FOX Super 6 NFL contest: OutKick handicapper Geoff Clark’s Week 17 picks

It is the penultimate week of the 2023 NFL regular season. 

Luckily, the free-to-enter FOX Super 6 will continue throughout the playoffs. 

The game is simple. All you need to do is answer six questions, predicting team and player performances through the FOX Sports app.

Points are accrued for all six picks. You’re competing against fellow NFL fans, and the contest pays the top six scorers. Fox Sports has doled out $160,000 through the first 16 weeks of the season. Here are the official rules and some FAQ’s for the FOX Super 6 contest.

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It’s crazy New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley is the least selected running back for this question. Barkley is the only good skill position player the Giants have. They run so much of their offense through Barkley, and the Los Angeles Rams’ defense is mediocre.

He missed three games from Weeks 3-5. But, since returning to action, Barkley is fifth among all running backs in yards from scrimmage, second in rushing yards and first in carries.

Finally, New York is replacing QB Tommy DeVito with QB Tyrod Taylor in Week 17. Barkley averaged 114.7 yards from scrimmage in Taylor’s first three games as a starter from Weeks 6-8.

PICK: Giants RB Saquon Barkley

The first part of this question is deciding who will win the two matchups. My answer is the Houston Texans will beat the Tennessee Titans, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will defeat the New Orleans Saints.

I’m putting Houston first here because Texans rookie QB C.J. Stroud should return after missing the past two games with a concussion. Plus, Tennessee’s defense is the worst in the pool above, and the Titans have nothing to play for.

Also, Tampa Bay’s offense has been clicking lately. The Buccaneers have scored 29, 34 and 30 points in their last three games against the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers and Jacksonville Jaguars. Finally, the Bucs beat the Saints 26-9 in their first meeting in Week 4.

PICK: 1. Texans, 2. Buccaneers, 3. Titans and 4. Saints

Niners QB Brock Purdy played the worst game of his young career in San Francisco’s 33-19 loss to the Baltimore Ravens Christmas night. Purdy threw 4 INTs with zero TDs. With that in mind, I’m counting on a bounce-back effort from Purdy.

More importantly, the Washington Commanders have the worst pass defense in the NFL. Washington is last in opponent QB Rating and adjusted yards per pass attempt and 31st in passing yards allowed per game.

PICK: San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy

By placing 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk atop this list, I’m connecting my third and fourth question picks. If Purdy goes off against the Commanders, there’s a good chance Aiyuk has a big game. Aiyuk leads San Francisco in catches, receiving yards and targets.

Eagles WR A.J. Brown has the third-most receiving yards in the league and ranks above all the wideouts in this group. Finally, Los Angeles WR Puka Nacua edges out Seattle WR DK Metcalf since New York has a worse pass defense than Pittsburgh.

PICK: 1. 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk, 2. Eagles WR A.J. Brown, 3. Rams WR Puka Nacua and 4. Seahawks WR DK Metcalf

Honestly, I’m just fading the FOX Super 6 contest entrants. Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett is the least picked wideout in this pool. If Lockett outperforms the other options here, I’ll gain ground on the contest. And I could see the Steelers focusing their attention on Metcalf, which could lead to softer coverage on Lockett.

PICK: Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett

Seattle has scored 17 or fewer points in five of its past six games. The Seahawks were losing for three quarters against a bad Titans team last week before snatching victory out of the jaws of defeat.

That said, the market overrates Seattle’s offense. The Seahawks are 19th in points per game, 26th in third down conversion rate and 28th in red zone scoring rate. It’s tough to win by margin if you cannot convert in those high-leverage situations.

PICK: Steelers win, tie or lose by 3 points or fewer

Listen to the ‘OutKick Bets with Geoff Clark’ podcast HERE.

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