NFL Week 10 odds & picks: Betting backup quarterbacks

After a 3-0 week with his picks, Frank is back with his latest NFL Hail Mary picks.

Next man up. That’s a common phrase you’ll hear in the NFL.

Next man up when a specialty teams stud breaks an ankle. Next man up when your rookie left tackle shreds a knee. Next man up when your head coach leaves the stadium before the half.

But when the next man up is taking every offensive snap you have, especially for an extended period of time, everybody holds their breath. That’s why some consider the No.2 quarterback as the second most important position on the whole team.

When Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone in last week’s home loss to Chicago, the Packers were forced to completely change their offence after Seneca Wallace took over. A week later, it’s hard to know how much better Wallace will be when the Packers host the Eagles, but it’s worth noting a Sports Interaction oddsmaker says there’s a “9-9.5-point drop” on the spread when Green Bay goes from Rodgers to Wallace. The same oddsmaker says you’d see at least a 10-point shift in the line if Peyton Manning was hurt and Brock Osweiler had to step in.

Of course, some teams take care of their quarterback depth better than others. Washington drafted Kirk Cousins in the third round of the 2012 draft after taking Robert Griffin III second overall. Washington covers its bases when it comes to quarterbacks. Same thing goes for the Eagles and Bears as Nick Foles lights up the scoreboard and Josh McCown moved the chains to score the upset in Lambeau last week.

But there are still a pile of iffy quarterback situations in Week 10. Guys like Wallace, Christian Ponder, Case Keenum, Mike Glennon, and Chad Henne will all be counted on to take care of business as the next man up.

Sometimes the next man up becomes The Man. This week, we should get closer to see which way that is going to work out for a number of NFL teams.

Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers (-6, 43)

All of a sudden the Carolina Panthers have won four in a row straight up and against the spread to become the hottest NFC futures sleeper team going. They’ve scored at least 30 points in each of those games, two of which were on the road. But I’m not ready to crown them yet. This is a tough 49ers team that was finally hitting its stride before last week’s bye. The 49ers make a statement here and put the Panthers in their place.

Pick: San Francisco 49ers -6

Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers (+7, 58)

The last time we saw Peyton Manning, he was leading the Broncos to a blowout win over Washington while reportedly playing on two sprained ankles. Now, after a week off, the Broncos head back on the road as a touchdown favorite with another fat total. Don’t over-think this. San Diego owns the 28^th ranked defense but also has the No. 6 total offence. You know what to do.

Pick: Over 58

Miami Dolphins at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+2.5, 40.5)

Not getting into anything about the Miami Dolphins locker room mess, but if ever there were two teams looking to put on a performance on the Monday night stage, it’s these two. Tampa Bay actually looks better with Glennon at quarterback and Mike James at running back. The Bucs nearly dropped the Seahawks in Seattle last week by piling up 205 yards on the ground and Ryan Tannehill is having a solid season for the Dolphins. This might not be pretty, but there will be some points on the board.

Pick: Over 41

Last week: 3-0