NFL Preseason Predictions & Picks: 10 Best Bets for Saturday, August 22

NFL Betting Picks in Summary

• Under 37.5 (Commanders @ Lions)
• Bills -2.5
• Colts -3.5
• Vikings -3.5
• Rams -1.5
• Dolphins -3.5
• Bengals -2.5
• Patriots -2.5
• Buccaneers +5.5
• Cardinals -1.5

Ten games make up Saturday's full preseason slate, the biggest single-day sample of the week. A handful of these carry genuine storylines worth knowing before you bet; the rest come down to simply trusting the number.

All NFL preseason odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook's NFL betting odds and may change after this article is published.

NFL Predictions and Picks for Preseason Week 2

Washington Commanders at Detroit Lions (Sat, 12 p.m. ET)

Under 37.5 (-105)

Jared Goff sits again, with Joshua Dobbs and rookie Luke Altmyer splitting the workload evenly in Detroit's backup competition. Two quarterbacks each getting a partial workload rather than one getting a real extended rhythm tends to produce a choppier, lower-scoring game.

Buffalo Bills at Cleveland Browns (Sat, 1 p.m. ET)

Bills -2.5 (+102)

A straightforward favorite play here — no specific reporting turned up anything to argue against the number, so this is a case of simply trusting where the market has set it.

Atlanta Falcons at Indianapolis Colts (Sat, 1 p.m. ET)

Colts -3.5 (-114)

Indianapolis's own quarterback rotation (Anthony Richardson and Riley Leonard) has shown real promise this preseason, and the home favorite number here looks defensible without a specific reason to fade it.

Baltimore Ravens at Minnesota Vikings (Sat, 1 p.m. ET)

Vikings -3.5 (-110)

Kyler Murray has already secured Minnesota's Week 1 job, which has meant real extended run for backup J.J. McCarthy in earlier preseason action — a talented enough arm to make this number a reasonable one to trust.

New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Rams (Sat, 4 p.m. ET)

Rams -1.5 (-115)

With reigning MVP Matthew Stafford locked in ahead of rookie Ty Simpson, Los Angeles has a settled, established quarterback room behind him — a real edge in the kind of short-number spread we usually treat cautiously.

New York Giants at Miami Dolphins (Sat, 4 p.m. ET)

Dolphins -3.5 (-110)

Miami is a full week further into Jeff Hafley's rebuild than they were at the start of the preseason, and a young roster playing with genuine energy for a new staff tends to build week over week.

Chicago Bears at Cincinnati Bengals (Sat, 7 p.m. ET)

Bengals -2.5 (-108)

A straightforward favorite play at home — nothing specific surfaced to argue against Cincinnati's short number here.

Philadelphia Eagles at New England Patriots (Sat, 7 p.m. ET)

Patriots -2.5 (-104)

Philadelphia has generally been resting most of its true starters this preseason, which supports the home favorite here without a specific storyline needed.

Kansas City Chiefs at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Sat, 7:30 p.m. ET)

Buccaneers +5.5 (-110)

A genuine value angle here: rookie Jalon Daniels turned in one of the best quarterback debuts of Week 1 anywhere in the league, leading a comeback win. Kansas City is still working Justin Fields in for an injured Patrick Mahomes, so this isn't the mismatch the Chiefs' brand name might suggest.

Dallas Cowboys at Arizona Cardinals (Sat, 10 p.m. ET)

Cardinals -1.5 (+100)

Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew combined for 16 straight completions last time out, and rookie Carson Beck dazzled in his own debut. Arizona's quarterback room has looked genuinely sharp through two weeks, and even a plus-money price here undersells that.