NFL Week 18 Staff Picks: Best Bets & Props from our NFL Staff
Written by: Daniel Collins
Published: Sat Jan 03, 2026, 6:40 pm ET
Read Time: 9 minutes
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Happy New Year from all of us here at Betting News! The NFL season has turned the calendar as well & enters the last week of yet another incredible season of drama.
Week 18 is ready to roll and there are some fantastic matchups on this Saturday night & Sunday slate and lots of money to be made.
Below, our Team here at Betting News is going to give their BEST BETS for the Week 18 NFL Slate. Whether it is a Spread, Moneyline, Total or Player Prop, this is your go to article every week for our team's favorite bets!
Here is the Squad's Record after Week 17:
(124-80 of All Picks -120 or better odds)
Daniel Collins (SPJ): 13-4
Chef T: 9-8
Nate Hornung (Shaggy): 8-9
Colby Marchio: 9-8
John Hyslop (Slop): 8-9
Varun Sharma (Sauce): 12-5
Brad Blakemore (Betzky): 12-5
Danny Burke: 11-6
Kate Constable: 7-10
Adam Kaufman: 13-4
Tristan Vieira (Trizzy): 13-4
Sukh Brar: 7-10
Now let's dive in to the Betting News Experts' Best Bets for NFL Week 18!
All Odds available at Lucky Rebel, the industry leader in the Sports betting Market.
Daniel Collins' (SPJ) (13-4) & Brad Blakemore's (12-5) NFL Week 18 Best Bet
The King should feast this week once again in a win or go home game
Derrick Henry o88.5 Rush Yards (-115)
DANIEL: Not overthinking this on Sunday Night Football in a must win game for the Ravens to make the postseason. Derrick Henry has to carry the load once again and looks to make it 6 straight games hitting this line & 3 straight against the Steel curtain. Let the King reign supreme.
BRAD: The Ravens last Hail Mary attempt to make the playoffs. And you better believe Henry will be HEAVILY involved. He's beginning to cook again having over 90 rushing yards in four straight games. And while this matchup will be tough, the King has proven he is matchup proof time and time again.
Chef T's (9-8) NFL Week 18 Best Bet
Jared Goff o1.5 Passing TD's (-115)
Jared Goff over 1.5 passing TDs vs the Bears. He's cashed this in all 3 head-to-head matchups, and he's hit it in 6 of his last 10.
Bears have also been a premium spot through the air, allowing the 3rd-most passing TD's this season. This sets up clean for a 2+ passing score game from Goff.
Nate Hornung's (8-9) NFL Week 18 Best Bet
Chargers/Broncos Under 38 (-110)
NFL Divisional Unders. They are 42-38 this season, and the AFC West is actually 7-3 to the under in their divisional contests, mainly because of the defensive side of the ball. These teams combined for just 43 points in their last meeting in Week 3, staying under the total of 46.
Denver is 9-7 to the under this year, but are 4-1 to the over in their L5. Los Angeles is 9-6-1 this season to the under, going 5-1-1 in their L7 overall. Both defenses are top seven in both points and yards allowed per play, third down conversions allowed, and red zone scoring percentage, where the Broncos lead the NFL.
While they prefer to pass, either secondary is more than capable of containing the other, and there is still plenty of motivation for playoff seeding, even though both have secured a spot in the postseason.
Colby Marchio's (9-8) NFL Week 18 Best Bet
Will Caleb Williams continue to perform well against a division rival?
Caleb Williams Over 235.5 Passing Yards (-110)
It's time Chicago gets its first 4,000-yard passer in franchise history. Plus, the Bears are playing for the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
Luckily, the Lions have been playing poorly against the pass. Detroit ranks in the bottom half of the league in passing yards allowed per game, giving up nearly 220 yards on average.
Simply put, vibes play. Sling the pill, Williams.
John Hyslop's (8-9) NFL Week 18 Best Bet
Pat Freiermuth 4+ Receptions (+116)
This is it. Do or die. In situations like these, guys like Pat Freiermuth always step up. This situation is no different. What's special about this situation is the fact that the Steelers really have no one else to throw the ball to. Both DK Metcalf and Darnell Washington won't be in uniform.
There is no chance Freiermuth leaves this game with fewer than four receptions. Feels easy.
Varun Sharma's (12-5) NFL Week 18 Best Bet
Kyle Pitts looks to cap off a great season
Kyle Pitts o49.5 Receiving Yards (-111)
Pitts has just been Kirk's favorite target this year and his 24.9% target share is clear evidence to that fact. Last week's game against the Rams was an anomaly. Cousins threw just 20 pass attempts because Bijan Robinson was torching them on the ground and the Rams pass rush made it very uncomfortable for Kirk.
This week the Falcons play a Saints team that ranks bottom 10 in pressure rate, 28th in QB hits and 9th in sacks. Last week we saw Cam Ward throw for 251 yards, 2 touchdowns and I'm expecting something similar from Kirk.
Priot to last week, Pitts was seeing a 26.1% target share; leading the team in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns with Kirk as the starter. Pitts is averaging 2.43 yards per route run against zone over the last few weeks and that's something we've seen the Saints run at a top 10 rate this year.
The Saints are also running a ton of single-hi coverages and that's something we know Kirk's looked great against. Kirk is also just three touchdowns shy of 300 career passing touchdowns and with next year being very much up in the air, I wouldn't be surprised to see him get a little aggressive this week. Look for Pitts to play a big role this week if that's the case.
Danny Burke's (11-6) NFL Week 18 Best Bet
Bears -2.5 (-120)
Might as well end the regular season with a bet on my Bears. A team that still has a bitter taste in its mouth from last week's loss, along with their most embarrassing defeat of the season which came back in Week 2 against Ben Johnson's former team. Chicago has had this game circled for months and will be vying for the No. 2 seed, while Detroit players are preparing for Cancun.
Kate Constable's (7-10) Week 18 NFL Best Bet
Luther Burden Longest Reception o22.5 yards (-115)
Burden has quite a few things working in his favor on Sunday. The Lions secondary is terrible and has been giving up explosive plays for several weeks now. With Caleb Williams in reach of becoming the Bears first 4,000 yard passer, I could see Ben Johnson dialing up quite a few downfield looks with Burden as the recipient.
Adam Kaufman's (13-4) NFL Week 18 Best Bet
Can the Texans win big and look to push Jacksonville for the AFC South title?
Texans -10 (-110)
Here comes Houston's 9th straight win, and it should be a walk in the park with Indianapolis trotting out Riley Leonard at QB.
No Sauce Gardner or DeForest Buckner means C.J. Stroud and Woody Marks have plus matchups for the Texans offense, while Leonard's headed for the Colts' seventh loss in a row opposite arguably the NFL's top defense.
But, what about Jonathan Taylor? He's facing a premier run-defense. He'll be contained. Leonard has little to work with.
Houston's out of time to win the South, but a playoff run awaits after a blowout tuneup to conclude the regular season.
Tristan Vieira's (13-4) NFL Week 18 Best Bet
Falcons -3.5 (-110)
This Saints team is red hot and Tyler Shough is the talk of the town. Winners of 4 straight games including a thriller over the Titans last week they hold all the momentum in the match up here. The Falcons yet somehow find themselves 3.5 point favorites at home in a divisional match up? Either this is a crazy market reaction to the Falcons big win over the Rams last week or this line is the fishiest on the book this week.
I lean the second option and will be rolling with the Falcons to finish the season just as we started!
Sukh Brar's (7-10) NFL Week 18 Best Bet
Jaxon Smith-Njigba & The Seahawks look to lock up the Number 1 seed in the NFC
Seahawks -2.5 (-110)
Seattle has been fantastic this season and this play in no was is biased based upon my (+550) ticket for them to win the NFC West. They are 13-1 in their last 14 on the road including 8 straight.
The Legion of Boom 2.0 has been fantastic. If they want to win the division they have to secure this win. It will also keep their road winning record alive. What's the most consecutive road wins you ask? Well, it is these same 49ers who won 18 games between 1988-1990.
Furthermore, the under hit in 8 of the Seattle Seahawks last 12 games as an underdog. When they aren't favourites they rely on that defence to boom. The script writers cooked on this one.
Enjoy NFL Week 18!
You can also check out more free picks & analysis from every NFL Week 18 Matchup!
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Daniel Collins is a sports fanatic and data-driven bettor. He has expertise in the NFL, NBA, and NHL. He’s a big fan of the Titans #titanup, Predators #predators and Arsenal #coyg. If he isn’t watching, betting on or writing about sports, he loves the outdoors, traveling, strong coffee and delicious food. You can follow him on X @SweatpantJesus. Peace and Love
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