World Cup fever is back – although, as per the norm, the good ol’ U-S-of-A breaks that fever with an ibuprofen bitterness of elimination in the first crack at the Knockout Stage.  This young United States team provided a fun spark for a few weeks, but missed opportunities result in another elimination before most of us could really REALLY lock in.  Perhaps with such a young group, the USA could show up and make some noise in the next World Cup.  So following our country’s elimination at the hands of the Netherlands, most of us will go back to focusing on American football, specifically another week in the NFL and College Football Championship weekend.  So, who do we have as our Week 13 NFL Bets and top College Football picks?

The fun continues with the SportsChump.

Here are our TOP FIVE Best Bets for the week (all against the spread), including our Week 13 NFL Bets and College Football Best Bets.  This includes picks from the SportsChump and double the helping from The Wife Hates Sports.

Our lists are ranked in order of confidence, from 50 “points” down to 10.  Please note that the lines for my picks are all taken from DraftKings Sportsbook (maybe some day they’ll notice).

DraftKings Sportsbook: Week 13 NFL Lines | College Football Championship Lines

The Wife Hates SportsChump: Week 13 NFL Bets and College Picks

KP’s Picks

$50: Seattle Seahawks (-7) at Los Angeles Rams

The Rams are so depleted with injuries.  Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and Allen Robinson are missing on offense.  Aaron Donald will miss the game.  The talented backs on each team are likely to be the focus here, but Seattle has the better overall situation considering L.A.’s depth at receiver.  Trust Seattle’s balance between Kenneth Walker, Tyler Lockett, and DK Metcalf.  Finally, that L.A. home crowd frequently is a melting pot of fans and not much of an advantage.  All in all, this feels like the best bet of the week to me.  Seahawks cover on the road.

$40: Clemson Tigers at North Carolina Tar Heels (+7.5)

Here we are with yet another ACC Championship berth for Dabo and the Tigers.  Although, while a top ten team, this Clemson squad is not as dominant as in recent years.  Just look at the schedule versus stronger opponents: 6 point wins over Florida State, Wake Forest and Syracuse, plus losses to Notre Dame and South Carolina.  Meanwhile, North Carolina QB Drake Maye (35 TD, 5 INT) has been outstanding for the Tar Heels, and will for sure pose a major challenge for Clemson’s pass defense that ranks 74th in College Football (228.7 ypg allowed, 18 TD, 11 INT).  This should be an entertaining and hard fought game under the lights.  Give me North Carolina and the points.

$30: Los Angeles Chargers (+2) at Las Vegas Raiders

Josh Jacobs is coming off a monster week against Seattle, but is questionable with a calf injury.  That will be key to this game, considering the Chargers rank 28th against the run (similar to Seattle).  If Jacobs plays and is 100%, that will be L.A.’s primary focus.  Meanwhile, these Chargers continue to be disrespected by Vegas (the lines, not the team).  L.A. hung with the Niners and Chiefs in back-to-back weeks and survived adversity to take down the Cardinals in OT last week.  With top notch talent on both sides, I like the Chargers to take down the Raiders in a high scoring game.  Chargers cover on the road. 

$20: Tennessee Titans (+4.5) at Philadelphia Eagles

With Derrick Henry, Jalen Hurts, and Miles Sanders on the field, the focus will be on the run game.  There’s also the AJ Brown revenge game sequence now that he’s with the Eagles.  All in all, the focus is on the run.  The Eagles are 3rd in rushing offense and the Titans are 12th.  As for rushing defense, The Titans rank 3rd against the run, while the Eagles are 18th.  Titans WR Treylon Burks is starting to take off.  With Gardner-Johnson now out for the Eagles, this could open up some opportunities for Burks and Tennessee.  This should be one of the better games of the week.  Give me the Titans and the points.

$10: Washington Commanders (-2) at New York Giants

Washington has won two straight in this series (after losing the previous five).  The Commanders are also on quite a run since Taylor Heinicke took over the offense.  The Giants again have issues with injuries, especially at the Wide Receiver position.  That provides a hit to offensive balance, allowing Washington to focus even more on Saquon Barkley and the New York running game.  The Commanders rank 8th against the run and may get Chase Young back this week.  In a pivotal divisional matchup, I’m sticking with the hot team in a close game.  Commanders cover on the road.

 

SportsChump’s Picks

See the SportsChump’s website for his top bets for Week 13.

 

Chime in with top picks for the week.  Also, if you have interest in being a guest picker, please let us know via the comments below.  Thank you for visiting The Wife Hates Sports!

——-

If you enjoy The Wife Hates Sports, you can support my work by buying from Fanatics through my site.  It’s of no additional charge to you.  I simply get a cut of any Fanatics sale purchased through links here.  That goes for any Fanatics Experience ad within posts or via the banners on the home page.