Week 1 NFL Line Moves

by Fairway Jay

Real football has finally arrived and the 2018 NFL season kicks off this week. The defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles open the season at home Thursday, Sept. 6 against the Atlanta Falcons, and the Eagles just announced on Labor Day that Nick Foles will start at quarterback. Previous starting QB Carson Wentz has not yet been cleared for contact since suffering two torn knee ligaments last December. The Falcons have been taking money at the sportsbooks, with the Week 1 NFL line moves reflecting as such.

The rest of the NFL team’s play Sunday, Sept. 9 and Monday, Sept. 10, and there has been some movement in the betting lines in recent weeks during preseason play following the lines being posted back in April. Sharp bettors have been taking their shots at the early offerings, causing some significant shits on the spreads for opening weekend. Here are some key Week 1 NFL line moves since the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas released the odds more than 4 months ago.

April, 2018 (Opening)	September, 2018 (Current)
Philadelphia -3.5 vs Atlanta	Eagles -1.5
Pittsburgh -7 vs Cleveland	Steelers -4.5
Minnesota -4.5 vs San Francisco	Vikings -6
Indianapolis -1 vs Cincinnati	Colts -3
Baltimore -3.5 vs Buffalo	Ravens -7
New Orleans -7.5 vs Tampa Bay	Saints -9.5
Green Bay -9 vs Chicago	Packers -7.5
Los Angeles -1.5 at Oakland	Rams -4.5

There will be some additional movement as kickoff nears, which is natural. The heavyweights usually either jump on a glitch in the opening line, or wait until kickoff. Likewise, the majority of the betting public who are just regular Joe's and Jane's will weigh in over the weekend. The horde of action from the general population can have big implications on the line as well.

There have been no totals moves upward since totals were released in April, but the biggest totals moves downward by at least 2 points are in these Week 1 contests:

Current Total In Week 1 NFL Line Moves Eagles vs Falcons – 45 Browns vs Steelers – 45.5 Saints vs Buccaneers – 49.5 Dolphins vs Titans - 45 Panthers vs Cowboys – 42.5

The NFL games count starting this week, and based on some of the Week 1 NFL line moves, don’t be surprised when we see some upsets like last year’s opening night contest when the Kansas City Chiefs (+9) shocked the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots 42-27.