Here at Fantasy Life, we support scratching your NFL itch in whatever way possible. For some people, that might be betting on spreads. However, that’s not everyone’s cup of tea.

Instead, some people might enjoy picking games without the spread. Pick’em contests—where you simply pick the winner of each game each week—remain a popular way to compete against your friends without having to dive headfirst into the world of sports betting.

Each week, Geoff Ulrich and I are going to walk you through our favorite ways to approach these contests. Which games should you eat the chalk, where should you look for leverage, and which trendy upsets should you avoid?

Let’s dive into all 15 games for Week 9.

Texans at Jets

LaMarca: Jets (1/10 confidence). Fool me once: shame on you. Fool me twice: shame on me. Fool me 1,000 times? Shame on the Jets. Yes, I’m going back to the well with the Jets once again. They’ve disappointed all year, but I like the matchup against the shorthanded Texans’ passing attack. For contest purposes, absolutely no one is going to pick the Jets despite the fact that they’re favorites, so it’s a very nice leverage spot.

Geoff: Texans (2/10). Now that I am finally picking against New York I assume they’ll put it all together and find a win. And as much as I’d like to pick against the Texans (without their top two WRs), they are just the more professional team. Expect a close game, one that C.J. Stroud pulls out in the end. 

Broncos at Ravens

LaMarca: Ravens (9/10). The Ravens are coming off a tough loss to the Browns last week, but the Browns always play them tough. They’re back at home this week vs. the Broncos, and while the Broncos are better than expected, they’re simply not in Baltimore’s weight class.

Geoff: Ravens (3/10). This is a massive prove-it spot for Denver, and I think they match up well against the Ravens. Baltimore’s secondary is a going concern and may get exposed further this week, but I am still not confident that Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry won’t do enough to pull out another win. 

Raiders at Bengals

LaMarca: Bengals (3/10). I like the Raiders to cover the 7.5-point spread given how bad the Bengals’ defense has been all year. That said, the most likely scenario is the Bengals winning the game outright. Their offense is the best unit in this contest.

Geoff: Bengals (7/10). The Bengals laid an egg last week against the Eagles, but they play one of the least professional franchises in the league this week in the Raiders. Outside of Brock Bowers, who will probably have a big game, I’m just not sure how Vegas does enough to stand with Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase, who has a great shot at a multiple-TD day. 

Patriots at Titans

LaMarca: Titans (4/10). These are two really bad teams, but the Titans' defense has at least been somewhat competitive this season. Their offense is also less turnover-prone without Will Levis at quarterback, and there’s a chance the Patriots are without Drake Maye. Maye probably isn’t a huge upgrade over Jacoby Brissett, but Matthew Freedman has Brissett as a 0.7-point downgrade. That’s enough to push me toward the Titans.

Geoff: Titans (4/10). Tough spot regardless of who starts for New England. Tennessee has a solid enough defense, and a healthy Will Levis is still better than whatever Mason Rudolph offers (in my eyes at least). Two teams going nowhere fast, but fade the Patriots after an emotional division win. 

Saints at Panthers

LaMarca: Saints (8/10). The real loser is whoever chooses to watch this game voluntarily. The good news is that Derek Carr should at least be back for the Saints this week, so they won’t be nearly as bad as they’ve looked over the past three weeks.

Geoff: Panthers (2/10). Andy Dalton returned to practice on Wednesday and looks in line to start, which really affects how I am looking at this game. I think the Panthers (if Dalton plays) pull the upset and Dennis Allen is the second coach fired this season. 

Cowboys at Falcons

LaMarca: Falcons (2/10). The Cowboys' performance last week was extremely discouraging to me. They were coming off a bye and facing a team that embarrassed them in prime time last season. It’s a spot where they should’ve been 100% motivated. Instead, they lost pretty comfortably once again. Maybe they’ll look better if the can get back Micah Parsons and/or DaRon Bland, but until that happens, I’m not picking them.

Geoff: Cowboys (4/10). I don’t think it’s possible to be more than 50% confident in the Cowboys winning a game, but they are playing a team almost as flimsy as them this week in the Falcons. Atlanta gets almost no pressure and allows a lot of completions, which works in Dak Prescott’s favor. If the Cowboys get Parsons back, they should do enough to slow down Kirk Cousins and get the win. 

Dolphins at Bills

LaMarca: Bills (10/10). The Dolphins have historically been the type of team that beats up on weak competition and crumbles in tough matchups. The Bills handled them in their first matchup this season, and they did the same in both matchups last year as well.

Geoff: Bills (8/10). These teams are headed in opposing directions. The Dolphins' season was on the line last week and they completely blew it down the stretch with a bunch of uninspired play against Arizona. The Bills came together for one of their best performances on the road last week in a prove-it spot against Seattle. No reason to doubt the Bills, or back the Dolphins. 

Chargers at Browns

LaMarca: Browns (5/10). I’m buying the Browns. Their offense looked better than they have all season with Jameis Winston at quarterback, while the defense was historically good last season. The Chargers have won a bunch of games this season, but they’ve done so against weak competition.

Geoff: Browns (2/10). This should be a close game but I’m siding with the Browns as well. The Chargers need to unleash Justin Herbert, and I’m not sure Jim Harbaugh has it in him to abandon a fizzling run game and do that. Jameis likely puts up enough points to eat a close W. 

Commanders at Giants

LaMarca: Commanders (9/10). I see this game as more lopsided than the current spread suggests. The Commanders massively outplayed the Giants in their first matchup, and it would’ve been a blowout if not for the fact that they kicked seven field goals. Their defense has made improvements since then, while their offense should be more clinical in their second meeting.

Geoff: Commanders (8/10). A divisional game on the road is a classic letdown spot after an emotional win, but this isn’t some normal human being who is playing QB for the Commanders, it’s Jayden Daniels. New York may also be without Tyrone Tracy who is in the concussion protocol right now. 

Bears at Cardinals

LaMarca: Bears (2/10). This game might be the biggest coin flip of the week. That said, I’ve been more impressed with the Bears’ overall body of work this season.

Geoff: Bears (5/10). The Cardinals are a feisty team, but they’ve also gotten extremely fortunate over their last two starts and aren’t all that impressive to begin with. The Bears' defense is still the best unit in this game, and should be able to channel their anger from last week’s close loss into something positive in Week 9. 

Jaguars at Eagles

LaMarca: Eagles (6/10). The Jaguars have shown some signs of life recently, but the Eagles are the better team. Their offense has looked significantly better since their Week 5 bye, and I expect that to continue vs. the Jaguars.

Oct 27, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) catches a pass for a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals in the second half at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Geoff: Eagles (8/10). The Eagles have been very up and down this season but it’s hard to see them slipping at home against their old head coach—and a Jaguars team that has a ton of injuries heading into Week 9. Philadelphia may just hand their old coach his pink slip this Sunday. 

Rams at Seahawks

LaMarca: Rams (7/10). I think people may have forgotten how good this Rams offense is at full strength. They were fourth in EPA per play from Week 10 on last season, and they just hung 30 on a good Vikings defense last week. Add in some extra time to prepare for this matchup, and I think they should take care of business vs. the Seahawks.

Geoff: Rams (7/10). The Rams are getting things back together in a hurry. Both of their top WRs are healthy, their run game continues to be elite, and their defense is starting to perform. Seattle has struggled after a couple of nice wins early on. Despite having the better record, Seattle is the weaker team and that should play out with a Rams win, which would get them right back in the playoff picture.  

Lions at Packers

LaMarca: Lions (8/10). The Lions are an absolute buzzsaw. They just scored more than 50 points in a game where they had less than 100 passing yards. I wouldn’t have said that was possible if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. The Packers are expected to be without their starting quarterback in this matchup, and I’m not sure how you beat the Lions at less than 100% at the moment.

Geoff: Packers (1/10). There is a lot going on with this game, on the Packers side anyway. Jordan Love didn’t do much on Wednesday, so he’s highly questionable to play. Still, Green Bay went 2-0 with Malik Willis as the starter, who also led them on a game-winning drive last week. The Packers' defense is also emerging and 9th in EPA per play on the season. At home, I think the Packers can squeak out a close win (regardless of who starts).  

Colts at Vikings

LaMarca: Colts (2/10). The Colts are moderate underdogs here, but I like their chances of picking up the upset. They made the decision to switch quarterbacks, and Joe Flacco represents a significant upgrade over Anthony Richardson at the moment. They’ve also gotten healthier over the past few weeks, with Jonathan Taylor and DeForest Buckner returning to the lineup last week.

Geoff: Colts (3/10). The Vikings have lost two in a row now and are down their best OL in Christian Darrisaw. Their pass rush has also dried up of late, which is not great considering they're up against Joe Flacco this week, who I expect to pick apart this weaker secondary. This should be a fun game, but the Colts are one of my favorite upset plays of Week 9. 

Buccaneers at Chiefs

LaMarca: Chiefs (8/10). The Chiefs are going to slip up eventually, but this doesn’t feel like the week. They’re at home, they’re facing a team without its top two playmakers, and the Buccaneers’ defense is a mess. Maybe Tampa Bay can cover the spread, but the Chiefs will likely move to 8-0.

Geoff: Chiefs (10/10). Not this week Satan.