The Broncos visit the Panthers on Sunday with Denver holding a league-best 7-2 against-the-spread record and 8-1 straight-up mark when having less rest than its opponent since 2024. Sean Payton's team is favored in a matchup that highlights rest-disadvantage trends.
The Browns face the Saints with Cleveland at a rest disadvantage against a New Orleans team coming off a bye. Shedeur Sanders will start in place of Deshaun Watson (concussion), but the Saints are on an 0-8 ATS run following a bye, making Browns players like Sanders, Denzel Boston, and Quinshon Judkins popular for parlays and player props.
SportsLine's model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, has returned more than $5,000 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception. For Week 9, the model's five-team parlay pays nearly 30-1 and includes the Over 44.5 points in Seahawks vs. Cardinals, with a projected 52 combined points and a 67% Over hit rate.
For daily fantasy sports, the SportsLine DFS Optimizer highlights Rams running back Kyren Williams and Saints wide receiver Chris Olave among its top picks for the main Sunday slate.
In fantasy football rankings, the model projects Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis as a top-12 option for Week 9, with full positional rankings available.
The advanced model enters Week 9 of the 2026 NFL season on a 60-51 run on top-rated picks dating back to 2024. Its favorite pick is the Commanders (+4.5, 47.5) covering against the Rams, a selection that cashes 59% of simulations.
Expert Larry Hartstein, who is 11-4 (+646) on his last 15 NFL ATS picks, backs the Giants (-3) to cover versus the Eagles. Hartstein cites Philadelphia's poor yards-per-play differential and the Giants' bye-week rest.
For Sunday Night Football, SportsLine's AI model backs Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield under 18.5 pass completions (-102) as a 5-star prop pick in the matchup against the Bears.
On Monday Night Football, the Bills' top-ranked scoring offense visits the Vikings' top-ranked scoring defense. Expert R.J. White, 39-17-3 (+22.8 units) on his last 59 ATS picks in Vikings games, favors Buffalo (-3) to cover and leans under 44.5 total points.
