Pick'em Mode

Week 1
Optimized Hybrid
Uses XGBoost model predictions for close games, Vegas favorites for lopsided matchups. Backtested 2018-2024: 73.8% of max points.
0
Points Earned
136
Points Possible
0.0%
Percentage
0-0
Record
16
Pending
16
pts
ARI ARI
@
LAC LAC *
2026-09-13 16:25 Favorite
ARI -11.5
Strong favorite
Pending
15
pts
CLE CLE
@
JAX JAX *
2026-09-13 13:00 Favorite
CLE -7.5
Clear favorite
Pending
14
pts
NO NO
@
DET DET *
2026-09-13 13:00 Favorite
NO -7.0
Clear favorite
Pending
13
pts
WAS WAS
@
PHI PHI *
2026-09-13 16:25 Favorite
WAS -5.5
Moderate favorite
Pending
12
pts
TB TB
@
CIN CIN *
2026-09-13 13:00 Favorite
TB -3.5
Slight favorite
Pending
11
pts
NE NE
@
SEA SEA *
2026-09-09 20:20 Favorite
NE -3.5
Slight favorite
Pending
10
pts
BAL BAL *
@
IND IND
2026-09-13 13:00 Favorite
IND -3.5
Slight favorite
Pending
9
pts
SF SF
@
LA LA *
2026-09-10 20:35 Favorite
SF -3.0
Slight favorite
Pending
8
pts
ATL ATL
@
PIT PIT *
2026-09-13 13:00 Favorite
ATL -3.0
Slight favorite
Pending
7
pts
MIA MIA
@
LV LV *
2026-09-13 16:25 Favorite
MIA -3.0
Slight favorite
Pending
6
pts
NYJ NYJ
@
TEN TEN *
2026-09-13 13:00 Favorite
NYJ -3.0
Slight favorite
Pending
5
pts
DEN DEN
@
KC KC *
2026-09-14 20:15 Model
DEN -2.5
Slight favorite
Pending
4
pts
CHI CHI
@
CAR CAR *
2026-09-13 13:00 Model
CAR -2.5
Slight favorite
Pending
3
pts
BUF BUF
@
HOU HOU *
2026-09-13 13:00 Model
HOU -1.5
Toss-up
Pending
2
pts
GB GB
@
MIN MIN *
2026-09-13 16:25 Model
MIN -1.5
Toss-up
Pending
1
pts
DAL DAL
@
NYG NYG *
2026-09-13 20:20 Model
NYG -1.5
Toss-up
Pending

How Pick'em Scoring Works

  1. Pick the Winner: For each game, pick which team will win straight-up (no spread).
  2. Rank by Confidence: Assign confidence rankings 1-16 to each pick. 1 = least confident, 16 = most confident.
  3. Earn Points: If your pick is correct, you earn points equal to your confidence ranking.
  4. Strategy: This page uses the Optimized Hybrid strategy:
    • Close games (spread < 3 pts): Trust the XGBoost model predictions
    • Lopsided games (spread ≥ 3 pts): Trust the Vegas favorite
  5. Backtest Result: This hybrid strategy scores ~73.8% of maximum possible points over 7 years (2018-2024), outperforming "always favorite" by +1.3 percentage points.