My first bet: Early picks for NFL Week 2

Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season features plenty of exciting matchups that will capture the attention of both fans and bettors. The action kicks off Thursday night when Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills visit Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill and the Miami Dolphins for the first AFC East matchup of the year. Things heat up Sunday when Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs welcome Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals to Arrowhead. After suffering a massive upset against the Patriots in Week 1, will the Bengals be able to get back on track?

The Sunday night game features 2024 first overall pick Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears against C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans. On Monday night, Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons take on Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Our betting analysts looked at the early Week 2 lines to find some value before the lines move closer to the games.

Odds current as of publish time, courtesy of ESPN BET

Tyler Fulghum’s first bet: Baltimore Ravens (-9.5) vs. Las Vegas Raiders

Before this line moves to double digits, I want to lock in the Ravens. Baltimore is clearly the superior team. Despite the loss, the Ravens took the Kansas City Chiefs to the brink in Thursday’s opener and will have three extra days of rest to welcome Las Vegas to M&T Bank Stadium for their home opener. The Raiders showed me very little in their Week 1 loss at the Los Angeles Chargers besides some poor clock management and decision-making skills from coach Antonio Pierce.

Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson looked incredible in Week 1. Isaiah Likely is another legitimate weapon in this offense alongside Zay Flowers and Mark Andrews. As a huge home favorite, this should be a massive Derrick Henry game, too. Last year, this Ravens team had a +7.8 cover margin at home, second best in the league behind only the Dallas Cowboys.

Ben Solak’s first bet: Indianapolis Colts (-3.5) vs. Green Bay Packers

I hammered this line once I saw it — more than I’d usually hit an early line with. With Jordan Love out, Malik Willis is in line to start. Willis (in extremely limited game time in Tennessee, mind you) has been woeful in NFL play. High fumble rate, high interception rate, astronomical sack rate and few explosive plays. Should Willis start, this line will be extremely stale.

If Ryan Tannehill reunites with Matt LaFleur, his old offensive coordinator, I am worried about Tannehill behind this Packers offensive line, which was shakier than it seemed against the Eagles. The Packers’ back seven looked woefully outmatched against the Eagles, and now they have to deal with Anthony Richardson, Jonathan Taylor and Shane Steichen. I still lean Colts.

Seth Walder’s first bet: Baltimore Ravens to win AFC North (+130)

This bet is driven by Baltimore’s (lack of) competition in the division. I entered the season with the thought that Cleveland could be sneaky challengers for the division. One game later, I’m revising that opinion: it’s pretty evident that Deshaun Watson hasn’t returned to form — he had a 9.4 QBR Sunday, the worst of any QB entering the night game — and as good a roster as they have, they can’t overcome him. Though I was already a Cincinnati skeptic, the Bengals certainly reinforced that opinion with their shocking performance in the loss to New England. While Baltimore took a loss, too, they hung tight with the best team in football. The Ravens are the class of this division.

Andre Snellings first bet: Los Angeles Chargers (-5) vs. Carolina Panthers

It is difficult to overstate how bad the Panthers looked in Week 1 on both sides of the ball. Their 37-point loss to the New Orleans Saints was probably even worse than the final margin suggested, and the Panthers gave little indication that their offense is any better than the squad that tied for the fewest points scored in the NFL last season. The Chargers won a tough division game in Week 1, and their defense was able to stifle a Raiders offense featuring a competent veteran at quarterback with strong receivers. With the way both teams looked in their openers, this seems like a game that could reasonably support a double-digit line in the Chargers’ favor.

Pam Maldonado’s first bet: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Denver Broncos under 37.5

Both the Steelers and Broncos have historically struggled to put up high point totals. The Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix had a difficult NFL debut in Week 1, completing just 26 of 42 passes for 138 yards (3.3 yards per attempt) with no touchdowns and two interceptions. His inexperience could lead to a conservative, low-scoring game plan against a Pittsburgh defense that features T.J. Watt, who recorded a sack and recovered a fumble in Week 1.

The Steelers’ defense played a crucial role in their 18-10 victory over the Atlanta, forcing two interceptions and holding the Falcons to just 10 points. A run-heavy approach from the Steelers, combined with their strong defense, could keep the scoring low in this matchup.