Best Week 1 NFL bets to make from sharp bettors
50 best bets to make from respected handicappers and bookmaker info
Week 1 of the NFL season is finally upon us, and we have an exciting slate of games to break down, including a terrific Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football games.
If there is one Pros vs. Joes game, it would seem to be the Cincinnati Bengals (-7.5) vs. the New England Patriots. The betting public is all over Cincinnati, but we’ve seen this line drop from Bengals -9, both due to respected action and the unknown status of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Thomas Gable, sportsbook director at The Borgata in Atlantic City, texted me this morning, “Had respected money on the Patriots earlier in the week at +9 and +8.5. Overall, it’s been very typical of Week 1 with an overload of public money as people wait to bet the closing numbers after having them available for months.”
Here are five sharp plays that came in at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, according to Jeff Sherman, VP of risk:
Panthers +4.5
Patriots +8.5
Bills -5.5
Raiders +3.5
Lions -3.5
Biggest Week 1 bet I’ve heard just came in at Caesars Sportsbook in Las Vegas, as a bettor wagered $250,000 on the Minnesota Vikings ML -125 (at New York Giants).
Below, I’ve compiled over 50 Week 1 NFL best bets from respected handicappers for you to peruse, along with public betting info from DraftKings, BetMGM and BetRivers.
I’ll update this page as the day goes on with more wagers.
Have a great Week 1!
BetMGM public betting info
Most bet games (tickets)
Titans-Bears
Jaguars-Dolphins
Cardinals-Bills
Most bet teams (tickets)
Dolphins -3.5
Titans +4
Bills -7
Most bet teams ($$)
Titans +4
Panthers +4
Bengals -7.5
Most bet Overs (tickets)
Jaguars-Dolphins 49
Commanders-Buccaneers 42.5
Broncos-Seahawks 41.5
Most bet Unders (tickets)
Cowboys-Browns 41
Steelers-Falcons 41.5
Titans-Bears 44.5
Most bet underdogs to win (tickets)
Cowboys +110
Steelers +155
Patriots +310
DraftKings public betting info
BetRivers public betting info
Top 5 public spread plays ranked by strongest % of game spread money:
1. Bengals -8 vs. Patriots – 84.1%
2. Dolphins -3.5 vs. Jaguars – 73.2%
3. Lions -4.5 vs. Rams – 72.5%
4. Seahawks -6.5 vs. Broncos – 68.5%
5. Bears -4 vs. Titans – 65.9%
Top 5 public spread plays ranked by strongest % of game spread tickets:
1. Bengals -8 vs. Patriots – 82.2%
2. Dolphins -3.5 vs. Jaguars – 69.7%
3. Bears -4 vs. Titans – 67.2%
4. Lions -4.5 vs. Rams – 66.2%
5. Texans -3 vs. Colts – 65.6%
Week 1 NFL best bets
Early games
Titans +3.5 — Sam Panayotovich, BetQL
Titans +4.5 — Chris Farley, pro bettor
Titans +4.5 — Jason Logan, Covers
Titans +4 — Andy Molitor, Deep Dive podcast
Bears -4 — Matt Freedman, Fantasy Life