Few teams had more decisive wins against the spread and game totals last year than the Detroit Lions. The Lions' 14 ATS wins were the most in the NFL and their 13 games were over were also the most in the league. Therefore, it makes sense to look at Week 1 NFL parlays featuring Detroit against the spread and over/under. The Lions open the 2024 NFL season by hosting the Rams on Sunday Night Football. The latest Week 1 NFL line has Detroit favored by 3.5 points and the over/under is 51.
This is a rematch of when these teams met in the Wild Card Round last season. In the end, Detroit failed to cover in that game and the under was hit. Will these results ruin your plans to use this game in your Week 1 NFL predictions? Or should you use one game to gauge Detroit's season-long accomplishments? Be sure to check out SportsLine Senior Analyst Larry Hartstein's opinion before making any Week 1 NFL picks or NFL parlays.
Hartstein, a former lead writer for Covers and The Linemakers, combines his vast network of Las Vegas sources with the analytical approach he honed at Pro Football Focus. He is 53-34-3 ATS and tied for 52nd (out of 1,598 entries) in the 2022 Westgate Las Vegas Supercontest. Hartstein's weekly Las Vegas contest picks are the basis for his NFL Best Bets column, which has him 79-48-2 (62.2%, +25.95 units) since the start of 2022. Anyone who follows him is pretty high on the list.
For Week 1, Hartstein is confident in his three best bets, which have payouts of nearly 6 to 1 if his predictions are correct. You can get Hartstein's Week 1 NFL predictions exclusively at SportsLine.
NFL Week 1 Top Picks
Hartstein expects the Browns (-2.5) to cover the Cowboys. There has been a lot of drama this offseason surrounding the Cowboys and the contracts of their best players, Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons. This should weigh on the team, but that's what happened the last time they made the playoffs. The Cowboys were favorites to score touchdowns at home, but they got beaten by the Packers as Prescott was intercepted twice and sacked four times.
Green Bay's defense is good, but Cleveland's defense is great. The Browns lead the NFL in yards allowed, pass defense and third-down defense, have the third-most interceptions and the sixth-most sacks. Myles Garrett is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and had two sacks and a forced fumble in the last game against the Cowboys. Being from Dallas will give him extra motivation. Plus, Garrett will be facing rookie LT Tyler Guyton, making his NFL debut, so Garrett could disrupt the Cowboys' offensive game plan and lead them to a win. For more NFL parlay picks, see here.
How to make an NFL Week 1 parlay
Hartstein also bet on two other NFL matchups, backing one team he says is “poised to do great. ” See Hartstein's best NFL bets and parlays for Week 1 exclusively at SportsLine.
What are Hartstein's top NFL picks for Week 1, and what other NFL matchups should you target for a 6-to-1 payout? Visit SportsLine now to find out the answers by looking at the best Week 1 NFL bets from the Las Vegas expert, who's been earning 25.95 units on ATS picks since 2022.
