Week 17 NFL Odds: Early Locks and Best Bets on the Schedule

It's Christmas Week, and the NFL is leaning into the holiday festivities. Fans will get a full 16-game slate and a Wednesday doubleheader to kick off the action.

This means that fans so inclined will also have plenty of wagering opportunities in Week 17.

We're coming off another upset-filled week, and plenty of questions remain about even some of the league's best teams. The Detroit Lions, for example, continue to deal with injuries. The Buffalo Bills are in a defensive slump and nearly blew their game against the New England Patriots on Sunday.

Predicting how things will unfold this week won't be easy, but we've identified a few early lines worth considering.

*Lines via DraftKings Sportsbook

The Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans are both playoff-bound. However, only one of the two feels like a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

The Texans have already won the AFC South, but they've been less efficient than they were a year ago and have dealt with both injuries and glaring issues. Inconsistent offensive line play hurt Houston against the Kansas City Chiefs last Saturday, and the Texans lost receiver Tank Dell to a dislocated kneecap.

"It hurts to see him go down like that," head coach DeMeco Ryans said, per ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime.

With Dell out, Houston simply doesn't have enough offensively to keep pace with Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and the Ravens. The Texans offensive line is also likely to struggle against a Baltimore pass rush that has already amassed 47 sacks this season.

Houston's defense can keep this one close for a time, but the Ravens can pull away late, just as they did against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 16.

Saturday's tripleheader will wrap with an NFC West showdown between the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams.

The Rams have rebounded from some early-season struggles and now control the division. The Cardinals have stumbled since their 6-4 start and were officially eliminated on Sunday. While Arizona would undoubtedly love to play spoiler, it's unlikely to happen.

Los Angeles' young defense has shown growth throughout the 2024 season. While it isn't elite, it can pressure opposing quarterbacks and make game-changing plays. With Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp and Kyren Williams leading a potent offense, that's enough to make L.A. a legitimate threat in the postseason.

While the Cardinals do have talent on both sides of the ball—they rank 14th in both scoring and points allowed—they've repeatedly failed to deliver in big games. They desperately needed a win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday but started slow and fell flat in the end.

The Rams are the better team here, and head coach Sean McVay won't allow his team to lose focus. Playing at home, Los Angeles should win by at least a touchdown.

At this point, it's probably safe to bet against the Cleveland Browns in any meaningful matchup for the opposition. Cleveland is down to third-string quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who is playing like a second-year player with limited experience.

In Week 16, the Browns mustered a mere six points against the Cincinnati Bengals, who have had one of the worst defenses in the league this season. The Miami Dolphins have had a more serviceable defense than Cincinnati, and they still have enough offensive talent to run away from Cleveland.

The Dolphins haven't been as explosive as they were a year ago, but they still feature Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill and De'Von Achane. Achane, in particular, could be in store for a huge day.

The Browns surrendered 5.3 yards per carry to the Bengals on Sunday.

While Miami's playoff hopes are slim, they're still alive. As Cincinnati just did, the Dolphins can pad their record with a convincing win against arguably the league's least-threatening team.

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