2026 NFL preseason Week 1 NFL odds, best picks today: Expert backs Titans in Thursday best bets

The first full week of the 2026 NFL preseason gets underway on Thursday with six matchups. Lions vs. Bengals and Packers vs. Steelers both kick the action off at 7 p.m. ET. Colts vs. Patriots is at 7:30 p.m. ET, with Cardinals vs. Raiders and Chargers vs. Texans at 8 p.m. ET. Titans vs. 49ers serves as the nightcap at 9 p.m. ET. Bet NFL games at DraftKings. Claim their new user offer here:

Most teams are relatively conservative playing their stars in the opening week of the NFL preseason, so there are some tough calls to make when evaluating the NFL odds. Every game has an NFL spread of between 1.5 and 7, with Raiders vs. Cardinals (41.5) having the largest O/U of the slate. All of the updated Week 1 NFL preseason lines are listed below, and SportsLine’s Larry Hartstein has locked in his best NFL picks for Thursday’s action. 

Visit our DraftKings promo code review to see their latest offers and get started.

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 finished the 2025 season on a 50-37-1 run (57.5%). Anybody following his NFL betting picks at sportsbooks and on betting sites could have seen strong returns.    

Now, Hartstein has turned his attention to the latest Week 1 NFL preseason and NFL betting lines and locked in betting picks for every NFL matchup on Thursday. Head here to see his picks. New to sports trading? Visit our Kalshi promo code review to see their latest offers and get started. Claim the Kalshi signup offer here now:

Top NFL preseason predictions for Week 1 on Thursday 

One of Hartstein’s strongest Week 1 NFL picks for Thursday is Titans (-2.5) on the road against the 49ers in the final kick of the day at 9 p.m. ET. Robert Saleh will debut as the head coach of the Titans after leading serving as the defensive coordinator for the Niners last season. 

Dating back to his time as the head coach of the Jets, Saleh has excelled in the preseason, and Hartstein is expecting the Titans to take this game more seriously. They should also benefit from some veteran depth at quarterback. 

“Saleh is 10-2-1 straight-up in the preseason, 10-3 ATS,” Hartstein told SportsLine. “The Titans’ main backup quarterbacks, Mitchell Trubisky and Will Levis, both have plenty of NFL starting experience. Tennessee opened as the only road team favored Thursday for a reason.” See which other teams to pick here.

How to make Week 1 NFL preseason picks for Thursday

Hartstein has locked in two more best bets for Thursday, including backing an underdog that has a big edge at quarterback depth. You can get all his picks at SportsLine.

So what Week 1 NFL preseason picks can you make with confidence, and which underdog pick should you lock in now? Check out the latest NFL odds below, then visit SportsLine to see which teams win and cover the spread, all from a proven expert who went 50-37 on NFL spread picks last season, and find out.

Week 1 NFL preaseason betting odds for Thursday, Aug. 13

Get Week 1 NFL preseason best bets at SportsLine

Lions at Bengals (-7, 37.5)
Packers at Steelers (+2.5, 40.5)
Colts at Patriots (+3, 37.5)
Cardinals at Raiders (-3, 41.5)
Chargers at Texans (+1.5, 37.5)
Titans at 49ers (+2.5, 39.5)