The 2026 NFL season opens with a Super Bowl rematch as the defending champion Seattle Seahawks host the New England Patriots. The first international game of the year features the Los Angeles Rams — this season’s Super Bowl favorites — at the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia. Other notable early-week matchups include the Buffalo Bills at the Houston Texans, the Minnesota Vikings hosting the Green Bay Packers, and the Dallas Cowboys visiting the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football. Kansas City hosts Denver on Monday Night Football (8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC).
Odds published by DraftKings show the Los Angeles Chargers as the largest favorites in Week 1 at minus-10 against the Arizona Cardinals, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the Cincinnati Bengals carries the highest total at 50.5. Pamela Maldonado, Matt Bowen, Eric Moody and Joe Fortenbaugh examined those early lines and highlighted four wagers they consider worth tracking before further movement.
Eric Moody favors Jacksonville at minus-7.5 over Cleveland. Moody cited the Jaguars’ 12-5 record against the spread last season and a 78% home cover rate, versus the Browns’ 2-6 mark ATS on the road. He also noted Deshaun Watson is making his first regular-season start since 2024 and expects Jacksonville’s defensive front to pressure him, pointing to last week’s Browns loss to the Steelers, 23-9.
Joe Fortenbaugh listed the Atlanta Falcons at Pittsburgh Steelers UNDER 42.5. Fortenbaugh expressed reservations about the Falcons’ offense under Tua Tagovailoa, referencing summer reports about his conditioning and willingness to throw downfield, and praised Pittsburgh’s defense under coordinator Patrick Graham. He suggested a 24-17 score would fall into the projected range.
Matt Bowen recommended taking the New Orleans Saints plus-7 at Detroit. Bowen pointed to an ascending Saints group and highlighted quarterback Tyler Shough’s late rookie production — 1,172 passing yards in his final four games — saying Shough’s rhythm style fits Kellen Moore’s offense and can attack the middle of the field in Detroit’s scheme.
Pamela Maldonado favored the Arizona at Los Angeles UNDER 47.5. Maldonado described Arizona’s Mike LaFleur-led approach as run-first with rookie Jeremiyah Love as a key piece, while noting the Chargers finished among the top 10 against the run last season and allowed the second-fewest red-zone touchdowns, which could limit Arizona’s ability to convert drives into touchdowns.
