NFL Picks Week 8: 17 NFL Trends That Could Drain Your Wallet

Along with Tim Tebow, there are plenty of trends heading into NFL Week 8 that could drain your wallet of straight cash.

Fans must avoid being suckered into thinking that they have a chance to hit it big by taking these bets.

We're now in the heart of the NFL season, and things are beginning to take shape. By now, fans have a good idea of what's a good bet and what's not. Trust your gut—if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.

Avoid these pitfalls in Week 8 unless you want to end up in the poor house.

Don't Bet on Miami Dolphins' Head Coach Tony Sparano Having a Job

The Miami Dolphins are 0-6, including an 18-15 loss after leading 15-0 against the Denver Broncos with under three minutes to go in Week 7.

How much worse can it get? Not much.

The only way that head coach Tony Sparano coaches against the New York Giants in Week 8 is if the team is truly trying to "Suck for Luck."

Don't Bet Against the San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers are the biggest surprise in the NFL at 5-1 and are fresh off their bye week.

Even better news, they play at home against the Cleveland Browns, who won in Week 7 despite only producing six points.

Expect the strong 49ers defense to feast on a meek Browns offense.

As for the 49ers offense, they scored 48 points in their last home game just a few weeks ago.

Don't Bet on Chris Johnson Struggling

Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson has been a massive disappointment this season.

To date, he only has 250 yards rushing, 116 yards receiving and one touchdown in five games.

This is not what the Titans signed up for when they signed him a six-year, $56 million deal just before the season started.

Good thing for Johnson and the Titans, they play the winless Indianapolis Colts in Week 8, who were taken behind the woodshed by the New Orleans Saints in Week 7.

There's nothing like getting back on track against one of the worst, and that's what Johnson will do against the Colts. Expect Johnson to put up 125-plus yards and two touchdowns.

Don't Bet Against the Fumbling Indianapolis Colts

What a difference Peyton Manning makes.

The Indianapolis Colts are 0-7 without their future Hall of Fame quarterback.

It's hard to say who's the worst team in the league, because the St. Louis Rams and Miami Dolphins are also without a win, but the Colts lost by 55 points in Week 7 to the New Orleans Saints.

An alarming stat is that the Colts have fumbled in every game except one, Week 5 against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Colts have lost nine fumbles in just seven games. Ouch.

Right now it appears that fumbling is contagious for the Colts. Don't bet against them fumbling versus the Tennessee Titans in Week 8.

Don't Bet Against the Pittsburgh Steelers Scoring Less Than 30 Points

The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals 32-20 in Week 7. It's the second time in three weeks that the Steelers have put up 30-plus points.

The team is now 5-2 and look fully recovered from their 2-2 start.

Chances that the Steelers score more than 30 points in Week 8 against the New England Patriots are pretty good.

While it's true that the Patriots have only allowed 30-plus points once this season, they allow the most passing yards in the league at 322.2 yards/game.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and wide receiver Mike Wallace have become one of the deadliest duos in the NFL. Wallace has 730 receiving yards on just 36 catches this season. He isn't Roethlisberger's only weapon either, as the Steelers have a stable of willing and able receivers.

This will be the game of the week, and the Steelers will score more than 30 points.

Don't Bet on DeAngelo Williams Breaking out of His Slump

Carolina Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams is an honorary member of the Chris Johnson Club for Overpaid Underachievers this season.

Williams signed a five-year, $43 million deal with his team in the offseason but only has 302 yards and one touchdown in seven games this year.

If he doesn't get it going soon, he may want to check his bank account, because his direct deposit may not show up.

Things won't get easier for Williams in Week 8 as the Panthers host a tenacious Minnesota Vikings run defense.

Don't Bet on Donovan McNabb Starting Again—Ever

Donovan McNabb's starting days in the NFL appear to be over.

The Minnesota Vikings quarterback was replaced by rookie Christian Ponder in Week 7.

After being booted from Philadelphia just a few years ago and failing for the Washington Redskins last season, McNabb was thought to get redemption in Minnesota. Wrong.

Ponder looked alright in his first start as an NFL quarterback, going 13-of-32 for 219 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. While these may not be fellow-rookie Cam Newton numbers, Ponder seemed to win over the Vikings faithful.

For McNabb, it appears to be all downhill from here. He was truly a joy to watch in his prime, but that is clearly over.

Don't Bet Against Cam Newton and Steve Smith Hooking Up for Less Than 100 Yards

The Carolina Panthers may only be 2-5 on the season, but rookie quarterback Cam Newton and wide receiver Steve Smith have quickly become one of the most fun-to-watch duos in the NFL.

The two men proved that once again in Week 7, as they connected seven times for 143 yards. On the season, Smith has 39 catches for 818 yards in just seven games.

The duo looks to improve their numbers in Week 8 against the Minnesota Vikings. While the Vikings have a top-tier run defense, they're ranked 24th at stopping the pass.

Newton and Smith will look to continue to build their chemistry against the 1-6 Vikings in Week 8.

Don't Bet on Arian Foster to Earn 100 Yards on the Ground and Through the Air

Houston Texans running back Arian Foster had a monster Week 7, rushing for 115 yards with two touchdowns and catching five balls for 119 yards and another score.

While this may be a tempting bet to take because the Texans play the Jacksonville Jaguars, this is highly unlikely to happen in back-to-back weeks.

Resist the temptation—don't do it.

Don't Bet on DeMarco Murray Running for over 100 Yards

Dallas Cowboys rookie running back DeMarco Murray produced an out-of-this-world 253 rushing yards and a touchdown in Week 7 against the St. Louis Rams.

He set the Cowboys' franchise record with his efforts.

Murray won't be so productive in Week 8 when the Cowboys travel to Philadelphia to face the Eagles.

The Eagles are coming off of their bye week and are trying to atone themselves from their weak 2-4 start.

While they do allow 123.8 yards/game on the ground, the Eagles only allowed 42 in Week 6 against the Washington Redskins.

Murray is good, but he won't have a repeat performance from Week 7.

Don't bet on triple-digit rushing yards for the rookie in Week 8.

Don't Bet on the Washington Redskins Winning

After starting the season 3-1, the Washington Redskins have fallen to 3-3.

Things won't get any easier in Week 8, as the Redskins travel to Buffalo to square off with the Bills.

The 4-2 Bills are coming off of their bye week and have yet to lose at home this season.

No one expected much from the Redskins this season, and they seem to be meeting those expectations. To make matters worse, both running back Tim Hightower and wide receiver Santana Moss sustained significant injuries in Week 7 against the Carolina Panthers.

This makes the already-thin Redskins offense nearly nonexistent.

Don't think for one second that the Redskins have a chance in Week 8.

Don't Bet Against the New Orleans Saints Scoring Less Than 40 Points

The New Orleans Saints scored every time they touched the ball in Week 7 against the Indianapolis Colts and put up an absurd 62 points.

The team will continue to have fun and pad their stats in Week 8 against the 0-6 St. Louis Rams.

The Rams are terrible, and after winning seven games in 2010, they've done nothing but disappoint.

They've only scored 56 points in six games this year. With that said, the Saints will have a heyday against the Rams, putting up a massive number of points for the second straight week.

Don't Bet on Seattle Gaining More Than 200 Yards Offense

The Seattle Seahawks got only 97 yards passing from quarterback Charlie Whitehurst and received only 65 yards on the ground in Week 7 against the Cleveland Browns.

The Seahawks only managed a field goal in what proved to be one of the worst offensive outputs of any NFL team this season.

Week 8 won't be any easier for the Seahawks as they host the upstart Cincinnati Bengals.

The 4-2 Bengals, winners of three straight games, are well-rested coming off of their bye and have one of the best defenses in the NFL. 

The Seahawks lost their best running back, Marshawn Lynch, in pregame warm-ups in Week 7 due to back spasms. While it is undetermined if Lynch will play in Week 8, fans shouldn't expect much out of the running back.

The Seahawks offense will struggle in Week 8—don't bet on them putting up more than 200 yards.

Don't Bet on Philip Rivers Throwing for over 300 Yards

Quarterback Philip Rivers of the 4-2 San Diego Chargers has been up and down this year.

He only has seven touchdowns compared to nine interceptions this season.

Whatever the problem is, Rivers won't throw for over 300 yards in Week 8 as the Chargers head to an always-lively Arrowhead Stadium to face the Kansas City Chiefs.

Given that this game will be played on Monday Night Football, Chiefs fans will be even rowdier.

Rivers threw for 266 yards and two interceptions in Week 3 against the Chiefs in San Diego. The Chiefs are coming off of their third consecutive win as they spoiled the Oakland Raiders' Carson Palmer party as they intercepted Raiders quarterbacks six times.

Rivers must be careful, as the Chiefs are beginning to come around after being decimated by injuries and a poor start. In the end, Rivers won't achieve the 300-yard plateau.

Don't Bet Against Calvin Johnson Catching a Touchdown

Calvin Johnson has left his competition in the dust this year. Ten touchdowns in seven games is all the proof one needs.

Johnson found the end zone once again in Week 7 against the Atlanta Falcons after being denied in Week 6 versus the San Francisco 49ers.

His nickname is Megatron—and he fits the bill.

His Week 8 opponent, the Denver Broncos, allow the opposition an average of 262.4 yards/game through the air.

Expect Johnson to earn another 100-plus yards—which he's done in three straight games—and at least one touchdown.

Don't Bet on the Detroit Lions Defense to Stop the Run

The 5-2 Detroit Lions have lost two straight games.

They've also allowed 100-plus yards on the ground in six consecutive weeks. In Week 7, the Atlanta Falcons ran for 129 against the much-talked-about Lions defense.

The Lions' Week 8 opponent, the Denver Broncos, are 22nd in the NFL on the ground, averaging 101.8 yards/game.

Everyone knows that the NFL is a "copycat" league, and the Broncos will follow suit and run until the Lions stop them.

The only thing is, the Lions will have trouble stopping the Broncos' running game, as they haven't proven that they can stop anyone's rushing attack yet.

Don't bet on Lions holding the Broncos to under 100 yards on the ground.

The Lions must be careful, a third straight loss heading into their bye week would only stir talk of old.

Don't Bet Against Tim Tebow Finding a Way to Win

Love him or hate him, Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow is a winner.

He proved that in Week 7 when he came from 15 points down with less than three minutes to go to beat the lowly Miami Dolphins.

Tebow may have the most critics of all, but somehow he always seems to find a way to win. Sure, he's 2-2 as a starter in the NFL, but those two wins are already two more than many predicted he would have in his entire NFL career.

Tebow and the Broncos face the Detroit Lions at home in Week 8.

With the Lions looking shaky and dropping two straight games, one can't put it past Tebow to will his team to a victory.

When it comes to Tebow, all bets are off.