Week 1 NFL picks, predictions, best bets by Vegas expert: This 3-team football parlay pays nearly 6-1

The Week 1 NFL schedule is one of the most-bet slates of the year, and NFL parlay picks continue to rise in popularity. The Week 1 NFL odds show that a whopping eight games are projected to come down to a field goal or less. One only of the Week 1 NFL spreads, Bengals (-7.5) vs. Patriots, is larger than one score. Nailing your Week 1 NFL picks could be a challenge with so many games expected to go down to the final possessions. How should you bet on tight NFL lines like Vikings vs. Giants (+1), and how should the larger NFL spreads like Bengals vs. Patriots and Broncos vs. Seahawks (-6) factor into your Week 1 NFL betting picks? Before you make any Week 1 NFL picks or NFL parlays, be sure to see what SportsLine senior analyst Larry Hartstein has to say .

A former lead writer for Covers and The Linemakers, Hartstein combines a vast network of Vegas sources with an analytical approach he honed working for Pro Football Focus. He tied for 52nd place (out of 1,598 entries) in the 2022 Westgate Las Vegas SuperContest, going 53-34-3 ATS. Hartstein's weekly Vegas contest selections form the basis of his NFL best bets column, which is 79-48-2 (62.2%, +25.95 units) since its inception in 2022. Anyone who has followed him is way up.

For Week 1, Hartstein has locked in three confident best bets. If you successfully parlay his picks, you're looking at a payout of almost 6-1. You can only see Hartstein's Week 1 NFL picks at SportsLine .

Top Week 1 NFL picks

We can tell you Hartstein loves the Browns (-2.5) to cover against the Cowboys . All seemed well in Dallas after a 12-5 regular season in 2023. However, Dallas was stunned 48-32 in its first playoff game against the Packers. Dallas then lost defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to the Commanders and was relatively dormant in free agency. The Cowboys recently got CeeDee Lamb's contract extended, but Dan Prescott's long-term future remains up in the air.

All that leads to a team that might not be firing on all cylinders in Week 1. The Browns, meanwhile, bring one of the league's best defenses and offensive lines into this matchup. That puts them in great position to win a low-scoring battle, which is what Hartstein envisions in this one. Cleveland was 8-1 last year at home, so he's comfortable laying the small number on the home favorites. See which other NFL parlay picks to make here .

How to make Week 1 NFL parlays

Hartstein also jumped on two other NFL matchups, including backing one team who he says is "poised for greatness." You can only see Hartstein's Week 1 NFL best bets and parlay at SportsLine .

What are Hartstein's top Week 1 NFL picks, and which other NFL matchups should you target for a strong 6-1 payout? Visit SportsLine now to see the Week 1 NFL best bets from the Vegas expert who is up 25.95 units on ATS picks since 2022 , and find out.