Welcome back to another week of San Francisco 49ers football, another attempt to win their first game, and my attempts to return to some semblance of competence when it comes to picking football games against the spread. On that latter point, I actually managed my first winning week last week, a 4-1 performance. It’s been a rough stretch, so it was nice to get some Ws.
The 49ers are at home in Week 10, facing the New York Giants. The 49ers head into their bye next week, and are currently 2.5- to 3-point underdogs, depending on your sportsbook of choice. The 49ers actually opened as a point favorite, but professional money has shot the line the other way. These are two truly awful football teams, so it’s not an easy one for picking purposes. Although, I suppose going with the one-win team over the winless team is the easiest option.
For the fourth straight season, I am back for the Westgate SuperContest. SB Nation's partners over at Odds Shark are sponsoring my entry again. The contest requires selecting 5 games each week and picking them against the spread. This year's contest is expected to have over 2,700 participants, which is a new record for the SuperContest. SB Nation is represented by myself, Matt Ufford, and Jason Kirk, and there are folks from all over the blogosphere involved. I went 4-1, for my best week thus far. I won’t hold my breath this continues. There is a running leaderboard here, but you can check how I’m doing against my Odds Shark teammates here. You can follow my standings under the name "Fooch.”
Here are my Week 10 SuperContest picks:
Saints (-3) over BILLS
Browns (+12) over LIONS
FALCONS (-3) over Cowboys
49ERS (+2.5) over Giants
BRONCOS (+7.5) over Patriots
Yep, we’re giving the 49ers another run. Professional money was on the Giants early, but now that the line is up near a field goal, I could see some value. The 49ers have the slight edge in net yards per play, and getting Joe Staley back is pretty big. I do think the 49ers can secure their first win, but it’s certainly not going to be an easy one. But, getting a better than expected injury report coupled with facing an awful Giants team, I think this is a very winnable game.
Here are all my picks for Week 10. I finished last week 8-5. That brings my season total to to 58-72-3. Could have been worse.
CARDINALS vs. Seahawks (-6): Seahawks - PUSH
WASHINGTON vs. Vikings (-1): Vikings
BEARS vs. Packers (+5.5): Bears
COLTS vs. Steelers (-10): Steelers
JAGUARS vs. Chargers (+3.5): Jaguars
BUCCANEERS vs. Jets (-2.5): Bucs
TITANS vs. Bengals (+4.5): Titans
BILLS vs. Saints (-3): Saints
LIONS vs. Browns (+12): Browns
RAMS vs. Texans (+12): Rams
FALCONS vs. Cowboys (+3): Falcons
49ERS vs. Giants (-2.5): 49ers
BRONCOS vs. Patriots (-7.5): Broncos
PANTHERS vs. Dolphins (+9): Panthers