This article is part of our NFL Picks series.
Games
Arizona Cardinals -7.5 (-110) @ Jacksonville Jaguars
The Cardinals have been one of the most explosive offenses in the league thus far (putting up 38 and 34 points in their first two games), and now catch a reeling Jaguars club that played very poorly on both sides of the ball vs. the Texans and Broncos. The Jaguars passing defense allowed 9.2 yards per attempt over those first two games (7th-worst in the league), while Kyler Murray and the Cardinals threw for 10.1 yards per attempt (good for 4th-best in the league) over that same timeframe. The Cardinals also rank second in passing yards (behind the Raiders) and passing touchdowns (behind the Buccaneers) over the first two weeks. On the ground, Murray has run for a touchdown in each of his first two games, which is notable considering the Jaguars gave up a 4-40 rushing game to the mobile Tyrod Taylor in their opener at Houston. It seems unlikely the Jaguars will be able to slow down the Cardinals offense, and they've shown very little on offense themselves up to this point (shut out over the middle two quarters vs. Denver last week). The Cardinals team total of 30.5 (-115) is another option to consider here.
Denver Broncos -10.5 (-105) vs. New York Jets
The Broncos were blessed by the schedule-maker this year, as this will be their third consecutive start vs. a bad team to begin their season. That being said, they've taken care of business in both opportunities thus far, never seriously threatened while posting a pair of easy 27-13 and 23-13 road wins. They now return to Denver for their home opener vs. the struggling Jets, who completely disintegrated vs. a good Patriot defense last week, failing to score a touchdown while rookie QB Zach Wilson threw 4 interceptions. I don't like laying more than a touchdown in the NFL (and find myself doing it twice this week), but neither game looks very competitive. Another option to consider with one or both games would be a 6-point teaser (though generally, you want to take favorites of 7+ points down to less than a field goal, if possible).
Player Props
Terry McLaurin over 5.5 receptions (-135)
New Football Team QB Taylor Heinicke leaned heavily on his best receiver McLaurin last Thursday night, connecting with him 11 times on 14 targets. He also hit McLaurin on all 4 targets during the second half of their opening game (after taking over following the Fitzpatrick injury). McLaurin figures to be heavily targeted here once again and could benefit if Washington is forced to play catch-up in the latter part of the game (they're 7-point underdogs at Buffalo this week).
Austin Ekeler anytime TD (+100)
Ekeler is the focal point of the Chargers' offense, not only on the ground but often through the air as well, such as last week when he was targeted 9 times vs. the Cowboys. He appears to have a solid chance of scoring this week (in a game with high total of 54.4 points), as the Chiefs rushing defense ranks dead-last in yards allowed (404), yards per carry (6.0), and touchdowns allowed (7).
Tom Brady over 2.5 passing TD's (+130)
Brady already has nine passing touchdowns this year, throwing for four scores in the Thursday Night opener vs. Dallas, then following up with five touchdowns vs. the Falcons last week. This is due not only to the Buccaneers' highly efficient passing offense, but also the fact that Tampa lacks a strong running game and prefers to attack through the air. That doesn't figure to change, especially after the Rams stuffed Jonathan Taylor three straight times during an impressive goal-line stand vs. the Colts last week. With this game having the highest total of the week (55.5) and the Buccaneers emphasizing the pass when they get into the red zone, it seems likely Brady can throw for three touchdowns here. Worth taking at the nice plus.