Week 9 NFL Picks: Odds Predictions and Top Prop Bets for Full Schedule

Another Sunday of NFL action is here, folks. We've already blown through two months of the season, and eight weeks will remain after Week 9 comes to an end.

Eleven games are on Sunday's slate, culminating with a Denver Broncos-Oakland Raiders nightcap. On Monday, the Seattle Seahawks will host the Buffalo Bills in the week's finale.

With more than a day's worth of action, there are plenty of wagering opportunities. We're going to take a look at the latest Vegas lines—courtesy of Odds Shark—and make some predictions against them. We'll also run down our top picks and some enticing Week 9 prop bets.

Day, Time (ET)	Game	Line	Prediction
Sun. 1 p.m.	Pittsburgh at Baltimore	BAL -2.5	PIT
Sun. 1 p.m.	Philadelphia at NY Giants	NYG -2.5	NYG
Sun. 1 p.m.	NY Jets at Miami	MIA -4	MIA
Sun. 1 p.m.	Dallas at Cleveland	DAL -7.5	CLE
Sun. 1 p.m.	Jacksonville at Kansas City	KC -7.5	KC
Sun. 1 p.m.	Detroit at Minnesota	MIN -6.5	DET
Sun. 4:05 p.m.	Carolina at Los Angeles	CAR -3	CAR
Sun. 4:05 p.m.	New Orleans at San Francisco	NO -4.5	NO
Sun. 4:25 p.m.	Tennessee at San Diego	SD -4.5	SD
Sun. 4:25 p.m.	Indianapolis at Green Bay	GB -7.5	IND
Sun. 8:30 p.m.	Denver at Oakland	OAK -1	DEN
Mon. 8:30 p.m.	Buffalo at Seattle	SEA -7	BUF

Top Picks

New Orleans Saints (-4) over San Francisco 49ers

Bill Feig/Associated Press

The New Orleans Saints have a poor defense, but the San Francisco 49ers defense is even worse. This game should have the potential for a lot of scoring from both teams.

Pro Football Focus rates the Saints 25th and the 49ers 29th in overall defense.

This means the matchup will probably come down to the offenses, and here the Saints have a massive advantage.

New Orleans has a future Hall of Fame quarterback in Drew Brees and a bevy of offensive weapons like Brandin Cooks, Michael Thomas, Willie Snead and Coby Fleener. The Saints also seemed to find their running last week against the Seattle Seahawks in the form of Tim Hightower, who rushed for 102 yards.

The 49ers have inconsistent quarterback Colin Kaepernick and running back Carlos Hyde, who is questionable and might not play. They really don't offer much else offensively. Leading receiver Jeremy Kerley has just 331 yards this season.

The 49ers are just too outgunned here and will likely lose by at least a touchdown.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Kansas City Chiefs: Over 44

There are a couple of reasons why the over-under for the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars is trending on the low side. One reason might be that the Jaguars—who average just 19.9 points per game—haven't been efficient offensively. Part of the reason may be that the Chiefs are set to start backup Nick Foles at quarterback, according to CBSSports.com's Jason La Canfora:

Regardless, this over-under feels a bit low for a Chiefs game at Arrowhead. Kansas City has scored at least 24 points in every home game this season. It might drop 34 against a Jaguars defense that is rated 23rd overall by Pro Football Focus.

Jacksonville is playing like a listless team right now, and it seems at times that the defense isn't even trying. Last week, Deion Sanders made a harsh observation, according to NFL.com's Chris Wesseling:

Jacksonville has given up at least 33 points in each of its last two games. It could do so again this week. Foles actually played well last week in relief of Alex Smith—he went 16-of-22 for 223 yards and two touchdowns. He can lead an offense that dices the Jaguars.

If the Jaguars can manage to get on the board for a couple of scores, this game should hit the over.

Dolphins RB Jay Ajayi: Over 70.5 Yards Rushing

Joel Auerbach/Getty Images

Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi has rushed for more than 200 yards in each of his past two games. While we don't believe he'll sniff that mark in Week 9, he can get to 71 yards rushing based on volume.

The New York Jets will provide a stiff challenge, of course. They are allowing an NFL-low 74 yards per game.

"It's a good challenge for us," Jets linebacker David Harris said, per Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. "They run the ball good. We stop the run good. We'll see who breaks first."

If Ajayi can manage to average just three yards per carry, he can hit the 71-yard mark. He has received at least 25 carries in each of the past two games and will be rested coming out of the bye week.

This one is probably going to be close, but the volume of work Ajayi should receive will allow him to hit the over in this prop.

Colts QB Andrew Luck: Over 276.5 Yards Passing

Uncredited/Associated Press

One enticing prop we found on Oddschecker.com is a passing mark for Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck. The mark is set at 276.5 yards, and, realistically, the only reason he shouldn't hit that is if he gets injured.

The Green Bay Packers are allowing just 74.4 yards rushing per game. The Colts average less than 100 yards rushing per game. If the Colts are to have any chance of winning, they're going to have to attack Green Bay through the air.

Pro Football Focus rates the Packers just 28th in pass coverage.

The Colts are even worse at defending the pass—Pro Football Focus rates them dead last—so this game has shootout potential. Indianapolis will need to rely on Luck to keep pace on the scoreboard, and this should almost force him to pass for more than 271 yards.

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers: Over 286.5 Yards Passing

Since the Colts have a horrendous pass defense and the Packers are low on running back options, it's fair to assume Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be doing a lot of work.

The only way Rodgers doesn't make it to 287 yards passing is if the Packers get out to a big early lead and try shortening the game with the running options they do have. The Colts, though, have enough firepower to keep the game relatively close, so letting up might not be a realistic option for Rodgers.

Expect him to hit 300-plus yards in the game.