Best NFL Odds & ATS Picks For Week 1

Best NFL Odds & ATS Picks For Week 1

Written by on June 16, 2017

All NFL teams will wrap up their minicamps this week. That means we hit about a month of dead time in the league, with teams reporting to training camps in only a month. No need to wait that long to bet on Week 1, however. And with that in mind, we’re checking out 3 top NFL odds for Week 1 and their respective ATS betting picks.

Best NFL Odds & ATS Picks For Week 1

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns (+8)

The Browns almost had a disaster strike in their minicamp this week with No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett, the defensive end out of Texas A&M. He went to the ground in pain after a pass rush during team drills in Cleveland’s minicamp practice on Wednesday. Granted, he limped off, but it was better than being carted off or immediately going in for X-rays. Garrett was kept off the field Thursday as the team concluded minicamp, as doctors assess his left foot injury. It would be typical Browns bad luck were Garrett seriously injured, but it appears he has avoided anything serious. Still, this is worrisome as Garrett also dealt with a high-ankle sprain during his final season at Texas A&M.

What Will Happen Next?

Players are now off until training camp begins in late July, and it remains to be seen if Garrett, who was limited throughout OTAs with a sore foot, will be able to train much during the break. The injury comes at a time when Garrett was beginning to get some reps with the starters. But don’t expect to see rookie QB DeShone Kizer winning the starting job in camp. Cleveland’s QBs coach David Lee bluntly stated after minicamp Thursday that Kizer is “not ready to play.” It sounds more and more like Cody Kessler will be under center vs. Pittsburgh, which has completely dominated the Browns since Ben Roethlisberger was drafted. You should give the points here in the NFL odds for this matchup.

Arizona Cardinals at Detroit Lions (-2.5)

The Lions did suffer one of the biggest injuries of any team in the NFL thus far in losing left tackle Taylor Decker to shoulder surgery that will cause him to miss 4-6 months. Decker, the 16th pick of last year’s draft out of Ohio State, played every offensive snap as a rookie and was performing well against some of the NFL’s best pass rushers.

What Will Happen With the Lose of Taylor Decker?

Detriot does have some in-house guys to potentially replace him but made an interesting trade this week. The Lions traded a 2018 sixth-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams for offensive tackle Greg Robinson and signed free agent Cyrus Kouandjio before their final practice of minicamp. Robinson, the second overall pick of the 2014 draft, fell out of favor with the Rams and were deciding to place him as backup this fall. Kouandjio, a second-round pick of the Buffalo Bills in the same draft, made a free-agent visit to the Lions earlier this spring. Detroit Lions has been using Joe Dahl and Cornelius Lucas with the first-team offensive line at left tackle in Decker’s absence. Arizona has won seven straight vs. Detroit, most recently 42-17 in 2015. I’d take the points in the NFL lines for this game – hoping it rises to 3.5. The NFL odds for the Panthers favor them to win in Week 1 against the 49ers.

Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers (+5)

The Niners played the second-worst record in the NFL last year at 2-14 and might be worse in 2017. They have somehow downgraded at QB from Colin Kaepernick to Brian Hoyer. Hoyer has experience with new 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan when Shanahan was Cleveland’s offensive coordinator. Hoyer had a strong start to the 2014 season with the Browns 6-3 under Shanahan. Hoyer completed 59 percent of his passes with 10 touchdowns and four picks. However, in Hoyer’s final five games as a starter, the Browns were 1-4 and he did complete 50 percent of his throws with two TDs and nine picks. Hoyer’s expected top two receivers with the Niners, Pierre Garcon and Marquise Goodwin, are both new. Garcon signed from Washington and Goodwin from Buffalo.

Where are the First Round Picks for the 49ers?

Neither of the Niners’ first-round picks were able to participate in offseason activities. Linebacker Rueben Foster is dealing with a shoulder problem and defensive lineman Solomon Thomas, the No. 3 overall pick, couldn’t practice because of an NFL rule that doesn’t allow it until a player takes his final exams at his school. Stanford’s finals just concluded. So, for this game, you shouldn’t bet against the Panthers in the NFL odds. It’s doubtful San Francisco will be a menacing team this upcoming season. Now that you have a better idea on what games you can bet against the spread for Week 1, start gearing up and be on the look out for more great betting guides for the upcoming 2017 NFL season. Best of luck!