Week 9 NFL Picks: Tips, Odds and Over/Under Predictions for Sunday

Now that Las Vegas and bettors around the globe have had about a week to digest Week 9 NFL lines, it is time for those last-minute bettors to take advantage of any shifts and updated injury information.

The buildup to this weekend actually provides the perfect example. Bettors who jumped on early lines—which is certainly a viable situation in itself—may now be on the hunt for a refund with the announcement that one of the league's star quarterbacks is set to return from injury (more on that in a bit).

Procrastinating certainly has its advantages, NFL picks being one of them. Below, you'll find more than a few reasons why.

NFL Week 9 Picks Against the Spread

Matchup	Spread (O/U)	O/U Pick	Pick ATS	Reason
Tampa Bay at Cleveland	CLE -7 (43.5)	U	CLE	See analysis below.
Arizona at Dallas	DAL -4 (45)	O	DAL	Dallas is the best team in the league right now and has an offense that will abuse one of the worst pass defenses.
Philadelphia at Houston	PHI -2 (49)	U	PHI	As long as Philadelphia totes a balanced attack, the Eagles can win.
NY Jets at Kansas City	KC -10 (42)	U	KC	Next question.
Jacksonville at Cincinnati	CIN -11 (43.5)	O	JAC	Cincinnati seems to play up and down to the competition this year. The spread is entirely too large.
San Diego at Miami	MIA -1 (45)	O	SD	San Diego remains one of the best teams in the league and will turn things around against a struggling Miami offense.
Washington at Minnesota	EVEN (44)	U	WAS	See analysis below.
St. Louis at San Francisco	SF -10 (44)	U	STL	St. Louis always shows strongly in divisional battles, if not pulls off an upset.
Denver at New England	DEN -3.5 (54)	O	DEN	New England is hot right now, but Peyton Manning is even better.
Oakland at Seattle	SEA -14.5 (43)	O	OAK	The Raiders are bad, but nobody should pretend the Seahawks inspire this much confidence after a miserable stretch.
Baltimore at Pittsburgh	BAL -1 (47.5)	U	BAL	Baltimore is better on both sides of the football and will come out angry after a divisional loss.
Indianapolis at NY Giants (Mon., Nov. 3)	IND -3.5 (51)	O	IND	Indianapolis has a strong defense that will slow Eli Manning and Co.

Odds via Odds Shark as of 11 p.m. ET, Oct. 28.

Top Odds From Sunday's Slate

Tampa Bay at Cleveland (-7)

David Richard/Associated Press

Like candy from a baby. Or something.

Here is the difference between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cleveland Browns this year—both teams are extremely talented, but only one has figured out how to actually translate that into wins.

Under new head coach Lovie Smith, the Buccaneers have been an absolute disaster, with the team's lone win coming on a fluky last-second touchdown pass back in Week 4 to beat an erratic Pittsburgh Steelers team.

To be blunt, the Buccaneers do not do a whole lot well. The team's leading rusher is Bobby Rainey, and while the offense has been better with Mike Glennon under center as opposed to Josh McCown, the team still ranks 28th through the air and 29th on the ground. Let's just toss in being ranked 30th against the pass and 23rd against the rush too.

Cleveland, on the other hand, has won three of its last four and touts a triple-headed monster at running back that allows the team to rank among the top 12 rushing teams in the league:

NAME	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD
Ben Tate	84	305	3.6	3
Isaiah Crowell	52	256	4.9	4
Terrance West	66	254	3.8	2

Equally surprising has been the play of veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer, who takes care of the football, with 1,714 yards and eight touchdowns to two interceptions.

In Cleveland, this one is going to get ugly. Cleveland's defense is by no means amazing, but a ball-control offense with few turnovers will batter and bruise a reeling Tampa Bay roster that seems to already be looking ahead to next season. Take advantage despite a notable line.

Prediction: Browns 27, Buccaneers 14

Washington (EVEN) at Minnesota

Rob Carr/Getty Images

Now, about that star quarterback set to make his return. 

That man would be Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III, as the NFL captures on Twitter:

Now, Griffin is a bit of a scary proposition for bettors, but it sure beats Colt McCoy's chances of pulling off another miracle, right?

Besides, the opposition is the 3-5 Minnesota Vikings, a team starting a rookie quarterback who leads the NFL's 31st passing attack. That rookie is Teddy Bridgewater, who has 1,053 yards and two touchdowns to five interceptions on the season and is now tasked with overcoming a stout Washington pass defense that ranks No. 7 in the league with an average of 219.3 yards allowed per game.

Then again, defense is where the Vikings make their money this season too. It should come as no surprise, either. Washington coach Jay Gruden certainly knows a thing or two about fellow former coordinator Mike Zimmer from their Cincinnati days, as the team records on Twitter: 

The Vikings present a unique challenge for RGIII in that they rank No. 4 against the pass and No. 16 against the rush. That taken into account, Griffin's ability on the ground and through the air, paired with explosive outside weapons such as Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson, will prove difficult for Zimmer's unit to contain.

Bank on a returning RGIII to breathe further life into the surging Washington team against a lowly opponent.

Prediction: Washington 24, Vikings 17

Note: Stats courtesy of NFL.com. Advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Atlanta, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay and Tennessee on bye.