Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season is officially here, and what better way to begin this season than by having football played on four different days? We had a Super Bowl rematch on Wednesday, Australia football on Thursday and then get a full slate to digest on Sunday, plus "Monday Night Football."
As we do every week, we've collected all of the best picks and gambling content from CBSSports.com and SportsLine and put them in one place, so you can get sports betting picks against the spread from our CBS Sports experts as well as additional feature content for each game, including plays from top SportsLine experts and the SportsLine Projection Model, best bets from our staff, survivor picks and more.
All NFL betting courtesy via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Which picks can you make with confidence this week? And which Super Bowl contender goes down hard? Visit SportsLine, as its incredible model simulates every NFL game 10,000 times and is up almost $7,000 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception.
Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Chargers
Time: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on Paramount+ (click here)
Open: Chargers -11.5, O/U 45.5
"The Chargers' new-look offense under Mike McDaniel will be unleashed here against the Cardinals. It should be run heavy, which will help Justin Herbert with some big play-action shots. The Cardinals will counter with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback. This has the look of a blowout."
CBS Sports senior NFL writer Pete Prisco is taking the Chargers to cover the big number on Sunday. To read his breakdown of every game this week, click here.
Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings
Time: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on Paramount+ (click here)
Open: Packers -1.5, O/U 44.5
"It seems people are higher on the Green Bay Packers than I am this year. I even said they had one of the worst offseasons in the NFL. Their star running back is on the commissioner's exempt list, their star pass rusher is on the PUP list, they lost their most reliable wide receiver in free agency and there are some concerns when it comes to Jordan Love's offensive line.
I go back and forth on whether the Minnesota Vikings are a legitimate sleeper in the NFC. People forget they went 9-8 with J.J. McCarthy at quarterback and had a top-three defense. Imagine if Kyler Murray could just play point guard and run Kevin O'Connell's system. He's got a great trio of wideouts to utilize, plus a nice one-two punch at running back. I'm high on Jordan Mason this year. I'm not saying Murray lights it up in his first action as a Viking, but I see a low-scoring affair where Minnesota just simply looks like the better team."
Jordan Dajani is taking the Vikings to beat the rival Packers in Week 1.
Miami Dolphins at Las Vegas Raiders
Time: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (Fox), stream on fubo (try for free)
Open: Raiders -3, O/U 41.5
"If you've ever gone to Vegas and lost all your money, then you kind of know what the Dolphins are going through right now. This team didn't lose all their money at a Vegas casino, but they basically threw away $180 million.
The Dolphins will be taking a total dead cap hit of $181.6 million in 2026, which is more than 60% of this year's $301.2 million salary cap. If you're not familiar with the term "dead cap," that's a salary cap hit that you take for someone who's no longer on the team. The Dolphins' five BIGGEST cap hits this year all belong to players who are no longer on the team.
Here's the list of players, along with their cap hit in Miami for 2026:
- Tua Tagovailoa: $55.4 million
- Tyreek Hill: $28.3 million
- Jaylen Waddle: $23.3 million
- Jalen Ramsey: $20.9 million
- Minkah Fitzpatrick: $13 million
Now I don't feel as bad about the time I lost $18 on the Snoop Dogg slot machine in Vegas.
Since they have $181.6 million in dead cap space, that means the Dolphins only had $120 million to spend on the rest of their team, which is how you end up with a roster that has 12 rookies. Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley has already admitted that success in 2026 won't be defined by wins....
And that's exactly what you would say when you don't plan on winning many games.
This might be the Dolphins' best chance at a win all season, but they're still going to lose by at least a touchdown."
John Breech is taking Kirk Cousins to begin his Raiders career with a W. To read his full picks column, click here.
Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles
Time: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (Fox), stream on fubo (try for free)
Open: Eagles -5.5, O/U 46.5
"The Laremy Tunsil injury (torn triceps on Aug. 8) was a gut punch to the Commanders, who are hoping to rebound after a disappointing 2025 season that was marred by injury. It looms large in this matchup against Philadelphia, particularly if Jonathan Greenard (who has been dealing with the pec injury) is able to go. When you pair protection issues with a defense that may need a few weeks to fit their new pieces (Odafe Oweh, K'Lavon Chaisson, and Sonny Styles) in, there's the possibility that things could get out of hand for Washington as they step into Lincoln Financial Field.
On top of that, Jayden Daniels is 1-7 ATS in his last eight road starts.
The Eagles have routinely started the year off on a strong note, winning five straight Week 1 games entering 2026. They are also 9-1 in their past 10 Week 1 contests. Sure, Philadelphia is dealing with its own set of changes, transitioning to a new offense under OC Sean Mannion and working without A.J. Brown (traded to New England), but this is still a potent group. Most importantly, the offensive line is healthy, which I believe was a key reason for their downfall at the end of last season."
Tyler Sullivan is taking Jalen Hurts and Co. to cover the spread in Week 1 vs. their NFC East rivals. Check out Sully's weekly gambling column, here.
Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants
Time: Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC), stream on fubo (try for free)
Open: Cowboys -1.5, O/U 47.5
Before making any Cowboys vs. Giants picks, or "Sunday Night Football" predictions of your own, you NEED to see what SportsLine expert R.J. White has to say. White enters the 2026 NFL season having returned $1,012 to $100 players on his last 59 picks involving the New York Giants.
We can tell you that White is leaning to the Under in this primetime matchup, but to check out his official against-the-spread pick, head over to SportsLine.
Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs
Time: Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN/ABC), stream on fubo (try for free)
Open: Chiefs -2.5, O/U 42.5
Before making any Broncos vs. Chiefs picks, or "Monday Night Football" predictions of your own, you NEED to see what SportsLine expert Brady Kannon has to say. Kannon enters the 2026 NFL season having returned $1,648 to $100 players on his last 49 NFL picks.
We can tell you he's leaning towards the Under, but to read his thoughts on the spread, head over to SportsLine.
