Undeterred by Michael Thomas injury, 90% of experts pick Saints over Raiders

With superstar wide receiver Michael Thomas expected to miss several weeks due to an ankle injury, it would be understandable if NFL experts weren’t riding too high on the New Orleans Saints in their upcoming game with the Las Vegas Raiders.

But that’s not the case. With or without Thomas, 90% of experts surveyed by NFL Pickwatch are picking the Saints to win again in Week 2. Just 10% of those in the know are siding with the Raiders on Friday. So that could be a good confidence boost for Saints fans.

And the experts are off to a hot start. 70% of them picked the Cleveland Browns to defeat the visiting Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night, and Baker Mayfield’s team came through for them.

The Saints are hardly the most heavily-favored squad this week, though, with nine different teams drawing 91% of expert picks or greater. That group includes NFC rivals like the San Francisco 49ers (98% over the New York Jets), Green Bay Packers (96% versus the Detroit Lions), Arizona Cardinals (95% over Washington), and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (92% over the Carolina Panthers). While the Saints are on top of the NFC South standings right now, they must remain in the win column to hold their place in the playoff picture.