Well, let's hope that Week 9 doesn't follow the trend from Thursday! The Jaguars dominated the Ravens on Thursday night but man that was a tough watch. Fortunately, the Sunday slate looks a lot better than what we got as an opening salvo. Bet on the NFL at DraftKings, where new users get $200 in bonus bets and 3 free months of NBA League Pass after spending $5+:
Speaking of the Jaguars, if you're so inclined, there are some decent matchup numbers for Jacksonville to make the Super Bowl if you can name the opponent. I love Jags-Bears at 25-1 on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Jags and Rams (29-1) isn't terrible if you buy into the Rams turning the corner with a new offensive approach (I do). Further down the board, the Jags facing off against one of the NFC North teams is real juicy, particularly the Packers (70-1). There's a lot of season left but sprinkling some Jacksonville futures isn't the worst idea in the world.
Let's stay hot this week and find some winners, player props and anytime touchdown scorers! Claim the best Kalshi promo code CBSSPORTS55, trade $25, and receive a $55 bonus here:
Best bets for NFL Week 9
Colts +5.5 vs. Cowboys
The Colts aren't full-blown tanking but they are selling off just about every asset on their roster to try and acquire draft picks. It's the smart thing to do, because the roster is far away from being ready to compete for a championship. The roster can compete, however, against a team like the Cowboys, who should not be laying this many points on the road against a team of professionals. That team includes Jonathan Taylor, who's been heavily rumored in trade talks but might not actually be on the move. If he is, then this could be the last game for him in a Colts uniform. If that's the case, it's a perfect matchup; the Cowboys are arguably the worst defense in the NFL against opposing running backs (you'd have to include them catching passes as well to get there) and are unquestionably a bottom-five team against running backs. Taylor could go nuts here in what profiles to be a shootout.
Chargers +6 vs. Texans
Hoooo boy does this feel ugly. The Chargers STINK out loud and are sitting at 0-7, have a horrible offensive line and are facing off against what we perceive to be an elite defense. The Chargers are coming off a pretty embarrassing loss to the Rams at "home" and the Texans are coming off their bye. So I get the line here. But it's just a little too high for a 2-5 team that managed to lose to J.J. McCarthy at home in its last game. The Chargers aren't going 0-17 this year.
Patriots -3 vs. Packers
We obviously would have loved to have gotten a 2.5-point spread here, but there's a good chance that even the 3s disappear before the weekend gets here. The line might be holding on to the possibility of Micah Parsons' return -- he's back at practice this week -- but I wouldn't be shocked if he's one week away from returning to the field. And if Parsons doesn't go, the Patriots should be able to have a field day on offense even with some of their key players (A.J. Brown, TreVeyon Henderson) potentially out. The Pats have been a good team outside of the first two weeks of the season and are elite at home. Mike Vrabel also seems chapped about Tom Brady's return to Foxborough for this one and I bet the Patriots show out in a big way for spite, or at least perceived spite. Bet on NFL Week 9 at Caesars with promo code CBSSPORTSBR250 and get $250 in bet resets:
Week 9 NFL player props
Ashton Jeanty Over 27.5 rushing yards
This is a bit of a principle play on Jeanty, who was semi-soft benched by the Raiders last week, with Mike Washington given all the carries. Now, it's possible that Jeanty is benched forever and is just Trent Richardson 2.0. I don't believe that. I think this is more like Cam Skattebo's benching for the Giants, in that it was designed to motivate the young running back. Even if I'm wrong, he's still going to get *some* carries in this game and we are talking about an absurdly low number of rushing yards here. His rush/rec total is 70.5 (!) so there's some built-in faith he's going to get looks in this game, just not as many in the rushing attack. I'll bank on a bounceback here.
Ja'Marr Chase Over 77.5 receiving yards
I was shocked to see Chase and Tee Higgins have identical receiving totals in this game. Higgins is a little higher than I would have thought, while Chase is a little lower. That raises my eyebrows a little but I'm not going to overthink it; this is a great spot for the Bengals offense against a Falcons defense that is better against the run than the pass. Place your NFL Week 9 bets at BetMGM with bonus code CBSSPORTS and get up to $1,500 in bonus bets:
Anytime touchdown scorer props for Week 9
Jameson Williams (+165)
Jamo has been on a touchdown tear lately, piling up a ridiculous five touchdowns in his last three games. I'm not particularly worried about touchdown regression, because he largely set up the scores he ended up closing and hasn't finished off some big plays that could have resulted in scores as well. The long and short of it is Williams' usage is great right now, the Lions are giving him tons of designed looks to set up scores and his price hasn't fully adjusted.
Blake Corum (+110)
Corum is a regular in this column and we're not afraid to stick with what works: Corum's scored three times in four games and has looked very much like the 1B to Kyren Williams. The Rams new offensive approach is AGGRESSIVELY run heavy and it's resulted in double-digit carries for Corum the last two weeks, in which he's shredded on the ground. I think it keeps going here and love that Sean McVay keeps him in for high-value touches whenever he's in for one of "his" drives. His price should really be closer to -125 given the Rams offensive approach.
Braelon Allen (+240)
Allen has been incredible the last few weeks for the Jets with Breece Hall on the mend. With Hall likely coming back this week, we're getting some great value on Allen to find the end zone here. Do we really think the Jets are just going to abandon using the big body of Allen because Hall returns? I don't think they will, especially if Hall is considered a trade candidate and needs to remain healthy. I wouldn't be shocked at all if Allen ended up getting the redzone touches.
