2026 NFL Week 5 Picks Straight Up, Odds & Spreads For All 15 Games

Welcome to our 2026 NFL Week 5 Picks Straight Up! Another week, another sweep of our featured picks, including our upset pick of the Browns over the Steelers. While I would love to keep the streak alive, this NFL Week 5 slate looks trickier than usual, with several divisional clashes, an international game, and once again, more backup quarterbacks. That being said, I think I found some favorable matchups to build our backroll. 

So, without further ado, it is time to bring you our expert 2026 NFL Week 5 Picks Straight Up. Below, you will find my picks, some highlighted matchups, and the odds and spreads for every game this week.

2026 NFL Week 5 Picks Straight Up for All 15 Games

With Week 5 here, we have some great matchups on paper and the first set of bye weeks! The Chiefs and Panthers get some much-needed rest this week, leaving 30/32 teams in the Week 5 schedule. In the following section, you will find my predictions, with the teams I anticipate coming away with a victory highlighted in bold. Odds are courtesy of BetMGM:

NFL Week 5 Picks Straight Up: Las Vegas Raiders ML (+165 at Bet365 Sportsbook)

When are we going to stop sleeping on the Las Vegas Raiders? Kirk Cousins has turned back the clock and is playing like a Pro Bowler, the defense is feisty, holding quarterbacks to a bottom-five completion percentage while being in the top five in sacks, and they just played the Chiefs until the very end of the game, ending NFL Week 4 as the only team to remain undefeated against the spread. Sure, we are taking the moneyline here, but I think that has proven how underrated this Raiders team is. 

Meanwhile, the Patriots have generally underperformed thus far. Sure, they just upset the Buffalo Bills, but I try not to put TOO much stock in divisional games. When looking at the whole picture, the Patriots offense has not been nearly the same as it was last season when Drake Maye was an MVP candidate. Now entering this game likely without both Rhamondre Stevenson and Mack Hollins, and with Hunter Henry needing to help block superstar pass rusher Maxx Crosby, more is going to be put on Maye’s shoulders, which doesn’t really sound too promising. Still without A.J. Brown, we are looking at a combination of Drake Maye, Romeo Doubs, and DeMario Douglas to lead this Patriots team. Yikes.

If you had told me a few weeks ago that I would trust Kirk Cousins and the Raiders more than Drake Maye and the Patriots through five weeks of the NFL season, I would call you crazy, but here we are. While I do like the Patriots' defense, with key contributors like Christian Barmore and Christian Gonzalez banged up, that is just more feeding into the idea that the Raiders can pull off the upset here. I love the Raiders as underdogs in this spot, and it would not surprise me at all if they steal this win and get to 4-1.

NFL Week 5 Picks Straight Up: Denver Broncos ML (-175 at BetMGM Sportsbook)

We are sticking with the AFC West with this pick, backing the Denver Broncos. Yes, the Broncos have their issues. Their offense is not clicking as much as I would like to see it click, Bo Nix looks underwhelming, and the defense is incredibly banged up, but things still look so much better than how things look for the Los Angeles Chargers.

What happened to Justin Herbert? I would love to blame his struggles on the new offensive scheme or wide receiver issues (which could be part of the problem), but he just does not look like the same quarterback out there. His offensive line might not be the best, but it is better than what he had to deal with last year, and he looks SIGNIFICANTLY worse. He is throwing the ball right to defenders. Even without former Defensive Player of the Year Pat Surtain II on the field, I still can’t confidently back the Chargers until I see Herbert get out of this funk he has found himself in. The Broncos might not look like the Super Bowl contender they were last season, but at least they don’t look as hopeless as the Chargers. 

2026 NFL Week 5 Odds & Spreads For All 15 Games

We just unveiled our 2026 NFL Week 5 picks, and below are the spread odds for each matchup, provided by BetMGM Sportsbook:

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