posted December 6, 2007 at 14:07 in NFL Free Picks

The Minnesota Vikings’ defense has been dealt a blow heading into Sunday’s matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. But the NFL betting cognoscenti don’t appear to be taking notice.

Defensive end Ray Edwards was suspended four games for violating the NFL's steroid policy. The former Boilermaker has been a rock for the Vikings this season; Edwards leads the team in sacks with five and has a TD fumble return to go along with 41 tackles. But the flood of money coming in on Minnesota has gone unabated. The Vikes were 7-point favorites at Monday’s open before climbing to 8.5 points, and then all the way to 10 by Wednesday night.

The suspension comes after Edwards was taken out of last week’s lineup against Detroit and replaced with Erasmus James, ostensibly for performance reasons. The Lions didn’t bother testing the top-ranked run defense in the league, rushing just seven times for 23 yards in a 42-10 Minnesota win. Yet even without Edwards on the pass rush, Detroit QB Jon Kitna was held to 260 yards through the air.

Can the Niners take advantage where Detroit has failed? It doesn’t look like it. San Francisco’s offense is the worst in the league this year. It appears Trent Dilfer could be the starter for the rest of the season while Alex Smith and his shoulder try to heal. Dilfer and Smith have a combined QB rating of 57.8; according to Football Outsiders, they are two of the three worst NFL players at their position, the other being Oakland’s Josh McCown.

San Fran might have to run the ball early and often with Frank Gore, even into the teeth of the Vikings’ defense. This has been a year of frustration for Gore, occasionally looking brilliant (Week 12 at Arizona: 116 yards rushing, two TDs) but just as often laying an egg. However, his last two games were both strong, and he should have a little more breathing room against the Vikes without Edwards.

It’s even easier to overlook Ray Edwards in Minnesota when Adrian Peterson is making headlines. Peterson ran for 116 yards and two TDs against Detroit despite splitting carries with Chester Taylor. He could make Monster Park his playground at the expense of San Francisco’s tattered defense, ranked 29th in the NFL against both the run and the pass. But Minnesota hasn’t been a double-digit favorite all season. This is something new on the NFL odds list.

Kick-off is at 4:05 p.m. Eastern on FOX

> > Check Week 14 Odds Here

The 2007 NFL betting season is here in full force! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The BetUS sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join BetUS today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLII and beyond!