Best Player Prop Bets for Week 1 of the NFL Season

Week 1 of the 2025 NFL regular season is here after what felt like an especially long offseason. It wasn’t the most eventful summer by NFL standards, as teams rejigged their rosters in hope of dethroning the Philadelphia Eagles.

Week 1 kicks off with the Eagles facing their rival Dallas Cowboys before Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers host the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday night. Normal service resumes with Redzone on Sunday, where the outcome of many NFL picks will be decided.

Here are some of the best player prop bets for the opening weekend (all odds from FanDuel Sportsbook).

Braelon Allen 40+ Rushing Yards (+162)

The New York Jets are 2.5-point home underdogs against the Pittsburgh Steelers. New York is going to have a run-heavy offense under new head coach Aaron Glenn, and this promises to be a very physical encounter between two offensively limited teams.

Braelon Allen is expected to lead the Jets’ rush attack. Dalvin Cook, Breece Hall’s primary backup in 2024, is no longer with the team. Allen is going to be Glenn’s go-to back in short-yardage situations – he converted 14 out of 16 times when given the ball with two or fewer yards to record a first down.

Comparisons to David Montgomery have almost become cliché at this point, but it’s clear the Jets are going to go to Allen on first and second down. Montgomery averages 61.4 rushing yards per game for his career.

C.J. Stroud Under 233.5 Passing Yards (-114)

Only two teams hurried the quarterback more frequently than the Los Angeles Rams in 2024. Aaron Donald’s retirement might have weakened the Rams last season, but they were still one of the best defensive lines in the NFL, and project to be top 10 again in 2025.

The Houston Texans didn’t do enough to improve C.J. Stroud’s offensive line. Stroud was battered throughout the 2024 regular season, with Caleb Williams as the only quarterback to wear more hits.

Stroud averaged 219.2 passing yards per game last season. Los Angeles had a tendency to concede big plays, but the pressure from their defensive line should make it into a difficult matchup for Stroud.

Trey McBride Over 6.5 Receptions (+120)

Trey McBride received the eighth-most targets among all receivers in 2024. He averaged 6.9 receptions per game. There’s no reason for his usage rate to decrease this season, with his chemistry with Kyler Murray evident throughout last season.

The Arizona Cardinals have perhaps the most favorable matchup in Week 1. They are facing a hopeless New Orleans Saints team, which is at risk of having the worst record in the NFL this season.

McBride had over 6.5 receptions in six of the final seven regular-season games. Just nine teams conceded more passing yards to tight ends than the Saints in 2024.

Tee Higgins Over 61.5 Receiving Yards (-114)

Tee Higgins averaged 75.6 receiving yards per game last season. He cleared this line in six of his seven starts. His 9.08 targets per game was the eighth highest among all receivers, and far higher than any other WR2.

With the Cincinnati Bengals heavily favored, the game script doesn’t seem like it’ll lend itself to a high number of pass attempts. Cincinnati has a porous defense, though, which should leak points, even against the Cleveland Browns.

The Bengals have no choice but to keep throwing the ball downfield to Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase. We are fortunate to get such a low receiving yards line for Higgins here.

D’Andre Swift Over 14.5 Rushing Attempts (-106)

The Chicago Bears’ offense is a different animal under Ben Johnson. D’Andre Swift, who averaged 14.9 rushing attempts per game last season, has a huge role to play, just as David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs did for Johnson in Detroit.

Chicago is facing a Minnesota Vikings team that will be a long way from the 14-win juggernaut we saw last season. Opening the season in front of an expectant Soldier Field crowd is a baptism of fire for J.J. McCarthy.

Don’t be surprised if the Bears get an early lead and look to pound the Vikings on the ground. This game script could play into our hands with Swift getting a lot of carries.