170) vs. Arizona Cardinals - This is really a game of two sub par teams in a horrendous division, and one that usually goes to the home team.

The Seahawks are off to a rough 0-2 and were dismantled last Sunday in Pittsburgh. However, a few key players could be getting healthy, namely WR Sidney Rice, and this is the Cardinals, a team that’s 1-1 and very beatable on the road.

Look for the 12th man to play its part in Seattle’s home opener and for the Seahawks to pull out a very close win.

* Pro Football 101 is 2-2 in the money line bet this year.

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Best Bet

1. New England Patriots (-7) vs. San Diego Chargers – Any other time of year and we’re betting the underdog in this match-up.

But San Diego ALWAYS starts slowly under Norv Turner and Tom Brady will eclipse the 39 passing yards Donovan McNabb had last week on his 1st series.

He’ll probably end up with 300 + yards more and 3 TDs. We like the Patriots to pull out the double digit win and they are our top NFL bet in Week 2.

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2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+3) vs. Minnesota Vikings - While QB Donovan McNabb will certainly improve, we don’t think his poor passing day last week was an aberration. He’s become a liability in his old (football) age and we expect the Bucs’ D to make RB Adrian Peterson their No. 1 priority and force McNabb to beat them.

He can’t at this stage in his career.

Expect QB Josh Freeman and Co. to bounce back after a poor Week 1 to cover the point spread on the road.

3. Chicago Bears (+7) vs. New Orleans Saints – The Saints are dangerous heading into their home opener but the loss of WR Marques Colston is big. It changes the dynamics of their passing game and will force QB Drew Brees to constantly spread the ball around, which he’s excellent at.

The problem with the point spread is the Bears feature a solid D and their offense will put points on the board against the Saints.

Figure Chicago to keep this one close throughout.

4. Atlanta Falcons (+2.5) vs. Philadelphia Eagles – See Money Line Bet.

The Rest

Dallas Cowboys (-3) vs. San Francisco 49ers – The Cowboys are clearly the better team. The tricky part becomes the back to back coast trips to start the season. We don’t think that’ll be enough to keep them from winning by more than a FG.

Tennessee Titans (+6) vs. Baltimore Ravens – This is a classic trap game for the Ravens. Coming off an emotional home whoopin’ of the hated Steelers, it’s not likely that they’ll be able to carry over that intensity when they head to Tennessee.

Detroit Lions (-8.5) vs. Kansas City Chiefs – The Lions will be the talk of the league after starting out 2-0. And we bet it will be in impressive fashion as they put away the Chiefs by double digits to cover the point spread.

Money Line Bet

Atlanta Falcons (+115) vs. Philadelphia Eagles - Expect to see a completely different Falcons team when they face the Eagles in their home opener on Sunday Night. They were embarrassed by the Bears and can ill afford to drop to 0-2 to start the season.

The final score will be close, but we expect Atlanta to control the tempo throughout. You’ll see a heavy dose of RB Michael Turner as the Eagles were abysmal against the run in Week 1. The front 7 is undersized, DC Juan Castillo has never called a game before, and it’ll take time before the young LB’ers learn how to read run block schemes in the NFL.

Once the run is established, which eats away at the clock, Matt Ryan will attack the middle of the field, avoiding the CB’s on the outside, and finish with a few TDs.

On the other side of the ball, QB Michael Vick will provide plenty of highlights, but the Falcons time of possession will far outweigh the Eagles and keep their offense from finding a rhythm all evening.

The end result will be a 24-20 Falcons win.

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Must Start

1. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Sea – Get ready to see a completely different defense when Seattle comes to town.

2. Green Bay Packers vs. Car – Cam Newton’s 2^nd start will be much different than his 1^st. There won’t be another fantasy football breakout performance in Week 2 for Newton.

3. Baltimore Ravens vs. Ten – Look for the Ravens to make life miserable for Matt Hasselback and Co.

4. New York Jets vs. Jax – Expect the Jets to force multiple turnovers in Week 2.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Min – 39 passing yards for Donovan McNabb in Week 1. It looks like a nice start for Tampa.

New York Giants vs. Stl – The Rams are beat up and New York should have DE Justin Tuck back.

Dallas Cowboys vs. SF – Expect DE/LB DeMarcus Ware and Co. to force the 49ers Offense into multiple turnovers.

The Rest

St. Louis Rams vs. NYG – HC Steve Spagnuolo knows the Giants offense inside and out.

Washington Redskins vs. Arz – The Skins look much improved on D in 2011.

Chicago Bears vs. NO – The Bears are good at creating turnovers and returning it to the house. Not the best of matchups however.

New Orleans Saints vs. Chi – Cutler has shown on a number of occasions he’s especially careless with the ball on the road. The Saints are one of the more opportunistic defenses around.

Detroit Lions vs. KC – The hungry Lions will be a handful for the hurting Chiefs Offense in Week 2.

Houston Texans vs. Mia – The Texans look improved under DC Wade Phillips.

Denver Broncos vs. Cin –The Bengals will most likely turn back to rookie QB Andy Dalton.

Fantasy Sleeper

Buffalo Bills vs. Oak – The Bills held the Chiefs to 7 points and forced turnovers. The Raiders are traveling cross country and the Bills have a great shot to start the season 2-0. The D/ST is a solid fantasy sleeper this week.