2026 NFL schedule release, odds: 5 bets to make right now

The biggest value that Thursday night’s NFL schedule release and the subsequent opening lines from sportsbooks provide are the added data points to help us understand what the betting market thinks of all 32 teams, as we hone our preparation for the season. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few betting opportunities along the way, as we look at the early board with one goal in mind: Secure the extensive closing line value that often occurs, considering how much can happen to move said lines between now and kickoff. In order to achieve that, we’ve got a small checklist for each of the available games to bet on: Value from our projections at THE WINDOW , based on information already gleaned from futures markets Finding matchups between a team with upside to their rating against teams with downside to theirs Capturing “key” numbers now, knowing that it will take a significant change in circumstances for the bet to lose value in a big way Ideally, we bank a handful of tickets that we’ll be pleasantly surprised to find have gained considerably more valuable, when we turn the page to a specific week of the season.

All while not putting too much of a dent in our bankroll, which should be relatively dormant during the offseason. Find NFL tickets on Gametime | More NFL team schedules Here are five wagers to make right now: Week 1: NY Jets at Titans (-2. 5, 38.

5) It’s not exactly a Week 1 headliner, but value doesn’t care about TV ratings, and taking the Titans under a field goal should age pretty well. Even if it doesn’t, most around the NFL would say that the two teams that lost the most expected value because of coaching in 2025 were the Jets and the Titans. Well, one team replaced their head coach, and the other didn’t.

Optimism for the Jets translates to a modest 5. 5-win projection, but their big move was to acquire quarterback Geno Smith — and no bettor wanted anything to do with the Raiders at the end of Smith’s tenure last season in Las Vegas. Just because the win total is low, doesn’t mean there isn’t room to be worse than the projection.