Staff Game Picks, Week 1

Footballguys Staff's Staff Game Picks, Week 1 Footballguys Staff Published 09/09/2021

Looking to dominate your office pool this season? Eighteen Footballguys.com staff members are here to help you out. Each week they will pick the winners of every NFL game and rank their selections based on how confident they are that the team will win. The most-confident pick gets 16 points, and the least-confident gets just 1. We'll even total up everyone's picks so you can get an overall consensus on who our staff think will be the most likely winners. Each week we'll announce the weekly winners and track the overall record for the entire season.

Here are the specifics:

  • It lasts for 18 weeks
  • Pick every game straight up each week
  • Games are weighted; your most confident game would be weighed the most
  • If you miss a week, you will be awarded the lowest score for that week minus 1 point
  • The total correct picks score will determine standings
  • Tiebreaker: number of weeks with the highest score

This Week's Picks

Visiting Team Dal Ari Jac LAC Min NYJ Phi Pit SF Sea Cle Den GB Mia Chi Bal
Home Team TB Ten Hou Was Cin Car Atl Buf Det Ind KC NYG NO NE LAR LV
Alessandro Miglio TB Ten Hou Was Cin Car Atl Buf SF Sea KC Den GB NE LAR Bal
14 9 1 5 7 4 6 12 11 13 15 8 3 2 16 10
Andrew Garda TB Ten Hou Was Min Car Atl Buf SF Sea KC Den GB NE LAR Bal
11 5 10 12 15 1 9 8 6 13 16 4 14 3 2 7
Andy Hicks Dal Ten Jac Was Cin Car Atl Buf SF Ind Cle Den GB NE LAR LV
3 5 13 16 4 12 1 10 9 2 7 8 6 15 14 11
Ben Cummins TB Ari Jac Was Min Car Phi Buf SF Sea KC Den GB NE LAR Bal
9 2 16 1 8 4 3 6 15 12 7 10 13 5 14 11
Bob Henry TB Ten Jac Was Cin Car Phi Buf SF Sea KC Den GB NE LAR Bal
16 9 3 2 7 13 1 15 12 5 11 6 8 4 14 10
Clayton Gray TB Ten Jac Was Cin Car Atl Buf SF Ind KC Den GB NE LAR Bal
12 2 6 1 3 16 11 7 15 4 8 10 5 9 13 14
Dan Hindery TB Ten Jac Was Cin Car Phi Buf SF Sea KC Den GB NE LAR Bal
14 2 13 3 6 12 5 10 16 9 11 7 4 1 15 8
Danny Tuccitto TB Ten Jac Was Min Car Atl Buf SF Sea KC Den GB NE LAR Bal
16 11 8 3 2 10 9 13 12 6 14 1 7 5 15 4
Dave Kluge TB Ten Jac LAC Min Car Phi Buf SF Sea KC Den GB NE LAR Bal
16 4 8 2 3 5 7 13 12 1 9 6 14 11 10 15
Devin Knotts TB Ten Jac Was Min NYJ Atl Buf SF Ind KC Den GB NE LAR Bal
14 7 6 8 9 2 3 12 16 1 13 4 5 10 15 11
James Brimacombe TB Ari Jac LAC Min Car Atl Buf SF Sea KC Den GB NE LAR Bal
15 10 2 9 8 11 1 14 16 7 13 6 3 5 12 4
Jason Wood TB Ari Jac Was Min Car Phi Buf SF Sea KC Den GB NE LAR Bal
16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Jeff Haseley TB Ten Hou Was Min Car Atl Buf SF Sea KC Den GB NE LAR Bal
16 12 2 9 4 6 1 13 14 3 8 5 11 7 15 10
Jeff Tefertiller TB Ten Jac Was Min Car Phi Buf SF Sea KC Den NO NE LAR Bal
16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Joe Bryant TB Ten Jac LAC Min Car Atl Pit SF Sea KC Den GB NE LAR Bal
14 12 11 15 13 8 7 6 9 5 4 3 2 10 1 16
Keith Overton TB Ari Hou LAC Min Car Atl Buf SF Sea KC Den GB NE LAR Bal
13 9 1 6 4 8 3 5 14 15 11 7 10 2 16 12
Keith Roberts TB Ten Jac Was Min Car Phi Buf SF Sea KC Den GB Mia LAR LV
16 7 1 3 6 8 4 10 15 5 14 12 9 2 13 1
Matt Bitonti TB Ten Jac LAC Min Car Phi Buf SF Sea KC Den GB NE LAR Bal
8 11 1 2 7 13 3 14 16 10 6 5 9 4 15 12
Matt Carey TB Ten Jac LAC Min Car Atl Buf SF Sea KC Den GB NE LAR Bal
16 7 6 1 5 11 8 13 15 4 12 3 9 2 14 10
Ryan Weisse TB Ten Jac Was Min Car Atl Buf SF Sea KC NYG GB Mia LAR Bal
16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Sam Wagman TB Ten Jac LAC Min NYJ Phi Buf SF Ind KC Den GB Mia LAR Bal
16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Sigmund Bloom TB Ari Jac LAC Min Car Atl Buf SF Sea KC Den GB NE LAR Bal
16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Will Grant TB Ten Jac Was Min Car Atl Buf SF Sea KC Den GB NE LAR Bal
16 13 1 11 8 2 4 15 14 6 7 9 5 3 12 10

Heavy Favorites

  • The only home team picked by everyone is the Los Angeles Rams
  • But the staff showed even more faith in the 49ers and made them a unanimous road selection. That's a tough ask in Week 1.
  • Five teams got a single vote: Dallas, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland on the road and the Giants and Saints at home.

Dual Support

  • Two games stand out as tough to pick. And for two different reasons
    • The Chargers (8 selections) visit Washington (15 picks) in a matchup of two quality teams with playoff aspirations
    • Atlanta (14 selections) hosts the Eagles (9 picks) in a matchup of teams expected to be in rebuild modes this season

Odds and Ends

With a full 16-game slate this week, having a perfect score will give you 136 total points. As we move through the season, the maximum total will drop based on the number of teams on a bye.

As an additional reminder - these picks and confidence points were made on Wednesday night so that this article may come out well before the Thursday opener. These picks won't be updated as the week progresses, so any late-breaking news will not change the confidence points. If your league allows you to change your picks right up until each NFL game starts, make sure to check the latest news before making your final selections.

Good luck this weekend!

Photos provided by Imagn Images
Tags:
picks
Share This Article

More by Footballguys Staff

 

What to Expect from the New Play-Callers

Jason Wood

A deep dive into the 12 new NFL play-callers

07/11/25 Read More
 

Team Vibes: Tennessee Titans

Team vibes refer to the overall mood toward a team's offense. Our staff shares their thoughts on the Titans.

07/11/25 Read More
 

Drafters Best Ball Report 2.0

James Brimacombe

Drafters Best Ball ADP analysis, with a rundown of this week's risers and fallers from our James Brimacombe.

07/11/25 Read More
 

NFFC ADP Movement: How High-Stakes ADP Is Changing

Clayton Gray

NFFC ADP offers a glimpse into the current state of high-stakes ADP and how it is moving.

07/11/25 Read More
 

NFFC ADP Movement: How High-Stakes ADP Is Changing

Clayton Gray

NFFC ADP offers a glimpse into the current state of high-stakes ADP and how it is moving.

07/11/25 Read More
 

Sleepers on the Jacksonville Jaguars

Sleepers can catapult your fantasy team to a championship. Our staff searches for them on the Jaguars.

07/11/25 Read More