Week 12 NFL Picks: Prop Bets Advice, Vegas Odds, Spreads and Predictions

Ryan Fitzpatrick's presence in an NFL lineup does not inspire much fear or respect in the NFL.

Fitzpatrick was the New York Jets' starting quarterback last year, and he struggled. The Jets went 5-11, and he had a 12-17 TD-interception ratio.

The Jets parted company with Fitzpatrick, and he was basically their designated scapegoat. The beleaguered quarterback landed on his feet as the backup quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he appeared to fit comfortably and happily in that role as HBO's cameras caught his acceptance in the quarterback room and the locker room during Hard Knocks in training camp during the summer.

While the Bucs were struggling throughout the first half of the season, Fitzpatrick served as Jameis Winston's backup. However, a shoulder injury has sidelined Winston for the past two games, and Fitzpatrick has led the Bucs to consecutive victories.

Fitzpatrick will be in the lineup when the Bucs play the Atlanta Falcons on the road Sunday, and he is still not getting any respect. The Falcons are starting to play somewhat better after a disappointing first half, but they are far from a sure thing to get back to the playoffs this year. Nevertheless, they are still 10-point favorites over the Buccaneers, according to OddsShark.

Fitzpatrick has served as a steadying influence for Tampa Bay, as he has completed 58.0 percent of his passes with seven touchdowns and just three interceptions.

If he can continue to avoid throwing a spate of interceptions, the Bucs have a chance to be competitive throughout the remainder of the season. He has one of the top big targets in the game in wideout Mike Evans. Tight end Cameron Brate has become a dependable pass-catcher, with 34 receptions for 436 yards and four touchdowns.

The Falcons are coming off a hard-fought 34-31 road win over the Seattle Seahawks, and they have won three of their past four games. They appear to be in the process of turning their season around, but they are not the dominant team they were a year ago.

Dan Quinn's Falcons are just 2-2 at home this season, with the losses coming at the hands of the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins.

There is no reason why Tampa Bay can't hang in with Atlanta. The Buccaneers will cover the 10-point spread in this game, and it would not be a shock if they came home with the victory.

Take Tampa Bay and the points.

NFL Week 12 Schedule, Odds

Minnesota (-2.5) at Detroit | O/U 44.5

L.A. Chargers (-1) at Dallas | O/U 47

N.Y. Giants at Washington (-7) | O/U 44.5

Buffalo at Kansas City (-10) | O/U 46.5

Carolina (-5) at N.Y. Jets | O/U 39.5

Chicago at Philadelphia (-13.5) | O/U 44

Cleveland at Cincinnati (-8) | O/U 38

Miami at New England (-16.5) | O/U 47.5

Tampa Bay at Atlanta (-10) | O/U 48.5

Tennessee (-3) at Indianapolis | O/U 45.5

Seattle (-6.5) at San Francisco | O/U 45

Denver at Oakland (-5) | O/U 43.5

Jacksonville (-5.5) at Arizona | O/U 38

New Orleans at L.A. Rams (-2.5) | O/U 53.5

Green Bay at Pittsburgh (-14) | O/U 43

Houston at Baltimore (-7) | O/U 38

Point-spread information according to OddsShark.

Chicago Bears at Philadelphia Eagles

As we approach the season's homestretch, this is the time of year when blowouts start to become more common in the NFL.

The great teams have separated themselves from the average and good teams, and they can smell that the postseason is right around the corner. The Philadelphia Eagles take a 9-1 record into Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears.

The erstwhile Monsters of the Midway (3-7) are decidedly not a great team. They are hoping Mitchell Trubisky is the quarterback who will lead them for the next decade and help make them competitive, but he is nothing more than a rookie with some talent who has made some good plays and some duds at this point.

The Bears have shown some improvement on defense this season, but the loss of pass-rush specialist Leonard Floyd to a knee injury hurts their slim chances of competing against Philadelphia.

The Eagles simply have too many high-functioning weapons, including MVP candidate Carson Wentz at quarterback, LeGarrette Blount at running back and former Bear Alshon Jeffery at the wide receiver position.

Wentz has a 25-5 TD-interception ratio, Blount has rushed for 561 yards and has a 4.6 yards per carry average and Jeffery has caught 38 passes for 567 yards and six touchowns

There may come a time during the final two gameweeks of the regular season when the Eagles have the best record in the NFC clinched, and they may rest starters at that point. However, they are still surging, and they will not let up at home against the Bears.

Philadelphia is a 13.5-point favorite in this game, and the Eagles defense should cause havoc for the Chicago offense. Wentz and Co., meanwhile, should roll.

The Eagles will have the spread covered by the middle of the third quarter and then turn this game into a true blowout.

Prop Bet

Take a look at the Thanksgiving game between the lowly New York Giants and the Washington Redskins.

OddsShark relays several props on this game, including whether either team will have three consecutive scores, whether there will be a defensive touchdown, whether the game will go into overtime and whether the game will end in a tie.

Three consecutive scores in a game sounds daunting, but it is done with regularity. The prop is offered at minus-220 (wager $220 to win $100), while the bet that either of the teams does not score three straight times is offered at plus-180 (wager $100 to win $180).

The defensive touchdown prop is offered at plus-240, while a bet on the "no" side of that prop is minus-280.

The overtime prop lists at plus-1,200, while the "no" bet is offered at minus-2,000. The tie proposition lists at plus-5,000 for "yes" and minus-20,000 for "no."

We are intrigued by the defensive TD prop and willing to take a chance on it happening. The Giants have won just two games this year, and their opponents have not scored a defensive TD. That means they are due to do just that.

New York and Washington's opponents have all scored defensively. We think there will be at least one defensive TD in this game.

We are also curious about the overtime and tie-game props because they are so lucrative. Small wagers on the propositions mean it would be a much more enjoyable holiday season if either or both come through.