Our staff has six best bet recommendations for opening week NFL action.
The Week 1 narrative: Is it comeback season for the San Francisco 49ers? Our Avery Perri thinks so and is taking Christian McCaffrey and Co. to roll over the Seahawks in Seattle. Two additional road teams are being backed, as is Canadian Chuba Hubbard of the Carolina Panthers.
Check out our NFL Week 1 staff best bets for our favourite picks this weekend.
NFL Week 1 best bets
NFL Week 1 best bets via NorthStar Bets writers Jordan Horrobin, Spencer Closs and Perri.
Falcons +3 (-127): Atlanta is 5-1 ATS vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the past three seasons, going 2-0 SU and ATS last year.
The Bucs are banged up right now, with Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan both out and some other notable players carrying questionable tags as of Wednesday morning (Tristan Wirfs, Cade Otton, Rachaad White).
The Falcons spent most of their draft capital bolstering the defence because Michael Penix already has the tools he needs to shine.
-Horrobin
ATS picks
Bengals -5.5 (-110): The big question mark around the Bengals is their defence but I have no problem fading the Cleveland Browns in Week 1.
Joe Flacco makes his return to Cleveland after a season in Indianapolis, where he went 2-4 with 12 TDs and seven INTs.
The Browns had a -177 point differential last season, and the roster isn’t improved enough to make me think they have a chance against Joe Burrow and the Bengals.
-Closs
49ers -2.5 (-112): I’m all in on the 49ers this season and expect them to put the league on notice with a beatdown of a far inferior Seahawks squad on Sunday.
Christian McCaffrey is back and reportedly in top shape, and the defence will undoubtedly look better with returning defensive coordinator Robert Saleh at the helm.
Sam Darnold, who now quarterbacks the Seahawks, no longer has offensive guru Kevin O’Connell to hold his hand in tough moments.
The former first-round pick was shell-shocked down the stretch against legitimate defences last year, and Saleh’s unit should give him plenty of problems.
The Niners are 4-1 against the Seahawks when CMC plays, with a +56 point differential.
-Perri
Best moneyline bet
Dolphins ML (-105): Since Tua Tagovailoa was drafted, Miami has a 40-24 record when the quarterback is healthy.
Staying healthy has been a problem, but that shouldn’t be a concern in Week 1. In fact, the Dolphins are 4-0 in Week 1 games with Tagovailoa as the starter.
He should give Miami a distinct QB advantage as the Indianapolis Colts are rolling out Daniel Jones in Week 1. That’s enough for me to side with the Phins at a pick’em price.
-Closs
NFL Week 1 best bets: Player props
Chuba Hubbard over 10.5 receiving yards (-117): Hubbard was the centre piece of Carolina’s offence last year, logging 293 touches and 1,366 all-purpose yards in 15 games.
The running back caught 43 of 54 targets for 171 yards. And while 4.0 yards/catch isn’t eye-popping, the volume is encouraging.
Hubbard caught four passes in the final three games of the season, clearing this line each time.
Now, he gets to go up against a Jacksonville Jaguars team which allowed the fourth-most receptions and second-most receiving yards per game to opposing RBs last season.
Hubbard should blow by this mark.
-Perri
Christian McCaffrey to score (-143): This is a lot of juice, but I doubt you’ll see McCaffrey with a line like this for the rest of the season.
Not long ago, CMC scored in an NFL-record-tying 17 consecutive games. After his streak was snapped, he found the end zone in eight of his next 10 games, culminating with a TD in Super Bowl LVIII.
We can throw McCaffrey’s 2024 season in the trash. San Francisco will need him at his best to rebound, and I can’t imagine Kyle Shanahan giving Week 1 red-zone touches to Brian Robinson Jr.
-Perri
NFL Week 1 best bets made at 3:03 p.m. ET on 09/02/2025.
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