NFL Week 1 Parlay & Teaser Best Bets | Expert Picks

NFL

Diversifying your betting strategy is a good way to generate more wins while also keeping an interest in the markets. There are a number of ways to do that as this football betting guide shows, with parlays and teasers among the most popular. With the NFL season getting underway on Thursday, September 4, it’s time to take a look at how we can beat the house in the NFL betting market.

NFL Week 1 Parlay Picks

The thrill of playing a NFL parlay is the increased betting odds that lead to a much bigger payout with a win. With a parlay multiple bets are counted on one ticket with the downside being that every wager must win in order to cash the ticket. NFL bets can be placed on the same game, they can include several different games, and even player props are accepted.

There are a lot of questions around NFL players and teams at the beginning of a new season making wagers a bit more challenging. And it’s hard to learn from a truncated preseason where teams rarely play starters and regulars. However, we are not blind heading into the first week of NFL action.

Slow starts the last few seasons put the Cincinnati Bengals in a tough spot missing the playoffs in two straight seasons. In an effort to eliminate the trend coach Zac Taylor elected to get his first group reps during the exhibition season. Joe Burrow had a MVP-type season in 2024 leading the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns and I’ll back the Bengals in their matchup with Cleveland now that Trey Hendrickson is back in the mix.

The Monday Night Football matchup features the new-look Bears against Minnesota in a NFC Central tilt. The Bears invested heavily to upgrade their offense, landing one of the most coveted coaches on the market in Ben Johnson, who orchestrated the Lions prolific unit the last two seasons. I’m buying the hype and backing the OVER as part of my NFL parlay.

Bengals -5 at Cleveland.
Vikings at Bears OVER 44.5
Chiefs vs. Chargers UNDER 45.5
NY Giants +6 at Washington

NFL Week 1 Teaser Picks

Teasers are another popular form of football betting. Similar to a parlay in that multiple bets are required, but different in that the bettor is buying points either on the spread or total to increase the chances of winning. Of course sportsbooks don’t like giving money away so there is a catch. Buying points lowers the payout compared to a standard parlay. And the more bets you make the odds of losing also increase.

The standard point allotment for a NFL teaser is six points. It’s also a big deal when the additional points cross a key number. In the NFL those spread numbers are 3 and 7 since a good amount of games are decided by that margin.

With the addition of Micah Parsons the Packers are now favored to dethrone the Lions in the NFC Central. The teams meet in Week 1 with the Lions getting 2.5 points. I’ll back Detroit on my teaser at +8.5. I will also tease the total on the game between the Texans and Rams backing the UNDER.

An intriguing contest takes place in the Meadowlands with Aaron Rodgers facing his former team. The Jets are getting 3-points on the betting line and I’m convinced they are different team under new leadership. This is perhaps the last chance Justin Fields has to convince people he’s a legit NFL starter and New York’s defense can be among the best in the NFL. Tease the spread to +9 and back the J-E-T-S.