Best NFL Prop Bets, Week 1: Rivalries Bring Out Star Performances

The NFL knows how to kick off the season with a bang. The schedule makers have stacked the 2022 season’s opening week with rivalries and “revenge games”. Every time we get personal feelings in a game, there is a little bit of extra. Perusing the plethora of the best NFL prop bets, we get a glimpse of which stars the sportsbook envisions having unforgettable performances.

Heroes Become Villains as They Take on Their Old Teams

Whether he said he was ready to ‘f*ck them up’ or not, Baker Mayfield will light up his old club. After being cast aside for an alleged serial rapist, Mayfield and his Carolina Panthers host the Cleveland Browns as underdogs. Mayfield could explode and blow past his NFL player props Week 1, which is set at 220.5 passing yards and 1.5 touchdown passes, the bar isn’t high for Mayfield to have a stellar outing.

Another quarterback hosting his former club is the New York Jets’ Joe Flacco. The former Super Bowl MVP gets a chance to start with Zach Wilson on the mend. Flacco threw for 338 yards and three touchdowns in his two appearances last season. He is flying under the radar and could have a big game, thus making him one of the NFL best player props.

And on Monday Night Football, Russell Wilson returns to Seattle to take on his former team. The Broncos have Super Bowl aspirations and the Seahawks are supposed to be terrible. Hence, the betting odds favor Denver widely. With the player props, Wilson should have a solid game even if he is going against a team that is familiar with him.

Newly Acquired Receivers Could Shine in Divisional Games

There are six divisional games for Week 1 and a few feature the debut of superstar players on new teams namely a pair of wide receivers in Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill. The two are the top three in receiving touchdowns since 2016. Adams will be catching passes from Derek Carr as their Las Vegas Raiders take on the Los Angeles Chargers. Some of the NFL’s best player props can be had in this epic showdown as it could be a shootout.

Hill, on the other hand, will help Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins beat the New England Patriots. The speedy Hill has five touchdowns in four games against the Pats. If Tagovailoa is as good as he’s hyped to be, the six-time Pro Bowler could be one of the best NFL prop bets.

In a classic AFC North rivalry game, the Cincinnati Bengals host the re-tooled Pittsburgh Steelers. Among Pittsburgh’s new weapons is a second-round pick, George Pickens. The Georgia product impressed in the preseason and could emerge as Pittsburgh’s new number-one receiver.

Quarterback Duels to Watch

Trey Lance and Justin Fields are a pair of young quarterbacks potentially playing for their jobs this season. Lance’s San Francisco 49ers visit Fields’s Chicago Bears as hefty favorites. The onus is on Lance to put on a stellar performance. He’s got plenty of player props on the sportsbook, along with Fields, who bettors are expecting to get plenty of work.

Over on the West Coast, Kyler Murray’s Arizona Cardinals host Patrick Mahomes’s Kansas City Chiefs. This is the first meeting between these young stars and bettors are favoring Mahomes to outduel Murray. Both teams finished 2021 on a sour note as both Murray and Mahomes struggled in their final games. A bounce-back performance from either would be a welcome sight.

Last but not least, Tom Brady and his Tampa Bay Buccaneers head to Arlington to take on Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys. This is a rematch of last year’s season opener, which the Buccaneers won by the skin of their teeth. Nonetheless, the public is betting ecstatically on both quarterbacks to put on a show.