This year’s trade deadline has once again rounded some teams into true contenders and left others with massive holes to fill down the stretch.
We’re back to help tailor your picks following a hectic few days around the league.
Here are the best selections heading into Week 10.
Thursday, Nov. 12th:
Washington Commanders (2-5-1) @ New York Giants (5-2-1): 8:15 p.m. ET
The last time these two met, the Commanders watched the clock hit triple zeros in overtime with a chance to kick the game-winning field goal. Leaving us with the only draw so far this season.
While their season is also slipping away, a win this week would give them the potential tiebreaker over the Giants should they inch them back into the race behind the Dallas Cowboys for a guaranteed playoff spot atop the rather uncompetitive NFC East.
But the Giants could pull away from the group with a victory, and they’re expected to welcome RB Cam Skattebo (hamstring) back to the mix after notably standing pat at the trade deadline.
There were reports that they made an offer on Jonathan Taylor and “checked on” Bijan Robinson, but nothing materialized before Tuesday’s deadline.
As brash as ever, Skattebo backed their decision to stick with him in a conversation with Darryl Slater of NJ.com: "I've been that guy … They know what I can do."
J.J. McCarthy was on the roster during the infamous tie but didn’t register a snap. In the three weeks since he’s taken over as starting quarterback, the Giants are 2-0 both straight up and against the spread.
(Pick: Giants -2)
Sunday, Nov. 15th:
New England Patriots (5-4) vs. Detroit Lions (6-2): 9:30 a.m. ET (Munich, Germany)
The eighth of a record nine international games in 2026-27 will be held at the home of FC Bayern Munich in Germany. Detroit heads overseas on a four-game win streak with an offence putting up the fifth-most points per game (27.8) in the NFL this season. The defence has done a complete 180-degree turn, giving up just 15.5 points per game over that span after allowing a whopping 31.8 in the first four games.
The Patriots, on the other hand, looked doomed from the opening drive of their Week 9 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Drake Maye threw his first of three interceptions in the first drive, ultimately moving him into a tie for the most in the league with Justin Herbert (11).
The injuries are mounting on the offence for New England as running back Rhamondre Stevenson exited with a knee injury and is expected to miss at least one week. That leaves them without a clear starter in Week 10 as TreVeyon Henderson deals with a neurological issue and an unknown timeline.
The Patriots also could still be without A.J. Brown, who is making the trip but is questionable after coming off the injured reserve and appearing in just one contest.
Without the majority of his playmakers on offence, it will be tough for Drake Maye to keep up with the Lions.
(Pick: Lions -3)
Buffalo Bills (7-1) @ New York Jets (2-7): 1 p.m. ET
Buffalo passed what was supposed to be a difficult test against the Minnesota Vikings and their juggernaut defence on Monday, with a 23-6 thrashing to solidify themselves atop the NFL’s power rankings.
It was the Bills’ defenders who ran wild, forcing three turnovers and allowing under 200 total yards for the second consecutive week. Albeit both were to backup quarterbacks — they had surrendered over 30 points in four of their games so far this season. If they can parlay this newfound confidence into stronger play against playoff competition, the Bills will be very difficult to stop.
Josh Allen once again proved he’s in a class of his own with 23 points and 339 yards of total offence against the NFL’s hottest defence. Even with a league-average group backing him, the Bills have an inside track to the AFC’s No. 1 seed.
They’ll have two more weeks to build momentum against the Jets and then the Dolphins before taking on the Chiefs in Week 12.
(Pick: Bills -8)
Minnesota Vikings (6-2) @ Green Bay Packers (6-3): 1 p.m. ET
The Vikings, meanwhile, immediately left Monday’s defeat to the Bills and began making more calls to find a quarterback. They had to find a way to supplement their historic defence after watching another dismal start, this time from Carson Wentz.
Well, they wound up trading a third-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders for an old friend in Kirk Cousins. The 38-year-old returns to Minnesota, a place he spent six seasons with an impressive 50-37-1 record, but failed to deliver any playoff success with just one win in two appearances
But this Vikings team is nothing like it was during his first tenure. Should he continue the groove he found in Las Vegas, Minnesota has found exactly what they needed: a veteran who knows their offence and understands when to take shots and when to trust the defence.
On the other side, the Packers have won five of their last six and have unlocked a new identity on offence, with Christian Watson and Matthew Golden emerging as a top wide receiver duo in the NFL.
But they failed to address their lack of a run game before the trade deadline and with Josh Jacobs out week-to-week with a broken finger, the issues aren’t going to disappear. The Vikings’ historic blitz rate (75.3 per cent) may force the Packers to keep it on the ground more than they can handle.
(Pick: Vikings +3.5)
Kansas City Chiefs (6-2) @ Atlanta Falcons (3-6): 1 p.m. ET
The Chiefs made a last-minute splash on Tuesday, acquiring wide receiver Josh Downs and a seventh-round pick in exchange for fourth- and fifth-rounders from the Indianapolis Colts to grab much-needed help at the position.
The news came to the pleasure of Patrick Mahomes, who has become the latest great quarterback to fall victim to the “checkdown merchant” allegations online and in the media. Like Tom Brady late in his career, the criticism of Mahomes this season is that he can’t move the ball down the field, boasting one of the lowest average depth of targets in the NFL (6.2 yards).
There are multiple factors at play, and it also could be entirely intentional. The Chiefs have a new propensity to get the ball in the hands of pass-catching back Kenneth Walker and Travis Kelce isn’t exactly breaking speed records at 37 years old.
But the most interesting note is that the majority of Downs’ touches this season in Indianapolis have come within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, not exactly suggesting they’re about to let him loose in Kansas City.
Perhaps Andy Reid and the Chiefs know exactly what they’re doing with their depth of targets. They are, after all, second in total yards per game in the entire NFL (384.1).
(Pick: Chiefs -3.5)
Carolina Panthers (3-5) @ New Orleans Saints (3-5): 1 p.m. ET
Much like the NFC East, the NFC South is shaping into a pillow fight.
Carolina will head to New Orleans on a three-game skid where the winner will remain in the top spot of the division.
The Saints managed to escape with a victory in Week 9 after denying the Cleveland Browns’ potential game-winning two-point conversion in overtime.
They’re waiting on a much-needed boost to their run game with Travis Etienne Jr.’s 21-day practice window officially opening after hitting the injured reserve following Week 3.
While the Panthers looked to be the favourites to run away with the division early, they have dealt with a plethora of injuries. Starters Mike Jackson, Jaycee Horn, Jaelan Phillips, Ikem Ekwonu and Damien Lewis are all set to return to practice this week and should be back at some point during their stretch run.
If Carolina can patch the offensive line and limit the penalties, they should be in a position to cover a close game on the road.
(Pick: Panthers +2.5)
Houston Texans (3-5) @ Cleveland Browns (5-4): 1 p.m. ET
All eyes will be on Deshaun Watson as the Browns’ quarterback returns to the field against his old team after sitting out their Week 9 loss with a concussion.
Cleveland head coach Todd Monken immediately shot down any questions of a quarterback controversy after backup Shedeur Sanders nearly led them to the comeback win, throwing for 297 yards and two scores.
The Texans are desperate for another victory after taking down the lowly Los Angeles Chargers as they try to climb back into the playoff picture. With a win, their playoff odds would jump from 35 to 44 per cent, but a loss would tank them to just 16.
C.J. Stroud was named the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Week after a slow start to the year, throwing for 384 yards and five touchdowns. If Houston wants to be around come playoff time, Stroud will need to continue playing at a torrid rate.
(Pick: Texans -4.5)
Jacksonville Jaguars (6-2) @ Tennessee Titans (1-7): 1 p.m. ET
The Jaguars made the league’s biggest impact at the deadline, acquiring three true difference makers in Jordan Davis, Jessie Bates III and Davon Godchaux. The restocked defence will now pair with their dynamic offence as they look to hunt down the Bills for the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
They’ll hit the road to face the struggling Titans who are fresh off a bye week and, oppositely, a deadline sell-off.
It’s the largest spread of the week, but the Jaguars have covered consecutive totals of 10.5 and 9.5 and Trevor Lawrence will be looking to bolster his MVP campaign with another blowout win.
(Pick: Jaguars -10.5)
Miami Dolphins (1-7) @ Indianapolis Colts (2-7): 1 p.m. ET
It will be *checks notes* Kyle McCord at the helm of the Dolphins' offence after starting quarterback Malik Willis was placed on injured reserve with an abdominal injury. He will square off with what is left of the Colts roster after they made four major trades leading into the deadline.
Downs, Keenan Allen (49ers), Quenton Nelson (Seahawks) and DeForest Buckner (49ers) were flipped for five late-round picks in 2027 and one in 2028.
Colts quarterback Daniel Jones will need to lean heavily on Jonathan Taylor (who survived the fire sale due to a very steep price tag) to survive the remainder of 2026.
(Pick: Colts -4)
Seattle Seahawks (5-4) @ Las Vegas Raiders (4-5): 4:05 p.m. ET
Seattle will turn to backup quarterback Drew Lock once again in Week 10 as Sam Darnold continues to deal with a quad injury.
Lock has delivered wins in both of his starts this season (coincidentally against Arizona) in replacement of Darnold, who looks on track to return following a bye in Week 11. He too is questionable heading into the weekend, but head coach Mike McDonald stated Wednesday that tests were “good.”
Across the field, it will be the start of what Raiders fans hope to be a new era. After dealing Cousins back to Minnesota, 2025 No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza is set to get his first career start.
Unfortunately for him, it will come against one of the NFL’s toughest defences as the reigning Super Bowl champion Seahawks remain atop the league in limiting yards per game (244.2) and tied for fourth in fewest points allowed (18).
(Pick: Seahawks -6.5)
Los Angeles Rams (5-4) @ Arizona Cardinals (3-6): 4:25 p.m. ET
Myles Garrett returned with a bang in the Rams’ Week 9 win over the Commanders to help keep them alive in their shocking playoff quest. The two-time DPOY recipient acquired in the off-season dropped three sacks, including a strip sack in his first game since hitting the injured reserve following Week 1.
But the Rams were dealt another crushing blow, losing Puka Nacua “for a significant period of time” with knee and toe injuries. He joins Davante Adams (hamstring) on the shelf as Matthew Stafford will navigate the next few weeks without his top two targets.
Opposite, Arizona will turn to rookie Carson Beck in his NFL debut after dealing a benched Jacoby Brissett to the Baltimore Ravens and losing Gardner Minshew (UCL) to the injured reserve.
Despite Beck’s extended college career (55 games in five seasons with Georgia and Miami), he has never lined up across the likes of Aaron Donald and Garrett and their combined five DPOY trophies.
(Pick: Rams -9.5)
San Francisco 49ers (7-1) @ Dallas Cowboys (4-5): 4:25 p.m. ET
The 49ers have a ticket to Jerry’s World after shopping to bolster their NFC-leading roster at the trade deadline. With newly acquired Buckner and Allen in tow, they’ll clash with the reeling Cowboys who are in the midst of squandering a legitimate chance to win the division for the first time since 2023.
Allen will look to immediately impact the 49ers’ receiver room as Deebo Samuel and Mike Evans remain questionable heading into Friday. Despite their inconsistent availability, Brock Purdy has put himself in the MVP conversation and has his offence scoring the third-most points per game.
Oppositely, following a devastating loss to the Cardinals in overtime, the Cowboys barely mustered a 27-23 win over the Colts.
They too are banged up as newly acquired cornerback Joey Porter Jr. did not practice after missing Week 9 alongside George Pickens, who was a limited participant on Wednesday.
(Pick: 49ers -4)
Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) @ Cincinnati Bengals (6-2): 8:20 p.m. ET
The red-hot Bengals are set to host the Steelers in a battle for top spot in the AFC North after dropping a close 30-27 contest to them in Week 3.
Cincinnati has claimed four straight victories after losing back-to-back games, thanks to current MVP-favourite Joe Burrow and his ridiculous 1,215 yards and 16 touchdowns over that span.
Pittsburgh has won four in a row off the back of Jaylen Warren, who is off to a flying start, leading the NFL with over five yards per carry and has 998 scrimmage yards in eight games.
But Aaron Rodgers will need to achieve more through the air if they want to keep up with Burrow and the Bengals’ litany of weapons.
Top receiver DK Metcalf has struggled of late and Michael Pittman Jr. and Roman Wilson are still on the shelf heading into Week 10 after missing a total of nine games combined. The Steelers kicked tires around the league looking to bolster the position, but reportedly felt their pending return was enough of a boost to hold off.
If it ends like their first matchup, it will be a matter of which defence can come up with the critical stop in the fourth quarter.
(Pick: Steelers +3.5)
Monday, Nov. 16th:
Los Angeles Chargers (0-8) @ Baltimore Ravens (4-5): 8:15 p.m. ET
Justin Herbert and the Chargers will be forced upon fans in primetime as they seek their first win of the year in Week 10. Fortunately for them, this could be one of their best chances to grab it.
The Ravens have turned to newly acquired Brissett at quarterback, who is set to make his debut after they lost two-time MVP Lamar Jackson and backup Tyler Huntley to season-ending injuries.
Baltimore first-year head coach Jesse Minter will face his former team for the first time after losing four straight.
Los Angeles could be without Ladd McConkey even though he was not dealt prior to Tuesday as their top wide receiver deals with back spasms.
Will this be the week for the Bolts?
(Pick: Chargers +4.5)
Bye Week:
Chicago Bears (7-2), Denver Broncos (7-2), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-6), Philadelphia Eagles (2-7)
*BetMGM lines subject to change
