Football season is upon us, and that means it’s time to start diving into the futures markets on DraftKings Sportsbook. While most of my articles at this stage have been futures, I’m ready to lock in a Week 1 play thanks to some line movement around a key number.

San Francisco 49ers -7 (-115)

This one opened at -7 on DraftKings Sportsbook, but wasted no time moving to 7.5. I’ve been dishing this play out since Week 1 lines were released, but with it now moving back down to -7, it’s time to write up my play on the Niners.

Coming off their Super Bowl appearance in 2019, the 49ers suffered the famous hangover, mostly in the form of injuries. As the season went on, it became too much to handle, but for a while San Francisco was still treading water despite some significant players being unavailable.

The Niners were upset in Week 1 by the Cardinals, but they were able to absolutely dominate the lesser teams in the early going — they beat the Jets 31-13 in Week 2 and Giants 36-9 in Week 3 with both games coming on the road. I expect this healthy 49ers team to have a similar result in Week 1 in Detroit, regardless of who the starting QB is.

A lot of sharper plays have come in backing the 49ers in the futures market, but this isn’t even as much about them. I do think San Fran is in for a bounce-back year, but the Lions are absolutely going to help get the Niners off on the right foot.

This Lions team has the potential to be dreadful, specifically on offense. The Rams had been winning despite the play of Jared Goff in recent seasons, and now we’re going to see how he operates with virtually no weapons. The offensive line in Detroit is decent, but comes with questions, and I’d say this is the worst group of receivers in the NFL. On top of that, head coach Dan Campbell is far more well known for his head scratching quotes off the field than anything he’s done on it. And Anthony Lynn, who cost the Chargers multiple wins with his questionable play calling last season, will be taking over the offensive coordinator role. We saw the Lions self-destruction come to life in Week 1 of the preseason. They essentially had a win over the Bills in their pocket, but found a way to give it away.

I’m fading this Lions offense and coaching staff early — look for more fades in tough games early against Green Bay and Baltimore. While the defense has a chance to be solid this season, defending the run has always been an issue. I could see a lot of Raheem Mostert in this game, building the lead and controlling the ball late. This one should get ugly.

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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.

All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.

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