NFL Week 7 Picks: Lions vs. Falcons and 3 Games Affected by Injured Stars

Week 7 in the NFL is weird. There is nothing else I can say but, Week 7 is weird.

The New England Patriots, New York Giants, Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals and San Francisco 49ers are all on a bye this week.

These six teams are some of the most interesting stories in all of football leaving us with a weird week and weird lines.

Here are three games heavily affected by injuries that you should tread very cautiously with.

Lions (-3.5) vs. Falcons 

The Lions are likely to be without star running back Jahvid Best. He suffered another concussion (this may become a problem in his career but that is for another paragraph in another article) and is not expected to be on the field for the 5-1 Lions this week.

The Atlanta Falcons come into Detroit with plenty of their own problems. They can't cover spreads on the road and they have no clue what they want to do offensively.

This line has moved one point from 4.5 to 3.5 and might move again.

But there is another twist, as Julio Jones, the Falcons' rookie receiver, is expected to miss his second straight week.

Do these two players balance out? No. But when Best is finally ruled out it will move this line again.

Broncos at Dolphins (-1.5)

The Miami Dolphins don't just have one major injury (Chad Henne is out for the year), but star wide receiver Brandon Marshall is also banged up.

This line started at Dolphins -3 and has since moved to Dolphins -1.5.

Rookie running back Daniel Thomas will be back in full swing, but change-of-pace back Reggie Bush is questionable with a neck injury.

His presence won't affect the line at all and while Marshall returned to practice today there is no telling what type of effort he'll give on Sunday.

Seahawks at Browns (-3)

This a game that does feature two teams with offsetting injuries.

The Seahawks are expected to be without starting quarterback Tarvaris Jackson and the Browns are unlikely to get Peyton Hillis on the field.

Three points is home-field advantage only, and this line will stay exactly where it is as the week progresses.

Neither team can be trusted. Neither team is truly playoff worthy. And neither team is better off with the injuries they're dealing with.