NFL Preseason Week 1 Odds, Picks & Best Bets

By Adam Thompson

Aug 1st, 2024 10:06 PM EDT

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In an effort to make NFL preseason football more interesting to fans, and more useful for teams, the league decreased the amount of exhibitions from four games to three, and increased the time between the final one and Week 1 of the regular season.

But in most cases, teams still aren’t playing any regulars as they kick off their preseason schedule this week.

So many of the major players we'll see when the 2024 NFL betting season officially gets underway will be in street clothes for this week’s slate of action.

All 32 teams are in action from Aug. 8-11. Bookies.com veteran NFL handicapper Adam Thompson has surveyed the lineups and revealed his top three plays for the start of the preseason:

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Best Bets For NFL Preseason Week 1

Bookies.com NFL expert handicapper Adam Thompson, who has hit on 62-64% of his picks in each of the last three seasons, reveals his top NFL picks for Preseason Week 1.

First off, never bet the bank on any NFL preseason action. Winning takes a backseat to grading and scouting personnel so the team will have the best 53 players on the roster come Week 1 of the regular season. That said, teams and coaches approach preseason differently, and that's where edges can be found on betting apps.

Steelers (-2) Over Texans

Pittsburgh has a QB competition after acquiring both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, the latter of which is having a solid training camp. Wilson may not play in Week 1 but Fields should, and he has reason to go big.

Mike Tomlin hasn’t lost a preseason game in two years, and his Steelers are 18-4 the last six seasons. Houston has a deep bench but we’re not expecting to see many of its regulars, and Davis Mills isn’t scary.

Jets (-1) Over Commanders

Obviously, Aaron Rodgers isn’t going to play here. But veteran and preseason beast Tyron Taylor will. The Jets have a deep roster of running backs and players at the defensive levels.

Washington probably won’t push rookie QB Jayden Daniels out there, which means Marcus Mariota gets dusted off for a few series before Jeff Driskel, who is 1-10 with a QB Rating south of 80, gets most of the work. New Commanders coach Dan Quinn was 1-12 in preseason games when he was heading the Falcons.

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Buccaneers-Bengals Over 36.5

The top backup QB in the NFL, based off last year’s regular season, could be Jake Browning. He started seven games for the injury Joe Burrow and completed over 70% of his passes for with 12 TDs.

The Bengals have a deep roster of running backs and should be able to score into the second half. Meanwhile, Kyle Trask has reportedly taken a huge leap and gets an opportunity to prove he can be the guy for a team, someday, starting here. Look for both teams to score 20-plus.

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About the Author

Adam Thompson

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Long established as one of the nation's premier handicappers, Adam Thompson joined Bookies.com in 2019 after a successful run as senior handicapper for SportsLine & CBSSports.com. He specializes in the NFL and MLB, where he's hit on well over 60% of his picks the past five years. Adam's NBA and horse racing picks have also produced consistent, major winners over the years.

NFL Preseason Week 1 Odds, Picks & Best Bets

Best Bets For NFL Preseason Week 1

Steelers (-2) Over Texans

Jets (-1) Over Commanders

Buccaneers-Bengals Over 36.5

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