By Anthony Wootton
Week 1 of the NFL season was a crazy set of games filled with missed kicks and late drama. Favorites went 8-8 against the spread last week, among the biggest upsets were defeats for last year’s number one seeds, the Tennessee Titans and Green Bay Packers, and Super Bowl representatives, the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams.
Week 2 promises to be just as exciting, as teams continue to find their feet in the league. Here’s my three-play parlay for the weekend’s action, which delivers odds at +757, turning your $10 into $86.
Cardinals at Raiders – Over 51.5
Patrick Mahomes had a field day against the Arizona Cardinals last week. The former league MVP threw for 360 yards, more than any other quarterback in Week 1, and five touchdowns in the Kansas City Chiefs’ impressive 44-21 road win. No defense conceded more points than the Cardinals. It was the most points they’ve given up in a season opener since 1950. Davante Adams had 10 catches for 141 yards on his Las Vegas Raiders debut.
No Raiders player has had more targets in their first game for the franchise in the past 30 years. James Conner scored another rushing touchdown for Arizona, and since Week 3 of last season, he’s tied for second in the NFL (with Austin Ekeler) with 19 scrimmage touchdowns.
He trails only Jonathan Taylor (21). Both teams have the talent on offense to test one another’s vulnerable defenses. DraftKings has the best value at -105 for the Over.
Panthers at Giants – Panthers +2
The underdog in this matchup is 5-0 ATS in the last five meetings. The New York Giants won 21-20 on the road to the Tennessee Titans last week, but it was more about the Titans shooting themselves in the foot than the Giants being outstanding. They trailed 13-0 at one stage and snatched the win after a missed field goal.
But they wouldn’t have gotten the victory if they hadn’t gone for that gutsy 2-point conversion. Daniel Jones completed 81.0 percent of his passes (17 of 21) in Nashville, which was the first time in his professional career that he completed more than 75 percent of his passes in one game.
Can he do it again? These are two evenly matched teams; I’m taking the points that have been laid and backing the dogs. DraftKings is giving us +2 at -110.
Terry McLaurin anytime TD
Carson Wentz became the first player in Washington franchise history to throw four touchdown passes in his first game with the team. The Commanders’ QB threw for 313 yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Next up for Wentz is a Detroit Lions team that gave up 38 points to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Lions came back from a double-digit deficit to the Eagles and have proven they’ll continue to fight under head coach Dan Campbell. Although he didn’t score, Philly wide receiver, A.J. Brown had 10 receptions for 155 yards against Detroit. Washington has plenty of firepower through the air with Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, Logan Thomas and rookie receiver, Jahan Dotson.
McLaurin had two receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown in Week 1. He’s had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, and I like him as an anytime touchdown scorer in this contest. He’s +130 via DraftKings.
