Week 1 Primer: Bet on the Ravens

The Ravens head into Miami to open the season against a Dolphins team that has seen its roster shaken up in the last week, affecting the betting lines heading into Sunday. Baltimore opened as 4.5-point favorites when the schedule was released and that held steady up until the Dolphins shipped their young and ascending left tackle Laremy Tunsil to the Texans last week.

The line has moved over two points in favor of the Ravens and now stands at -7 with an O/U point total of 40.

ATS (against the spread)

• Ravens -7 (-105)

An underwhelming Dolphins front seven should allow plenty of time for Lamar Jackson to go through his reads and get comfortable in the pocket, all while leaving open the ability to kill them with his legs. I expect the Ravens rushing attack to be humming for all four quarters and time of possession should be well in Baltimore’s favor.

Ryan Fitzpatrick is a streaky thrower and will be going against a stacked secondary hungry to live up the preseason hype. With a makeshift offensive line, the Ravens pass rushers should have no problem getting home to the quarterback despite the question marks heading into the season. Hammer the Ravens -7 with high confidence.

Prediction: Ravens 31 Dolphins 13

Game Props

• Money Line/Total Points Parlay - Ravens to win & Over (37.5) points (+115)

For all the reasons stated above, picking the Ravens to win outright is a no-brainer. Combining that into a parlay with the over gives you back a few points, moving it from 40 to 37.5 which makes an already low line a bit more attractive.

Team Props

• Total TD’s by Home Team- Under 1.5 (-113)

Miami will be hard pressed to get anything going offensively in this game and finding the end zone twice will be a tall task. The offensive line is in shambles following the trade of Tunsil and the left tackle position wasn’t even decided until the week of the game. Speedsters Albert Wilson and Jakeem Grant can be dangerous with the ball in their hands but with the Ravens secondary I expect them to be held in check. Fitzpatrick will be forced into uncomfortable throws which will lead to some drive killing turnovers.

Player Props

• Mark Ingram rushing yards- Over 62.5 (-112)
• Mark Andrews receiving yards- Over 34.5 (-108)

Both of these players look primed for a big role in Greg Romans offense and will take advantage of their opportunities, surpassing these totals comfortably.