Best Week 7 NFL bets

Frank Schwab and Minty bets take you through their two favorite wagers ahead of the pivotal week 7 of the NFL season. They agree on one of the games...make sure to save some of your bankroll for the Bengals at Ravens game. New BetMGM customers who bet $1 on ANY game will receive $100 in free bets added to their account. You don’t need to win your bet to receive the promotion. Must be 21+ in AZ, CO, IN, IA, MI, NJ, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY only. Terms apply. Go to BetMGM.com/YAHOOSPECIAL to get started or use promo code SPORTSBOOK when making your first deposit.

Video transcript

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FRANK SCHWAB: Welcome to "Yahoo Sportsbook Daily." It is Friday, October 22nd, 2021. I'm Frank Schwab, joined by Minty Bets, and we are your betting guides for the NFL week seven slate.

[CROWD CHEERING]

[REFEREE WHISTLING]

Minty, a lot of favorites covered last week. We're trying to figure out all these teams, what they're bringing to the table. Who do you like as your best bet for week seven?

MINTY BETS: Yeah, last week was pretty rough, as I usually bet on underdogs. So my--

FRANK SCHWAB: Yep.

MINTY BETS: --best bet this week is going to be an underdog. It's gonna be the Cincinnati Bengals plus 6 and 1/2. I have had this game mentally circled in my mental calendar for weeks now. Love betting on the Bengals. Love live Betting on them as well because they're actually only 3 and 3 against the spread this season. First off, both Cincy and Baltimore love playing close games. The Bengals have won straight up against bad teams. I am aware of this. And to the somewhat good teams that they've lost to, they've only lost by 3 points.

As for the Ravens, they don't blow out teams. Yeah, they almost shut out a Teddy Bridgewater-less Broncos team, and last week they blew out the Chargers. But come on, LA has the worst rushing defense. And they were kind of due for a loss like that. This right here is a divisional game, and those tend to be closer. The Ravens have dominated the Bengals in the past, but it is a new era in Cincinnati. I think this offense is going to be too much to handle for the Ravens. Baltimore is allowing the eighth most passing yards per game, but their rushing defense is pretty good.

Also another good rushing defense, the Bengals. They're only allowing 3.9 yards per carry. So this might be a problem for a run-heavy offense like the Ravens. But I'm not gonna ignore the fact that Lamar Jackson has looked great. He's really improving his accuracy. He completed 70% of his passes last week and 86% the week prior. This offense is really, finally clicking now, you know, through all those injuries.

Though this might be the toughest competition the Bengals have so far, I think they keep this within a touchdown. I hope people will be high off how the Ravens looked last week, so maybe I can get Cincy at plus 7 or even 7 and 1/2. But I would still definitely bet them at plus 6 and 1/2.

FRANK SCHWAB: I need to go to the bank right now because I need to get a loan. Because we agree. Our number one pick, exactly--

MINTY BETS: Yes.

FRANK SCHWAB: --the same. I circled the Bengals too. I think this is a great spot for them for many of the same reasons you mentioned. Here's one of those things. We get to a crossroads with a lot of teams in the NFL schedule because you know how it's a snow globe league. Everything changes week after week. And we really don't know what's coming. So do we buy that the Ravens have all of a sudden turned a corner and become an elite team? They did look like it last week.

But you said this matchup was very favorable to them and what they like to do. Before then, let's not forget the Ravens were living off close wins. They barely beat the Lions, who we've seen are a terrible football team. The Colts aren't great. Barely beat the Colts.

The reason I really liked the Chargers last week-- and I'll cop to that. I was dead wrong about the Chargers. But one of the reasons I liked the Chargers last week is because this Ravens team isn't really blowing people out. They did last week. And I don't know, is that what we expect from the Ravens going forward? Or was that just great matchup, great game, and now they become the Ravens who are on that tight wire again? I'm gonna bet that the Ravens are back on the tight wire.

I like what the Bengals are bringing to the table. Analytically, their defense is a lot stronger than people realize. They do have a very good offense. So when I take a team that's plus 7, plus 6 and 1/2 in this case, I like an offense that's got backdoor potential. And this offense definitely does. If we're sitting there down 10 points at the end and Joe Burrow has the ball, I like their chances to drive the field against a Ravens defense playing some prevent. So I think the backdoor is in play here, too, even if they don't cover this easily.

And I'll ask you, Minty, before we move on to the next game. Moneyline? Are we also going Bengals moneyline here?

MINTY BETS: Oh, I mean, you have to sprinkle a little bit on the moneyline--

FRANK SCHWAB: Have to.

MINTY BETS: --when you bet on the dog. So, yeah, throw some pizza money on it.

FRANK SCHWAB: Might as well. Might as well. I like it. I really like this. Who Dey. Let's go Bengals. Minty, what's your second pick for this week?

MINTY BETS: My second pick, this was kind of hard. I like the Panthers and Giants to go over 43, 43 and 1/2. Originally, I wanted to take the under because it seems like both these teams struggle to score, and that is a pretty low total. And I know both these teams are trending on the under. Carolina's offense not looking good, but they scored 28 points, 18 points, and 28 points their last three games. This defense that was so stellar the first three weeks of the season is now allowing 30.3 points a game.

And the Giants, that offense looking real slim. Daniel Jones not looking too hot either, as he's only thrown four touchdowns upon four interceptions. That Giants defense, simply put, is not good. They can't stop anyone, and they don't have a pass rush. So I can see the Panthers doing most of the scoring here. However, Carolina's defense is slowly deteriorating, so maybe the Giants will have some luck at home and put some points on the board. So my best bet is over 43 or 43 and 1/2 for the Panthers and Giants game.

FRANK SCHWAB: I do like that. And I hope it's the Panthers scoring a lot of points because I'm gonna be on Carolina minus 3. I cannot quit this team. And one thing I'll add, I do like that play for you. Because when you have mistake-prone quarterbacks, it often leads to short fields, quick scores. You know, we could see Daniel Jones or Sam Darnold throwing a pick deep in their own territory, pick-6, something like that. That always adds to the over value. So when you have two quarterbacks who can be turnover machines at times, yeah, I usually lean towards the over, too, so I really like that.

Let me get to my second game, and that's-- look, there's a ton of double-digit underdogs in this slate. I'm gonna pick the one I like best, and that's the Chicago Bears plus 12 and 1/2. I just think of all these teams that are getting a ton of points-- you got Washington, you got Houston, you got the Lions-- I think the Bears are the best of this lot by far. And I think we've seen already that the Bucs are a little overvalued. They're 2 and 4 against the spread this season, which shouldn't surprise us. We're seeing big spreads on them. Look, when you're the Super Bowl champs, when you got everybody coming back, when you got Tom Brady throwing seemingly five touchdowns every single week, the public is gonna love that.

They're gonna have to pay a tax to bet the Buccaneers, and I think there's a huge tax involved here. I don't think the Bears are that bad. Remember, hey, last year, the Tom Brady I forgot it was fourth down game, the Bears won that game straight up. I think they're at least capable here. I'm not saying I think the Bears are-- you know, like we just talked about, when you take an underdog, usually like to sprinkle a little bit on the moneyline. I'm not sure I'm gonna do that with the Bears. But 12 and 1/2 is a lot.

I think that the only thing that really worries me here is the Bears want to run the ball and hide Justin Fields. They're not gonna able to do that against the Bucs. They're gonna have to throw the ball. But I think Justin Fields can make some plays, maybe finally get Allen Robinson involved. Darnell Mooney is there. I think this Bears team can at least keep this within 12 and 1/2. I think it's just you're paying too much of a tax to take the Bucs. So I'm gonna try to go the other way here, take the Bears. And hopefully some of these underdogs hit this week, Minty, because last week, as you kind of mentioned, it was a bloodbath for us underdog bettors.

MINTY BETS: Oh yeah. So you're totally right, I think the Chicago Bears are the best double-digit dog out of Houston and Detroit. And I definitely like how Chicago's defense is looking. Don't know if that offense is quite there yet. I don't know if Justin Fields is quite there yet. But you know they say don't bet against Brady, but you have a good. 2 and 4 against the spread this season, that's not really that great. So maybe the Bucs are being a little overvalued here. So, yeah, I'm with you on Chicago here.

FRANK SCHWAB: Yeah, and for those still alive in survival pools, like I am, like most people are because there haven't been any upsets basically, I'd beware of the Bucs here. I'm not saying the Bears are gonna win. But of all these, if you have all four teams, all these four big favorites, including Green Bay, available to you, I might not take the Bucs. I might save them for a later date.

So let's recap what we got. We're both on the Bengals plus 6 and 1/2. We like Joe Burrow and crew to at least cover this. Hey, maybe even pull off the upset. That would make for a really good Sunday for both me and Minty. Minty likes the Panthers-Giants over 43 and 1/2. I'm with her there for many reasons we talked about. And I'm on the Bears plus 12 and 1/2 against the Bucs to at least cover. And, hey, stay away from the Bucs in your survival pools maybe.

You can follow me on Twitter @YahooSchwab. Minty is @MintyBets. And you can make sure to follow all of our content over at Yahoo Sportsbook. Create a BetMGM account and place your first bet risk-free up to $1,000. If your bet loses, you get your bet amount up to $1,000 added back to your account in free bets. You must be 21 years or older in Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wyoming. Terms apply. Go to BetMGM.com/yahoo to get started or use the promo code Yahoo when making your first deposit.

And, hey, just go bet that $1,000 on the Cincinnati Bengals. It has to be a lock since me and Minty agree on it. I will be back to host the next episode of "Yahoo Sportsbook Daily" on Monday. Until then, good bye and good luck.