Week 1 NFL Picks: Predictions and Advice for Season-Opening Vegas Odds

The NFL is back, which makes this money-making time in the wagering world.

A full 16-game slate for Week 1 offers a wealth of opportunities for gamblers, and our crystal ball is the trick to help you capitalize on them.

After laying out the latest lines from DraftKings, we'll provide a score prediction for each contest and break down three of the best bets on the board.

NFL 2020 Week 1 Point Spreads

Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs (-9)

Philadelphia Eagles (-5.5) at Washington

Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots (-6.5)

Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings (-2.5)

Indianapolis Colts (-8) at Jacksonville Jaguars

Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions (-3)

Las Vegas Raiders (-3.5) at Carolina Panthers

New York Jets at Buffalo Bills (-6.5)

Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens (-8)

Seattle Seahawks (-1.5) at Atlanta Falcons

Los Angeles Chargers (-3.5) at Cincinnati Bengals

Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers (-7)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints (-3.5)

Dallas Cowboys (-3) at Los Angeles Rams

Pittsburgh Steelers (-5.5) at New York Giants

Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos (-2.5)

Week 1 Score Predictions

Chiefs 37, Texans 28

Eagles 24, Washington 13

Patriots 20, Dolphins 17

Packers 28, Vikings 20

Colts 19, Jaguars 12

Lions 31, Bears 20

Raiders 23, Panthers 21

Bills 20, Jets 16

Ravens 38, Browns 17

Seahawks 23, Falcons 16

Bengals 17, Chargers 13

49ers 31, Cardinals 27

Buccaneers 38, Saints 35

Cowboys 34, Rams 27

Steelers 23, Giants 19

Titans 24, Broncos 13

Advice for Week 1 Odds

Play the Over in Texans-Chiefs

You should plan for pyrotechnics when the season kicks off with Patrick Mahomes going head-to-head with Deshaun Watson.

Oddsmakers have braced for big scoring numbers by setting an over/under of 54.5. Considering the caliber of quarterbacks, though, that isn't enough.

When these teams locked horns last season, both Mahomes and Watson put three touchdowns on the board. While the final tally barely cleared this number (55), the first two quarters provided 40 total points.

This is the gameweek's highest over/under, so it may not jump off the page at first glance. But when Mahomes and Watson are trading early scores Thursday night, you will be kicking yourself for not jumping on this wager.

Take the Bucs and the Points

The New England Saints look scary-good on paper, and they might have a better year than Tom Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But doesn't this seem like the kind of game Brady will get just to send a message that he still has plenty in the tank and can win without Bill Belichick? And it's not like all Tampa has is a new quarterback. It still features the most ferocious receiving tandem in the league (Mike Evans and Chris Godwin), plus it scored major upgrades at tight end (Rob Gronkowski) and running back (Leonard Fournette).

"Me coming to Tampa made perfect sense," Fournette told reporters. "I felt like they had all the keys I needed and vice versa. I can help the team out, and also they can help me."

The Bucs might have the horsepower to race to an NFC South title, especially if their defense maintains the momentum it built late last season. The Saints may emerge the superior squad in the end, but our projections have a motivated Brady and the Bucs winning this game outright.

Grab the Seahawks and Give the Points

The Seattle Seahawks and Atlanta Falcons aren't in the same weight class.

That's what the standings said last season, when the Seahawks won 11 games and the Falcons managed just seven victories. That's what the eye test continues to conclude, as B/R's expert consensus rankings placed Seattle fifth and Atlanta 14th.

So why aren't Seahawks' backers forced to lay more than 1.5 points here? Great question. In fact, you should probably go lock in the wager before oddsmakers give this line some more thought.

It's a road game for Seattle, sure, but Atlanta won't have fans in the stadium. Matt Ryan is a good quarterback, but Russell Wilson is more dynamic and able to improvise when things break down. The Seahawks are simply the better team. So if you get them while giving up less than a field goal, you have to do it.