Mac's Sunday Slate: 5 Best Bets for NFL Week 1

The wait is finally over. The first NFL Sunday of the season is here and we are just hours away from sitting in front of the television and consuming as much football as we possibly can.

Throughout the week, I've been giving my favorite bets for today's games, including in the Road to 272 Bets and the Player Prop Countdown. For some of you, there are too many bets there to dig through, and the odds for the majority of them have shifted throughout the week. That's why each Sunday I'm going to keep things simple and give you my five favorite overall bets that I like, using the latest and most up-to-date odds.

It's time to lock in.

5 Best NFL Bets Today

Panthers +150 vs. Bears via FanDuel
Deshaun Watson UNDER 178.5 Passing Yards (-113) via FanDuel
Bijan Robinson UNDER 80.5 Rushing Yards (-115) via BetMGM
Raiders -3 (-112) via FanDuel
Cowboys -3 (-105) via DraftKings

Best Bet No. 1: Panthers +150 vs. Bears

In this week's Road to 272 Bets, I bet on the Panthers to upset the Bears at +140. The odds have moved against me, but I'm keeping the faith. I like this bet even more now at +150. As I wrote about in the article, I have a lot of issues with this Bears team, and I expect significant regression compared to a year ago. Their turnover margin and late-game heroics will be tough to match, and Caleb Williams' underlying metrics are concerning, to say the least.

If you want in upset pick for today, I think the Panthers are the team to target.

Best Bet No. 2: Deshaun Watson UNDER 178.5 Passing Yards (-113)

My No. 1-ranked bet in the Player Prop Countdown was the UNDER on Deshaun Watson's passing yards total, and the line has remained steady at 178.5, so I still think it's a great bet to make.

Not only is Watson the worst starting quarterback in the NFL, but he has no offensive weapons to lean on, he's playing under a new head coach in Todd Monken who is one of the worst play-callers in the NFL, and he has to go up against a Jaguars' defense that might be the most underrated in the league. I struggle to see how he reaches the OVER on this total.

Best Bet No. 3: Bijan Robinson UNDER 80.5 Rushing Yards (-115)

The odds have shifted in most of my bets in the Player Prop Countdown, but Bijan Robinson's rushing yards total actually went up by two yards, making this bet even more valuable now than it was on Thursday. Even with Cooper Rusher at quarterback, I still expect the Steelers' entire defensive game plan to be to stack the box and not let Robinson beat them on the ground. If that's the case, it's going to be a long day for the Falcons' running back.

Best Bet No. 4: Raiders -3 (-112) vs. Dolphins

The spread in this game moved half a point after it was announced that Brock Bowers would be out, but that doesn't scare me away from betting on the Raiders. Make no mistake about it: this Dolphins roster is one of the worst in recent NFL history. Even the Raiders should be able to beat them comfortably.

Best Bet No. 5: Cowboys -3 (-105) vs. Giants

As long as we can still bet the Cowboys with the spread at the magic number of three, I'm all over Dallas in the Week 1 edition of Sunday Night Football.

I'm not ready to buy the hype on the New York Giants. I understand that John Harbaugh is going to do a lot of things to change the culture for the better, but have Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo proven enough to the point that they should only be slight underdogs against one of the best offenses in football from last season? I'm not buying it.

If the Cowboys can make defensive adjustments this year while matching last year's offensive production, they'll be a dangerous team to face.

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