Detroit Lions vs. Saints: My Top 3 Bets for Week 1

The NFL season has begun, and with the Detroit Lions playing on Sunday, what would be better than adding a few extra bucks to your pocket?

Last season, I went 22-14 overall, finishing with a profitable season on my Lions bets. Now, I’m starting this year with a clean slate and am back to give you my top three Lions bets for this Sunday.

1. Tyler Shough 246.5 Passing Yards: Over -110

I know this isn’t a Lions bet, and it isn’t something that would help Detroit if Shough has a big game, but the truth is, I think this line is very attainable.

Last season, Shough finished the year by hitting this mark in four straight games. Detroit will also be without its starting safeties, Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch.

Last season, Detroit played six games without both starting safeties. In four of those games, opposing quarterbacks threw for more than 247 yards. The other two quarterbacks were Max Brosmer and Caleb Williams, with Williams finishing with 212 passing yards.

With the Lions favored by 6.5 points, the expectation is that Detroit should lead for the majority of the game, which could force the Saints to throw throughout the afternoon, especially as they try to come back late.

I typically don’t like betting on opposing players, but this one seems too juicy to pass up.

2. Jameson Williams 58.5 Receiving Yards: Over -110

Last season, Jameson Williams hit this mark in eight of his final 10 games.

Williams is the type of player who could hit this number on one catch alone, but I expect him to be utilized in more ways this season.

Lions wide receivers coach Scotty Montgomery said Williams looked like one of the best players on the team throughout training camp, and Williams appeared to develop stronger chemistry with Jared Goff down the final stretch of last season. He saw at least six targets in eight of his final 10 games.

This year, I don’t expect Williams to be used solely as a deep threat. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Detroit get him involved on a variety of routes and find different ways to utilize his speed and explosiveness.

3. Sam LaPorta Anytime Touchdown +170

I believe we see Sam LaPorta return with a vengeance and score in his first game back since suffering an injury in Week 10 of last season.

LaPorta found the end zone in three of his final five games played last season, and with new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, I believe we could see him take another step forward.

Petzing worked with Trey McBride in Arizona, helping him develop into one of the league’s premier tight ends. I expect Petzing to find creative ways to get LaPorta involved in the offense, particularly in the red zone.

LaPorta might not rack up a ton of receiving yards, but when it comes to the red zone, Jared Goff has always seemed comfortable looking his way.

It’s always fun to have some skin in the game when watching sports, but as always, bet responsibly.

A parlay of all three bets would give you approximately +700 odds, meaning a $10 bet would return $80 total if all three hit.