We've reached Week 14 of the NFL season and ESPN betting analysts Joe Fortenbaugh, Preston Johnson and Doug Kezirian, sports betting deputy editor David Bearman, Fantasy's Mike Clay, Stats & Info's Mackenzie Kraemer and Matt Youmans of the Vegas Stats & Information Network are here to tell us what they like from Sunday's NFL slate.
Season ATS (against the spread) records:
Youmans 2-2 (26-20-1 on season)
Kezirian 2-1 (14-19-1)
Bearman 0-3 (13-15-1)
Clay 0-1 (19-9)
Fortenbaugh 1-1 (27-23-1)
Johnson 0-1 (17-21-1)
Note: Caesars Sportsbook lines displayed as of Wednesday; all times Eastern. Picks on lines available at time of posting.
1 p.m. games
San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints (-2.5, 44.5)
Kezirian: I think the 49ers are a legitimate contender, but this is a very difficult ask. San Francisco just played a grueling game in Baltimore and stayed out east for this back-to-back road game. The team is practicing in Florida this week and then will travel to New Orleans. A similar approach worked during the season's first two weeks when the Niners won and covered in Tampa Bay and Cincinnati, but covering +2.5 in New Orleans is a much more difficult request. I'll take the bait with the short number, as I'm unsure I trust Jimmy Garoppolo in the Superdome.
Pick: Saints -2.5