NFL Week 13 Picks: Early Odds Tips, Spreads and Predictions for Latest Schedule

Week 13 signals the homestretch of the football season, Thanksgiving games and a full slate of matchups to wager on while avoiding as many family functions as possible. 

The traditional Turkey Day slate features three matchups to watch while battling sleep on the couch. In early action, the 3-7-1 Detroit Lions will host the 5-6 Bears. Then the most intriguing game of the holiday will see the 8-3 Buffalo Bills visiting the 6-5 Dallas Cowboys fresh off their close loss to the New England Patriots. 

The Thursday closer is a lopsided NFC South matchup between the 9-2 New Orleans Saints and the 3-8 Atlanta Falcons, but given the Saints close call in Week 12 against the Carolina Panthers, that game is far from a done deal. 

The Sunday schedule is highlighted by a matchup between two of the hottest teams in the league. The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers have emerged as contenders in their respective conferences and will have the opportunity to bolster their resume in a 1 p.m. ET game. 

Here's a look at the complete Week 13 schedule, the early lines and some bets that look good heading into the Thanksgiving weekend. 

Week 13 Odds, Picks

Chicago (-1) at Detroit

Buffalo at Dallas (-7)

New Orleans (-7) at Atlanta

Green Bay (-7) at N.Y. Giants

Washington at Carolina (-10)

San Francisco at Baltimore (-4.5)

Tennessee at Indianapolis (-3)

Philadelphia (-7.5) at Miami

Oakland at Kansas City (-9.5)

Tampa Bay at Jacksonville (-1.5)

N.Y. Jets (-3.5) at Cincinnati

Cleveland (-1) at Pittsburgh 

L.A. Rams (-4) at Arizona

L.A. Chargers (-2) at Denver

New England (-3.5) at Houston

Minnesota at Seattle (-3)

Picks made against the spread. Odds courtesy of Caesars.

Early Betting Advice

If you're looking to make a play on the Thanksgiving tripleheader, the Bears seem like the team to back. 

They played played the Lions just two weeks ago when Chicago picked up a 20-13 win at home. Since then, the Lions have lost two more games to bring their losing skid to four games. 

Matthew Stafford was once again unable to play in their Week 12 loss to the lowly Redskins. In his stead, Jeff Driskel threw three interceptions. The truth is even if Stafford can come back from injury, he will be back for the first time in three games and the Lions are just 1-7 in their last eight games, so their problems go far beyond the quarterback position. 

Meanwhile, the Bears might be inconsistent, but at least they still have something to play for. At 5-6 they aren't completely eliminated from playoff contention and have at least won two of their last three games. 

If you're looking for an underdog to pick in the pack, the Arizona Cardinals are a sneaky good pick. They'll be road dogs to the Los Angeles Rams by four, which is a line that doesn't make sense at first glance. The Rams are still in the playoff hunt, while the Cardinals are in the NFC West cellar. 

However, the schedule is doing the Cards some favors here. The Rams are set to play in a physical Monday night game against a Ravens team that can and will run the ball while playing solid defense. Meanwhile, the Cardinals got an extra week to rest and prepare in Week 12. 

Combine that with a relatively young Arizona team that has players like Kenyan Drake and Kyler Murray auditioning for the parts of franchise cornerstone and they'll be looking to make an impression against a divisional rival. That's the recipe for an upset or at least a cover. 

The closest line in the schedule is the rematch between the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers. The rivals are nearly a pick'em as the lines open this week just one week after the two met in Cleveland with a game that made headlines for all the wrong reasons. 

The end-of-the-game brawl overshadowed a 21-7 win for the Browns as Myles Garrett was suspended for the season. Garrett struck Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph in the head with his own helmet in the closing seconds of the game, and it doesn't look like either will be involved in this game. 

Rudolph was benched in Pittsburgh's ugly 16-10 win over the winless Bengals. Pittsburgh needed two forced fumbles in the fourth quarter to get the win after Devlin Hodges rallied the team at quarterback. 

It's unclear at this point whether it will be Hodges or Rudolph at the helm this week. Regardless, the offense is averaging just a tick over 13 points per game in its last three contests. 

Meanwhile, the Browns offense seems to be picking up steam as the season goes on. The unit scored 21 in the win over the Steelers but followed it up with 41 against the Dolphins.

Expect the Browns to keep things rolling as injuries continue to take their toll on Pittsburgh.