Welcome to Week 18! As always, bet on the final week of the NFL regular season with extreme caution. There are many conflicting motivations this week: Some players have statistical incentives to reach, but only some teams care about helping them get there. Some teams without a prayer for the playoffs are fighting for one last win, and some are "1-2-3 Cancun!"-ing their way through the last few quarters.
Here are my eight favorite bets for the upcoming weekend of NFL action, with a same-game parlay to boot.
All odds current as of publication time and courtesy of ESPN BET.
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Game picks | Prop bets | Teaser and SGP
Game picks
Minnesota Vikings +3 (-120) at Detroit Lions
In one of the few games in which both teams are expected to be competitive, we have a more predictable environment, so we can more reliably find edges. While I do make the Lions a small favorite in this game, I only have them as a 1-point choice given the current state of their defensive roster. Getting the key number of three with the Vikings, even at the juice, is the side we'd like to be on here.