Falcons vs. Lions: Game picks, best bets for Week 1 preseason

Week 1 of the preseason is here as we get our first looks at teams taking the field this season. Rookies will be on display as the Atlanta Falcons take on the Detroit Lions on Friday, August 12. Kickoff will be at 6 p.m. ET, and the game will air on NFL Network.

Here, we’ll take a look at our picks for best bets for Falcons vs. Lions in Week 1 of the NFL preseason.

All odds come courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.

Falcons vs. Lions odds

Spread: Falcons -1
Point total: 35
Moneyline: Falcons -120, Lions +100

Our picks, best bets

Pick against the spread: Falcons -1

Regarding expected players, we may get a glimpse of Marcus Mariota as a starting quarterback again. He likely won’t play long, so rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder will get his chance for most of the game. On the Lions' side of the ball, all eyes will be on Aidan Hutchinson, who was selected with the second overall draft pick. He should see a series or two, and then Atlanta gets the edge in this one which they should hold onto the remainder of the game.

Over/under: Under 35

This game is my pick for most likely to be ugly this weekend. Both teams are rebuilding, so they need to be evaluating their depth. This means that the starts will see limited action, and this one will turn to the third and fourth string guys early. I think this one remains low scoring.

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