A rematch from Wildcard Weekend is set for Week 1 when the Detroit Lions host the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football as part of the Week 1 NFL schedule. Jared Goff and Lions missed out on covering the 3-point spread in that game, but they held on for an exciting 24-23 victory to advance to the Divisional round for the first time since 1991. The Lions are expected to be one of the NFC’s most competitive teams in 2024 and are a 3.5-point favorite at home against Matthew Stafford and the Rams in the latest NFL odds.
Detroit covered the spread in their season-opener last season when they rallied to beat the Kansas City Chiefs by one point. They were also 12-5 ATS overall last season and came through often for anyone backing them in the NFL spreads. Before you make any Week 1 NFL picks or NFL parlays, be sure to see what SportsLine senior analyst Larry Hartstein has to say.
A former lead writer for Covers and The Linemakers, Hartstein combines a vast network of Vegas sources with an analytical approach he honed working for Pro Football Focus. He tied for 52nd place (out of 1,598 entries) in the 2022 Westgate Las Vegas SuperContest, going 53-34-3 ATS. Hartstein’s weekly Vegas contest selections form the basis of his NFL best bets column, which is 79-48-2 (62.2%, +25.95 units) since its inception in 2022. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
For Week 1, Hartstein has locked in three confident best bets. If you successfully parlay his picks, you’re looking at a payout of almost 6-1. You can only see Hartstein’s Week 1 NFL picks at SportsLine.
Top Week 1 NFL picks
We can tell you Hartstein loves the Browns (-2.5) to cover against the Cowboys. Cleveland went 8-1 ATS at home last season including a 6-0 run as the home favorite, while Dallas only covered four times on the road during the regular season. The Cowboys also failed to cover as the road favorite in their lone playoff appearance in 2023, a 48-32 loss to the Green Bay Packers in the Wildcard round.
Cleveland’s league-leading defense allowed just 164.7 passing yards per game last season and was especially stingy against the pass. That could spell trouble for the Cowboys offense, as quarterback Dak Prescott could be distracted by his ongoing contract negotiations. Dallas’ defense can only do so much to mitigate the damage, as it ranked fifth overall against the pass last season but 16th against the rush. See which other NFL parlay picks to make here.
How to make Week 1 NFL parlays
Hartstein also jumped on two other NFL matchups, including backing one team who he says is “poised for greatness.” You can only see Hartstein’s Week 1 NFL best bets and parlay at SportsLine.
What are Hartstein’s top Week 1 NFL picks, and which other NFL matchups should you target for a strong 6-1 payout? Visit SportsLine now to see the Week 1 NFL best bets from the Vegas expert who is up 25.95 units on ATS picks since 2022, and find out.
