NFL Preseason Picks: 5 NFL Best Bets, Odds & Predictions for Saturday, August 15

NFL Betting Picks in Summary

• Panthers +3.5
• Browns -3.5
• Browns-Bears Over 40.5
• Chiefs -2.5
• Vikings -2.5

Seven games make up Saturday's full slate as Week 1 of the 2026 preseason continues. Two of the league's biggest names are confirmed sitting, one quarterback is making a genuinely emotional return from injury, and a former first-round pick gets a real chance to make a statement.

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 1

Carolina Panthers at Buffalo Bills (Sat, 1 p.m. ET)

Panthers +3.5 (-122)

Josh Allen is confirmed sitting for Buffalo, while Kenny Pickett and Haynes King both come into this one off a dominant Hall of Fame Game performance and are expected to see significant run. That's real, proven production against a Bills team playing without its best player.

Cleveland Browns at Chicago Bears (Sat, 1 p.m. ET)

Browns -3.5 (+100)

Deshaun Watson starts and plays the first half in his first game action in nearly two years after his Achilles tear, with Shedeur Sanders taking over for the second half. Cleveland gets a real look at both arms in one outing, against a Bears defense that's dealt with its own share of camp injuries.

Browns-Bears Over 40.5 (-110)

Two competent quarterbacks getting real playing time on the same offense — a full half apiece — against a Bears defense that's been banged up in camp is a reasonable recipe for a higher-scoring afternoon.

Los Angeles Rams at Kansas City Chiefs (Sat, 4 p.m. ET)

Chiefs -2.5 (-136)

Patrick Mahomes is confirmed sitting as he continues rehabbing his ACL and LCL, but Justin Fields steps in for Kansas City with real starter-caliber experience of his own. On the other side, the Rams' quarterback picture is muddier, with first-round rookie Ty Simpson still running with the third-team offense behind Stetson Bennett IV. That's a real experience gap even with Mahomes out.

Minnesota Vikings at New York Giants (Sat, 1 p.m. ET)

Vikings -2.5 (-110)

Kyler Murray already locked up Minnesota's Week 1 job, which means his own snaps should stay limited today — but that hands J.J. McCarthy a genuine opportunity to play extensively and make his case. McCarthy is a talented enough former first-round arm in his own right to be a real difference-maker even in a backup role.