Game-by-game details
1. Commanders @ Lions
Washington
Jayden Daniels: possible limited action
Marcus Mariota: OUT
Nick Allegretti: injury concern
Washington intends to give several starters their first preseason snaps.
Detroit
Jared Goff: OUT
Josh Dobbs: expected starter
Luke Altmyer: significant work
Bet: PASS Lions -1.5 unless you specifically want a small Detroit position.
2. Bills @ Browns
Buffalo: most first-team players expected to sit.
Cleveland: Shedeur Sanders gets the start. NFL.com specifically identifies Sanders' start as one of the major QB stories of Week 2.
That means Cleveland has a potential continuity advantage at QB, even though both teams will eventually go deep into their rosters.
I gave the wrong side in my post above. Cleveland is the favorite, not the underdog.
Bet: PASS
3. Falcons @ Colts
Atlanta
Michael Penix Jr. — OUT
Tua Tagovailoa — NOT playing
So Atlanta is going deep into the QB room.
NFL.com specifically confirms Penix is still working back from his ACL issue and that Tua isn't scheduled to play.
Indianapolis
Riley Leonard and Anthony Richardson are expected to receive the QB work.
That is a much more functional preseason QB rotation.
Atlanta's offense is likely to be heavily dependent on backup QB execution, while Indianapolis is still resting many starters.
Bet : UNDER 36.5
4. Ravens @ Vikings
Baltimore is backup-heavy.
Minnesota is also resting many major starters, although J.J. McCarthy is expected to get work.
There isn't enough reliable roster advantage
PASS.
5. Saints @ Rams
New Orleans
Alvin Kamara — OUT with his MCL injury.
That matters because Kamara remains one of New Orleans' biggest offensive weapons.
The rest of the game is primarily a depth evaluation.
Rams
Sean McVay is also using preseason to evaluate the roster.
PASS.
6. Giants @ Dolphins
Too much uncertainty.
The Giants are expected to be very cautious with starters, while Miami's QB/rotation situation doesn't create enough of an advantage.
PASS.
7. Eagles @ Patriots
Eagles
Jalen Hurts — expected to sit/not play meaningful snaps
Philadelphia will rely heavily on its backup QBs.
Patriots
Drake Maye — expected to sit/not play meaningful snaps
Again, backup QBs.
The latest Week 2 QB report supports the expectation that the two starting QBs won't be significant participants.
Bet: UNDER 36.5
8. Bears @ Bengals
Cincinnati is reportedly not playing its starters.
That sounds good for Chicago, but It's not automatically bet the Bears because Chicago is also expected to use a lot of backups.
PASS.
9. Chiefs @ Buccaneers
Kansas City
Patrick Mahomes — OUT
Tampa Bay
Baker Mayfield is expected to play.
That gives Tampa an obvious QB advantage.
Note: Betting on Tampa at potentially inflated odds carries risk, as the dynamics of preseason games can shift completely the moment the starting quarterbacks leave the field.
PASS Chiefs/Bucs.
10. Cowboys @ Cardinals
Arizona has a significant number of players sitting/limited, including important veteran pieces.
Gardner Minshew is expected to start.
Dallas' final QB/starting-unit plan isn't strong enough for me to establish a betting edge.
PASS.