The 2025 National Football League (NFL) opening week continues Friday, as the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, Brazil. Kickoff on YouTube is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET, with the Chiefs installed as a 3.5-point favorite with a Over/Under of 46.5.
Let’s build our bankroll with our best NFL Week 1 picks and bets for Friday, September 5.
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Friday’s Best NFL First & Anytime TD Picks
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All bets are for 1 unit
Xavier Worthy (WR – KC) – First TD Scorer (+700)
Worthy is the chalk, as far as first touchdown scorer. Looking at this from a sensible perspective, when the Chiefs move the ball effectively, it is likely to be through the air. QB Patrick Mahomes won’t have WR Rashee Rice, as he serves as suspension. TE Travis Kelce is likely to be a very popular pick, too, but Worthy makes the most sense as WR1.
In the first meeting between these teams on Sept. 29, 2024 at SoFi Stadium last season, Worthy was good for 73 receiving yards and a touchdown on three receptions and four targets.
If you’re just not feeling Worthy and/or a Chiefs player to get the job done, consider McConkey as the first scoring option in this game for the Chargers.
In that aforementioned 17-10 loss to the Chiefs at SoFi last season, McConkey got the scoring started with a 7-yard scoring connection with QB Justin Herbert with 6:16 left in the first quarter. That was the only touchdown scored for the Bolts.
If you look at the L.A. offense, it is a bit in flux. It brought back WR Keenan Allen after a one-year exile in Chicago, while rookie RB Omarion Hampton was drafted to bolster the backfield. RB Najee Harris was brought in from Pittsburgh, too, but a July 4 fireworks incident has affected his vision, and has him listed as a big-time question mark. The run game is unlikely to get on the board first for L.A. If the Bolts score the first TD, McConkey looks like the best option to get into the end zone and lay the groundwork for the rest of the game.
Allen was originally drafted by the then-San Diego Chargers out of California in Round 3 of the 2013 NFL Draft. He has 59 of his 66 career touchdowns in a Chargers uniform, including at least four scores in each of his first 11 NFL seasons with at least eight games played.
Allen reunites with WR Justin Herbert, who knows him well. Allen went for a career-high 108 receptions, 1,243 receiving yards and seven scores in his most recent season with the Bolts in 2023. He was targeted 150 times by L.A. quarterbacks, and he is certain to jump right back into the lineup in 2025 and be a top receiving option, challenging McConkey for targets.
It will be a feel-good story if Allen can return to his original team and get on the board, and he is a good bet to do just that. For the chance to nearly triple up, it is worth a roll of the dice.
Will Dissly (TE – LAC) – Anytime TD Scorer (+2700)
If you’re looking for a bit of a long-shot play, let’s take a look at Dissly.
The good news for Dissly is that he had career highs with 50 receptions, 64 targets and 481 receiving yards, and he was able to produce 24 first downs, also a career best. He found the end zone twice, so that’s the rub here. He didn’t score very much in 2024, and he had just total scores in 87 NFL games across seven seasons.
To make matters worse, the team brought in TE Tyler Conklin, formerly of the New York Jets, so the tight ends room is busier than it was last season. Still, Herbert knows Dissly better from working together last season, and he is likely to see at least 4-6 targets, while being an option in the red zone. He is a long-shot, for sure, and for good reason, but he is worth tossing $5 on as an Anytime Scorer for a potential $135 payout.
