Here at Fantasy Life, we support scratching your NFL itch in whatever way possible. For some people, that might be betting on spreads. 

For others, it's picking games without the spread. Pick’em contests—where you simply pick the winner of each game each week — remain a popular way to compete against your friends without having to dive headfirst into the world of sports betting.

Each week, Geoff Ulrich and Matt LaMarca walk you through their favorite ways to approach these contests. Which games should you eat the chalk? Where should you look for leverage? And which trendy upsets should you avoid?

Let’s dive into all 16 Week 3 games. 

You can find all the Week 3 NFL odds on FantasyLife.com

Patriots at Jets Picks

LaMarca: Jets (6/10). It has not been a pretty start to the year for Gang Green, who could very easily be 0-2 if not for some awful decisions from Will Levis. Still, I’m not ready to give up on them yet. They have significantly more talent than the Patriots and should be fired up for their first home game of the season.

Geoff: Jets (4/10). It's a tough spot for New York. They've been on the road two weeks in a row with a 40+ year-old QB who is recovering from an Achilles injury, and now have their first home game of the year. There is also the fact the Patriots are nowhere near as bad as people thought. I still think Rodgers to Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall will be enough to get a W for New York but expect a tight, low-scoring game. 

Broncos at Buccaneers Picks

LaMarca: Buccaneers (7/10). The Buccaneers are not as good as their record suggests, but they don’t need to be great to beat the Broncos in Tampa. Bo Nix is still looking for his first touchdown pass as a professional.

Geoff: Buccaneers (8/10). Eventually, I want to sell high on Tampa Bay but this week just isn’t the spot. Until Denver figures out how to make some big plays on offense they’re going to get beat routinely by teams like Tampa Bay. 

Texans at Vikings Picks

LaMarca: Vikings (4/10). I’m all aboard the Vikings bandwagon. Sam Darnold looks like a new man in Kevin O’Connell’s system, while Brian Flores has the defense humming. I’d like to make sure that Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison are in the lineup, but if they can beat the 49ers in Minnesota, there’s no reason they can’t do the same to the Texans.

Geoff: Texans (3/10). The Texans have won their first two games, despite not clicking 100% on offense. Minnesota looks far more competent than I thought they would but you also have Sam Darnold as a potential ticking time bomb vs a solid Houston defense. I ultimately just have a hard time picking against CJ Stroud who I think does enough to get the road W. 

Chargers at Steelers Picks

LaMarca: Steelers (3/10). The Chargers could be a “trendy” upset pick, but I’m not convinced they're actually good. Beating the Panthers and Raiders just doesn’t move the needle, in my book. Justin Herbert is also banged up, and a banged-up QB against T.J. Watt is never a good combination.

Geoff: Chargers (6/10). We are now getting into overdue (for a bad loss) territory for the Steelers. They caught a rusty Kirk Cousins in Week 1 and then did just barely enough to slow down the most anemic offense in football in the Broncos to get the Week 2 win. They won’t be able to stop Justin Herbert or the Chargers' run attack in the same fashion and the Chargers’ defense has been a force in their own right. I think Los Angeles should be favored here and gets the win. 

Eagles at Saints Picks

LaMarca: Eagles (5/10). We’ve seen some crazy line movement here, with the Eagles going from three-point favorites to three-point underdogs. The Saints have been impressive, no doubt, but that’s a pretty big overreaction to just two weeks of football.

Geoff: New Orleans (5/10). I am not expecting this to be another 20+ point win, but the Eagles defense is horrendous. They’re 31st in EPA against the run and are now facing a revamped Saints rushing attack that is 2nd in EPA per rush. I’d look for Philly to score some points and give the Saints their first true test, but would not want to rely on the Eagles defense holding at the end of the game for a win. 

Packers at Titans Picks

LaMarca: Titans (7/10). The Packers burned me in Week 2, but Anthony Richardson simply gave that game away. I’ve been impressed with the Titans so far, particularly on the defensive end. If Levis stops actively sabotaging the team — a big ask — the wins should follow.

Geoff: Packers (4/10). This does feel like a bit of a trappy spot but clearly the Titans are having issues managing the end-of-the-game scenarios that a coach like Matt LaFleur is so masterful at. Say want you want about Malik Willis, but this is his third year in the league, and there was a reason the Packers went out and picked him up to bolster their QB room. I don’t want to give up on Tennessee but they may be a better second-half team to root for. 

Giants at Browns Picks

LaMarca: Giants (1/10). The Giants are bad, but the Browns are, too. Hopefully Brian Daboll doesn’t roll into this week’s game without a kicker.

Geoff: Giants (2/10). The Browns are one of the few teams whose passing attack has actually been worse than New York’s, and Daniel Jones sadly may be the best QB playing in this game. The Giants aren’t going anywhere but they should've won last week and I do think they can pull the upset in this one and get past Cleveland.

Bears at Colts Picks

LaMarca: Colts (2/10). The Caleb Williams era is not off to a good start. They should probably be sitting at 0-2, while the Colts have at least one good showing. 

Geoff: Colts (7/10). Caleb Williams is averaging 4.0 YPA and was sacked 7 times last week. If you want to blame the O-Line, fine, but the fact is the Bears offense has been dreadful this season. Indianapolis has its own warts but their defensive line can get after the QB, much like Houston’s did last week; Anthony Richardson’s big play ability gives them a decided edge at QB. I think the Colts can and will win going away. 

Dolphins at Seahawks Picks

LaMarca: Seahawks (5/10). The Dolphins are going to be without Tua Tagovailoa, but are we positive the team is significantly worse without him? I think the Dolphins could potentially cover the 4.5-point spread, but the Seahawks are the more likely team to win.

Geoff: Seahawks (5/10). I don’t think Skylar Thompson will be much of a downgrade, if any, from Tua, but I still like Seattle to win this game. The Dolphins could certainly cover the 4.5-5.0 spread but I don’t want to bet against Geno Smith – who is playing great ball (6th in EPA per play among qualifying QBs) and already orchestrated two second-half comebacks – getting another win. 

Panthers at Raiders Picks

LaMarca: Panthers (2/10). Whatever the best version of the Panthers is, I expect to see it on Sunday. They’re getting an upgrade at QB, and Andy Dalton should give the rest of the roster a shot in the arm too. 

Geoff: Panthers (3/10). The Raiders are one of the most heavily bet teams this week, which is really all you need to know about why I like the Panthers in this spot. From a narrative perspective, the weight of having to coddle and support a failing QB like Bryce Young is now off the shoulders of the coaches and veterans in the Carolina locker room, which should free them up to play a little more loosely on Sunday. Expect a big game from Chuba Hubbard who averaged 6.4 ypc last week and faces a Raiders rush defense that has allowed 6.1 yards per carry against. 

Ravens at Cowboys Picks

LaMarca: Ravens (5/10). This game is a coin-flip from a spread perspective, but the Ravens have been the more impressive team. Winning in Dallas is never easy, but after the Saints dismantled the Cowboys at home last week, it seems more doable than usual.

Geoff: Cowboys (2/10). The Cowboys at home are typically a different animal. Last year they beat the Jets, Rams, Lions, and Seahawks at home. They’ve also been very good at rebounding under Dak Prescott, going 44-29 straight up the week after a loss since 2020. The Ravens also have been nowhere near as stout defensively in 2024 (especially against the pass) and now face a lethal combo of Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. I think Dallas does enough to hand the Ravens a third straight L. 

49ers at Rams Picks

LaMarca: Rams (2/10). Let’s get weird here. The 49ers are coming off a loss to the Vikings, and they’re going to be without Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel. The Rams have some injury issues of their own, but this game should be closer than the 7.5-point spread suggests.

Geoff: 49ers (5/10). The 49ers are shorthanded but let's not pretend like they are without weapons. George Kittle is still a very elite TE and has typically performed well against the Rams. LA is also 30th in EPA against the rush which means we’ll probably see Jordan Mason dominate again. So much has gone against the Rams to start the year and I just don’t think they can recover in time to take down the 49ers. 

Lions at Cardinals Picks

LaMarca: Cardinals (4/10). The Cardinals are third in offensive EPA through the first two weeks, and they were top 10 in that metric with Kyler Murray last season. They have the potential to keep up with the Lions, who have underperformed in their first two contests. 

Geoff: Lions (4/10). I get why the Cardinals are a favorite underdog pick for many people this week but it feels like we’re forgetting how good the Lions can be. They’re far better at stopping the run than the Rams and have Aiden Hutchinson to help chase down Kyler Murray, who escaped multiple near-sacks last week. Even if this is a shootout, the Lions rank first in EPA per play on offense and should be able to attack the Cardinals in multiple areas. 

Chiefs at Falcons Picks

LaMarca: Chiefs (7/10). When in doubt, trust Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs may not have deserved to win last week, but Mahomes — and the refs — got the job done in the end. There’s no reason to expect anything different vs. the Falcons, who should not have won last week vs. the Eagles.

Geoff: Falcons (3/10). Atlanta looked very good running the ball last week and they have weapons like Kyle Pitts and Darnell Mooney to hurt the Chiefs down the middle with big plays when they blitz. Kirk Cousins looked much closer to full strength at the end of last week’s game against the Eagles and the Falcons' secondary is solid enough to contain Mahomes, much like the Bengals did. Two primetime wins for Cousins in a row might break the internet but the Bengals showed the blueprint for how to beat the Chiefs, and I think Atlanta has the personnel to pull off a similar game plan. 

Jaguars at Bills Picks

LaMarca: Bills (8/10). The Jaguars are 0-2, and there’s not much to feel good about with them at the moment. I’m expecting the Bills to come into this game focused after losing to the Jaguars in London last season.

Geoff: Bills (7/10). Now that Bryce Young has been benched maybe we can talk about how bad Trevor Lawrence has been. He’s 22nd in EPA per play and has completed 51% of his passes, with just one passing TD in two games. The Bills should hand Jacksonville another loss and get the Lawrence bust narrative driven up another notch going into Week 4. 

Commanders at Bengals Picks

LaMarca: Bengals (6/10). I actually like the Commanders to cover this game, but it’s hard to see a scenario where the Bengals fall to 0-3.

Geoff: Bengals (7/10). The Bengals were the better team last week and should have won that game. Jayden Daniels may rush for 100+ yards but Cincinnati should right the ship this week against a very terrible Washington defense.