Week 1 NFL picks, predictions, best bets by Vegas expert: This 3-team football parlay would pay nearly 6-1

The Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams played one of the most thrilling playoff games last season and the two teams will square off again in Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season. According to the latest Week 1 NFL odds, the Lions are favored by 3.5 points at home. There are also three divisional matchups to choose from in the NFL betting lines when crafting your Week 1 NFL parlay picks. Which teams have the most value in the Week 1 NFL Vegas lines, and which should you avoid when locking in your Week 1 NFL picks?

C.J. Stroud will lead the Houston Texans against the Indianapolis Colts in an AFC South showdown. The Texans are 2.5-point favorites on the road, but should you include Houston in your Week 1 NFL bets? 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. The Cowboys have been surrounded by turmoil this offseason in terms of contract negations. Star receiver CeeDee Lamb finally signed a lucrative four-year, $136 million contract extension with the Cowboys after missing the majority of training camp.

Quarterback Dak Prescott’s contract negations have also been well documented in the media, which could certainly affect how he plays early this season. Prescott and the Cowboys will also be going up against the league’s stingiest defense from a season ago. In 2023, Cleveland’s defense gave up just 164.7 passing yards per game, which ranked first in the NFL. “Cleveland led the NFL in total defense and lowest completion percentage allowed last year, and should be even better in the second year under aggressive coordinator Jim Schwartz,” Hartstein told SportsLine. 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.