Struggling SuperContest NFL Week 5 Predictions Take Heavy Blows in Averaged Results
Swerving the scene dramatically for NFL Week 5, while four out of the top five hot picks faltered in Week 4, Week 5 saw a flip flop, with four of the top five popular choices taking a hard hit. Yet, it's important to note that overall, contestants fared fairly average, averaging 2.48 points per entry – down from 2.79 in the previous week. (Take a peek at our Week 5 Monday betting recap on our site.)
Vegas' Westgate SuperContest in NFL Week 5: Divided Opinions, Panthers Sink Top Pick
Here's a rundown of the most popular Week 5 picks from the 2,748-strong field in the $1,500 per-entry contest guaranteeing over $1 million to the victor (per FantasySuperContest):
- Detroit Lions (-2.5) vs. Carolina Panthers (1053 picks) (Loss)
- Cincinnati Bengals (-3) vs. Buffalo Bills (847 picks) (Win)
- Houston Texans (PK) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (778) (Loss)
- Los Angeles Rams (-1) vs. Seattle Seahawks (725) (Loss)
- Buffalo Bills (+3) at Cincinnati Bengals (650) (Loss)
Intriguingly, one of the leading picks was predestined to lose or tie due to the Bills and Bengals both being included. The contentious showdown resulted in the Bengals covering by 4 points, courtesy of a late field goal.
Nearly 40% of the pool are either Lions backers (or perhaps not convinced of the Panthers and Cam Newton's offensive revival after their road win against the Patriots). Carolina reserve tight end Ed Dickson likely isn't living up to the tag "Not Greg Olsen" anymore, following his 5-catch, 175-yard performance on Sunday. The Panthers emerged victorious, 27-24.
On the other hand, many SuperContest-ants believed Houston and Deshaun Watson would deliver the Chiefs their first loss, but the Chiefs remained undefeated at 5-0 and continued their perfect 5-0 ATS (against the spread) streak following a 42-34 win that was closer than the final score might suggest. Houston succumbed to a double whammy early in the game, with linebacker Whitney Mercilus and J.J. Watt both going down, respectively sustaining a torn pectoral muscle and a fractured lower leg bone (tibial plateau).
The biggest line of the week, the Jaguars +8 against the Steelers, repaid 16% (440 picks) without breaking a sweat in a laugher that saw Ben Roethlisberger toss five interceptions, with two returned for touchdowns.
A perfect 5-0 week catapults "CALI CAPPERS" to the top of the leaderboard with an impressive 20-5 (80%) record for the season. Hot on their heels is "SEOUL CYCLE" with 19.5, while last week's joint leaders, "PHD SPORTS" and "SCHEMATIC ADVANTAGE," both lost three games (2-3) and land in a 11-way tie for third with 19 points overall. Is it better to be the hunter or the hunted? The objective remains clear: win it all.
In the Westgate SuperContest of NFL Week 5, the Detroit Lions faced the Carolina Panthers, with a significant number of contestants backing the Lions, despite the Panthers' recent offensive revival (40% of the pool). However, the Panthers proved to be the superior team, altering the course of the game with a 27-24 victory, boosted by Ed Dickson's impressive 5-catch, 175-yard performance. In contrast, many SuperContest-ants believed Houston Texans would deliver their first loss to the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs, but suffered a setback as Houston lost the game, albeit with a closer scoreline than anticipated (42-34).
