There are so many different ways to get in on the action at DraftKings Sports this NFL season. One of the best ways is by joining a weekly NFL Pick ‘Em pool. These pools require you to pick every game on the NFL slate against the spread. There will be new contests to join every week, but you can also join a season-long pool before Week 1 kicks off.
You can enter the DraftKings $100K+ NFL Season-Long Pick’Em Pool [$20K+ to 1st] for just $50 here.
NFL Week 1 Pick’Em Pool Picks, Predictions and Strategy
Here are my five favorite selections to use this week in NFL against-the-spread pools.
Week 1 Picks
Bears -2.5 at Panthers — The Bears might take a bit of a step back after a big 2025-26 season. However, the Panthers could be due for some regression as well. The Bears should get a win on the road in this spot. Chicago has a lot of weapons for Caleb Williams to work with. D’Andre Swift, Kyle Monangai, Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III and Colston Loveland are an excellent group of skill position players and should make the plays needed to win this game. Williams is 17-9-2 ATS outdoors in his career and should get the cover here.
Buccaneers +3.5 at Bengals — The Bengals have had major early-season struggles under Zac Taylor. Joe Burrow is 4-8 ATS in the first two weeks of the season in his career. The Bengals are 0-4 ATS in Week 1 over the past four seasons. Baker Mayfield is 3-0 SU in his career against the Bengals. Mayfield just got a big contract and should be on a high coming into this game. The Tampa Bay defensive front is tough and should get some pressure on Burrow.
Cowboys -2.5 at Giants —The Cowboys should get a nice win on Sunday Night Football to start the season. Despite showing some signs of promise in their rookie seasons, Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo are not the long-term solutions for this Giants offense. Malik Nabers is the only player the Dallas defense really needs to hone in on. If it slows him down, it should keep the Giants in check.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys have one of the best offenses in the NFL. Dak Prescott will feed the ball to CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, hitting some explosive plays. Prescott is 32-15 ATS in divisional matchups in his career. The Cowboys are the better team and should cover the short spread.
Jets +1.5 at Titans — These were two of the worst teams in the NFL last season. Both have very questionable head coaches, Robert Saleh and Aaron Glenn, but at least Glenn has the advantage of being more familiar with his players. Both of these quarterbacks are mistake-prone, but Geno Smith has a massive experience advantage over Cam Ward. Smith really struggled last season in Las Vegas, but he had a dreadful offensive line and group of skill position players. That is massively upgraded here in New York with a solid offensive line, Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall.
The Jets added some pieces to the defense, including a top-five pick in David Bailey and some very experienced pieces to lead on that side of the ball. The Titans have major holes on the defense and Geno Smith should be able to put the ball in the hands of his weapons and allow them to make plays. The Jets have a much better roster than the Titans and should get the win here.
Chiefs -2.5 vs. Broncos — Last season was incredibly disappointing for the Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes should come back this season with revenge on his mind. It is therefore very fitting that he gets to open the season at home against the team that broke his AFC West division title streak last season. Mahomes is 30-13-1 ATS in his career as a favorite of three points or less. Andy Reid is 52-25 SU in September since 2003. Reid and Mahomes just win football games. They should win this one to start the season on a strong note, covering this short spread in the process.
