Casino City's Week 8 NFL Circa Million IV Pro Football Contest Picks

Last night’s Thursday Night Football game was historic. We all witnessed Tom Brady fall two games below .500 for the first time in his NFL career. With the 27-22 loss to the Ravens, he also hit a milestone that he hasn’t seen in two decades, as he’s now lost three straight games. As bad as it seems for Brady and the Bucs, history shows you should never count The GOAT out. Nor can you count out the Casino City team as we continue to rebound with last week’s 3-2 record. Hopefully we can continue on that upward trend as we are still hunting for our first 5-0 week.

Let’s take a look at what we have coming up:

#CircaSportsMillion IV ????
Week 8 Contest Point Spreads

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— Circa Sports (@CircaSports) October 27, 2022

1. Las Vegas -1.5 over New Orleans
If you have the Raiders’ Josh Jacobs on your fantasy team, then you must be loving what he has been able to do in recent weeks. The running back has put up at least 143 rushing yards in three straight games as well as six rushing touchdowns during that span.

Stopping the ground attack will obviously be a point of emphasis for the Saints, but if you do that and leave your secondary in single coverage, then you may be giving the Raiders’ Davante Adams an easy route for a touchdown. Adams can’t be left alone in one-on-one, so what do you do if you’re the defense?

The Saints have struggled defensively in recent weeks, so they have to tighten up or else it could be a long game. New Orleans’ offense looks to get some weapons back this week if Jarvis Landry and Michael Thomas can return after being out for several weeks. If not, and if the Raiders can shut down Alvin Kamara and rookie standout Chris Olave then there could be major problems for the Saints in this one.

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— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) October 28, 2022

2. Miami -3.5 over Detroit
Tua Tagovailoa returned to the lineup for the Miami Dolphins last week after a scary head injury earlier in the season. While the offense struggled in his return, the defense stayed firm and led the Dolphins to a 16-10 home win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

This week, the Miami offense should return to its usual output against the Detroit Lions. Why? Because the Lions’ defense is as bad as you can get. Detroit gives up more than 32 points per game and it’s going to have its hands full if both Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are good to go because their speed is a sight to be seen. Don’t blink though because they may already be in the endzone afterward.

Sure, the Lions offense has had its moments. In fact, they average over 400 yards of offense per game. However, the big issue is that they only have six points total as a team over the last two games. That is a big part of the reason why Detroit is riding a four-game losing streak and looking at five right in the eyes.

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— Tua. T ???? (@Tua) October 27, 2022

3. Tennessee -2.5 over Houston
It would be an issue for most teams going into Friday with a starting quarterback who only just rejoined practice Thursday albeit on a limited basis. However, the only big problem this week is not for the Titans who might be without signal caller Ryan Tannehill, but rather for the Texans who are tasked with stopping all-world running back Derrick Henry. The King as he’s known enters the game with over 100 yards in the last three weeks as Tennessee is on a four-game winning streak.

Now we know what you’re thinking, all Houston needs to do is shut down Henry, but if history tells us anything that’s not going to happen as he thrives against the Texans having gone off for 1,035 yards and nine scores on less than 200 carries in just 10 career games against Houston.

Last year, The King missed both games against the Texans, and this year he’s going to make them remember who sits on the throne as Tennessee literally runs it up against Houston!

Beautiful shot to start your beautiful day. pic.twitter.com/N2Og7L0M9R
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) October 26, 2022

4. Minnesota -3.5 over Arizona
The Cardinals’ offense welcomed perennial Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins back last week from his PED suspension, and he immediately got the team on track as it scored 42 points in a home win against New Orleans. Unfortunately though, now Arizona will be without standout receiver Marquise Brown, who was off to a great start to the season, on the IR with a foot injury.

Now the Cardinals have to go to Minnesota where the Vikings are undefeated at home and have won four straight overall. On top of that, the Vikings are well rested coming off the bye week and all of their big threats will be in action on Sunday.

Both teams give up a lot of yards, but Minnesota seems to tighten up in the red zone when they have to. If Arizona doesn’t get pressure on quarterback Kirk Cousins, it could be a big day for him and Justin Jefferson through the air.

5. Washington +3 over Indianapolis
It is going to be the battle of the backup quarterbacks in this matchup on Sunday. Sam Ehlinger, who has never thrown a pass in the NFL, will make his first start following Indy’s decision to bench Matt Ryan, even once the veteran is healthy. On the other side, Taylor Heinicke who has had his fair share of snaps in the show, including a postseason loss against Brady and the Bucs back in 2020, will continue to start for the injured Carson Wentz.

Both have yet to show consistency but Heinicke led the Commanders to a 23-21 win over Green Bay last week to make it two victories in a row for Washington.

With a quarterback who has yet to prove himself in Ehlinger, the focus of the Commanders’ defense has to be to stop Jonathan Taylor in the backfield, who we all know can change a game on any given play, and make Ehlinger beat you through the air.

On Sunday, QB Taylor Heinicke connected with RB Antonio Gibson for a nine-yard touchdown, the 3,000th touchdown in franchise history.

The two posed for a picture before sending the ball to @ProFootballHOF for display. pic.twitter.com/XWZliaHWmt
— Washington Commanders PR (@Wash_PR) October 27, 2022

Week 7 Results: 3-2
Season Record: 18-16-1