NFL Week 10 Predictions: Projections for the Early Lines, Spreads and Odds

When it comes to squaring off with Las Vegas in the NFL lines and odds departments, the earlier bettors get to work, the better. 

So while Monday's action is not even in the books, there is no better time than the present to break down the Week 10 slate and seize some early odds that perhaps the house made in error when eventually viewed in hindsight.

Early lines are always ripe for the picking before things sway as more bets roll in, but bettors must do a large amount of homework to avoid a bad decision. It requires a certain amount of speed and expertise, but help is always right around the corner to expedite the process.

Here is a look at the early Week 10 offerings.

NFL Week 10 Picks Against the Spread

Matchup	Spread	Pick ATS	Reason
Cleveland at Cincinnati (Thurs., Nov. 6)	CIN -6	CLE	Cincinnati is going to win, but not by almost a touchdown in an AFC North clash.
Kansas City at Buffalo	KC -2	KC	Kansas City's offense finally seems to be turning things around and will move the ball well against the Buffalo defense.
Miami at Detroit	DET -2	DET	Miami is on a roll, but Detroit has an elite offense and defense and is at home.
Dallas at Jacksonville	N/A	DAL	The chance of no Tony Romo is scary, but so is Jacksonville's defense against DeMarco Murray.
San Francisco at New Orleans	NO -2.5	NO	See analysis below.
Tennessee at Baltimore	BAL -10	BAL	A two-win Tennessee team stands no chance against a surefire contender.
Pittsburgh at NY Jets	PIT -2.5	PIT	A quarterback issue in New York will only get worse with Pittsburgh in town.
Atlanta at Tampa Bay	TB -1.5	ATL	In a battle of the inept, defer to the team with the better quarterback.
Denver at Oakland	DEN -10.5	DEN	See analysis below.
St. Louis at Arizona	ARI -7.5	STL	St. Louis has a way of keeping games close and just upended San Francisco.
NY Giants at Seattle	SEA -7.5	SEA	Seattle has been no sure thing at home this year, but it will be against an injured New York team.
Chicago at Green Bay	GB -7.5	GB	Green Bay had a week of rest to figure out Chicago's defense, which is scary.
Carolina at Philadelphia (Mon., Nov. 10)	N/A	CAR	With the sudden question mark under center for Philadelphia, this one defers to a Carolina team that is getting healthier.

Odds via Odds Shark as of 8 p.m. ET, Nov. 2.

Highlighting Early Lines to Bet

San Francisco at New Orleans (-2.5)

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

It may be quite difficult to find two teams headed more violently in different directions.

The New Orleans Saints are .500 in a good way, as the team has fixed early-season issues and won three of its last four games. The San Francisco 49ers are .500 in the worst way possible after a pair of critical losses.

After a 42-17 blowout at the hands of Denver, the 49ers came out of a bye in Week 9 and dropped a home contest to the St. Louis Rams while quarterback Colin Kaepernick was sacked a ridiculous eight times.

John Middlekauff of 95.7 The GAME sums up the dire situation well:

Despite the wealth of issues and a serious beating at the hands of the Rams, Kaepernick is certainly not throwing in the towel, as the team's Twitter account records:

Now, New Orleans only has 17 sacks on the year, but the talent to abuse the wobbly San Francisco line with names such as Junior Galette (six sacks) and Cameron Jordan (four sacks) is certainly there.

Keep in mind that the defense is two weeks removed from holding Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers to just 23 points to bump the team's home record to 3-0 on the year.

In a noisy environment with plenty of time to prepare, one of the league's best passing offenses should have no issues against the San Francisco defense while the 49ers continue to struggle to find an identity on offense.

Prediction: Saints 30, 49ers 17

Denver (-10.5) at Oakland

Steve Dykes/Getty Images

An angry Peyton Manning is a scary Peyton Manning, and a team that has lost 14 straight games dating back to last season does not stand much of a chance next weekend.

The Denver Broncos dropped a 43-21 decision in Foxborough in Week 9, which broke a four-game winning streak. The last time the Broncos lost, they rebounded in their next game with a 41-20 blowout of a contender, Arizona.

Oakland, led by rookie quarterback Derek Carr and the league's worst rushing attack, is sure to be on empty by Sunday after turning in an epic effort in an eventual 30-24 loss in Seattle.

Bleacher Report's Christopher Hansen puts it best in regard to how the Raiders should measure themselves the rest of the season: 

That sort of content may be difficult to find against Manning, though. Not only do the Broncos rank among the league's best against the rush, the defense does great against the pass, too, obviously not counting Week 9.

Carr is no Tom Brady, either, and has thrown just three touchdowns to two interceptions over the course of his last three games. An anemic offense in the face of Manning and a strong defense will produce one of the more lopsided results of Week 10.

Prediction: Broncos 44, Raiders 20

Note: Stats courtesy of NFL.com. Advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Indianapolis, Minnesota, New England, San Diego, Washington and Houston on bye.