This column is one of the most important we publish at CBS Sports. When it comes to gambling on the NFL, you want to put your bet in at the right time. This takes the ability to see into the future -- or make educated guesses. For example, I encouraged readers to take the Dallas Cowboys -1 over the New England Patriots last week. That's a much more favorable line than having to lay 3.5 points.
Every Friday, we take a look at the NFL lines a week in advance to determine if we should put money down now in order to get the best bang for our buck. All of these lines will likely change before we reach Week 7, so we want to go ahead and get our bets in if we see a nice opportunity for an upset, or to jump on a favorite before the line moves even more in its favor.
Before we jump into some early bets to consider, here are the lookahead lines for Week 7. All NFL odds come courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.
Week 7 lookahead lines
Broncos at Browns (-6)
Panthers (-2.5) at Giants
Falcons at Dolphins (-2.5)
Jets at Patriots (-7)
Washington at Packers (-7)
Bengals at Ravens (-6)
Chiefs (-3) at Titans
Lions at Rams (-13.5)
Eagles at Raiders (-2.5) (Before 'TNF')
Texans at Cardinals (-14)
Bears at Buccaneers (-10) (Before 'TNF')
Colts at 49ers (-5)
Saints (-3) at Seahawks
Picks to consider
Panthers (-2.5) at Giants
Despite the Panthers' struggles against the Eagles, I'm somewhat of a believer in this team. The defense is up and coming and I'm going to guess that Carolina gets Christian McCaffrey back in Week 7. The Panthers play host to the Vikings this week, a team I'm not sure what to think about. They scored just seven points against the Browns in Week 4 and then almost lost to the Lions last week. I don't want to hear about the absence of Dalvin Cook, because Alexander Mattison looked great other than the late fumble. My lean is to Carolina in Week 6, while the Giants play host to the 4-1 Rams. If the Panthers win and the Giants lose, this line should move in my opinion.
Jets at Patriots (-7)
The Jets will have a week off to prepare for this matchup, but I don't know how much that matters. They aren't very good and Bill Belichick knows how to game-plan for rookie signal-callers. We saw that earlier this year, as the Patriots defeated the Jets 25-6 while Zach Wilson threw four interceptions. This rematch will take place in Foxborough, which helps the Pats as well.
The Patriots have had an up-and-down season thus far, but many are tabbing this Sunday as a spot where they can give the Cowboys a run for their money. I highly doubt they pull off the upset, but this line will move if they play Dak Prescott and Co. close. I'll sprinkle some on NE -7 right now.
Texans (+14) at Cardinals
The Cardinals are a bit banged up and dealing with a couple COVID-19 cases as well. With them being 5-0 and having to face a tough Browns team on Sunday, all signs point to them finally dropping one. The Texans, on the other hand, are not as bad as we all thought they would be. Even with a rookie backup quarterback, they recorded some highlight-reel plays against the Patriots' stout defense last week, and held a 22-9 lead in the third quarter. It all came crumbling down, but still impressive.
The Texans are 3-2 against the spread this year, and 14 points just seems like too much to give up. They face another double-digit spread this week against the Colts, and my thought process is if they cover in Week 7 and the Cardinals lose to the Browns, this line should drop a few points. Again, 14 points just sounds like too much.
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