NFL Preseason Week 1 Odds, Picks & Predictions (Friday)
The 2025 National Football League (NFL) preseason rolls on with three more games on the schedule for Friday night. The Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons lock horns at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, while the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers square off at 7:00 p.m. ET at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. That game will be televised on the NFL Network. The Washington Commanders and New England Patriots meet at 7:30 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
Let’s build our bankroll with our best NFL preseason picks and bets for Friday, August 8th.
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Friday’s Best NFL Preseason Picks & Bets
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All bets are for 1 unit
Detroit Lions (-200) at Atlanta Falcons (+170) | O/U 32.5 (-120/+100)
The Lions (0-1) meet the Falcons (0-0) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Detroit is looking for a much better showing than it had in the Hall of Fame Game against the Los Angeles Chargers last Thursday in Canton, Ohio.
The Lions were belted 34-7 in Canton, but we didn’t see many notable players in the extra game. Detroit quarterbacks Kyle Allen and Hendon Hooker combined for zero touchdowns and three interceptions. Running back Craig Reynolds, probably the most notable player on offense for the Lions, scored the only touchdown for the Honolulu Blue and Silver, while rushing for 38 yards and totaling 48 scrimmage yards.
We should get another helping of Allen and Hooker again, as the Lions try to figure out who the backup behind quarterback Jared Goff is. The bad news for the Lions is that the offensive line is banged up, with Taylor Decker, Jamarco Jones and Dan Skipper dealing with injuries, so that’s bad for anyone under center early on.
Against the Chargers, the Lions’ defense was beaten up for 261 total yards, with two touchdowns through the air and two more on the ground.
The Falcons will not be using either Kirk Cousins or Michael Penix Jr., so it will be a third-string quarterback battle between former Chargers backup Easton Stick and Emory Jones. We’re also not expected to see much of running backs Bijan Robinson or Tyler Allgeier, with the team trying to figure out who the third-string tailback will be. The Falcons are likely to use plenty of former UFL standout Jashaun Corbin, Nathan Carter and Carlos Washington Jr., but that isn’t going to scare anybody.
Let’s back the Lions laying the points, as they’ve already got a game under their belts, and they can’t be much worse than they were in the first showing. But, we’ll go low on the total, based on the fact that we will have nothing but backups and third-string quarterback options.
Picks: Lions -3.5 (-110) & Under 32.5 Points (+100)
Cleveland Browns (+240) at Carolina Panthers (-290) | O/U 32.5 (-115/-105)
The Browns and Panthers open the preseason against each other in Charlotte. There will be plenty of hype surrounding rookie fourth-string quarterback Shedeur Sanders as his NFL journey officially begins. He gets the nod with Joe Flacco being rested, and Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel dealing with hamstring injuries. Sanders and camp signee Tyler Huntley are likely to split the reps.
The Panthers will start quarterback Bryce Young, the No. 1 overall pick from the 2023 NFL Draft. He showed some signs of life last season, throwing for 2,403 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions, but he still has a long way to go to consistency and winning ways.
Still, Carolina will be using its starting signal-caller, while Cleveland has a rookie fourth-stringer, which is why there is such a huge disparity in the eyes of the sportsbooks. Once Young departs, it’s uncertain if we’ll see veteran Andy Dalton get work or if it is straight to Jack Plummer under center.
The Panthers also have an impressive rookie wide receiver in Tetairoa McMillan making his debut, and a solid cadre of young receivers, including Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker and David Moore. Veteran Hunter Renfrow is making a comeback, too, and it will be interesting to see how much of the field he sees, if any. He has been nursing an injury, so there is uncertainty there.
The best play here is to take Cleveland catching the big points. Generally, there aren’t a lot of blowouts in the preseason, and if you can get a flat seven, even better. Let’s also go high on the total, as the number is a bit low.
Washington Commanders (+230) at New England Patriots (-280) | O/U 34.5 (-120/+100)
The Commanders and Patriots meet in the debut for Mike Vrabel at the helm of New England’s sideline.
We won’t see quarterback Jayden Daniels for Washington, and Marcus Mariota is nursing an injury, so we’re likely to see Sam Hartman before turning it over to Josh Johnson.
For New England, Drake Maye is expected to see at least a series or two, so that’s an advantage for the Patriots. Fourth overall rookie draft pick Will Campbell is expected to start, as he tries to find a little bit of consistency, with rookie Jared Wilson also getting a long look.
The Patriots have a solid group of receivers with Kayshon Boutte, Stefon Diggs, DeMario Douglas and Mack Hollins, with Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker also vying for jobs. They’re pretty deep at the skill positions.
New England is expected to take this one a little more seriously with starters, while Washington will have way more reserves. While the home team is expected to win, take the road team catching the big points and go low on the total, based on the Commanders using a rookie and a journeyman under center.
Picks: Commanders +6.5 (-110) & Under 34.5 Points (+100)