NFL picks today: Best bets, predictions, odds for Friday in Week 2 of preseason

The second full week of the NFL preseason starts on Thursday, August 18, as the Chicago Bears take on the Seattle Seahawks. The action continues on Friday, August 19 with three games. The Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots start it off with kickoff set for 7 p.m. ET on NFL Network. The New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers play at 8 p.m. ET, and the Houston Texans and Los Angeles Rams wrap it up starting at 10 p.m. ET back on the NFL Network.

Here we break down some of our favorite bets based on the odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook for today's action.

NFL picks for Friday in Week 2 of preseason

Regardless of whether or not Aaron Rodgers suits up, I think they still beat the New Orleans Saints. Jameis Winston has already been ruled out of the game dealing with a knee and foot injury, so the veteran Andy Dalton is expected to start. The Packers are more talented deeper in the depth chart than New Orleans is and that should help them win this game.

This will be a tough test for the Panthers as their offense should struggle against the Patriots' defense. Mayfield and Darnold are still experiencing growing pains as they try solidifying themselves as the starting quarterback. I worry that when they exit that New England is still a much better team on both sides of the ball and will handle this one. Add in the Patriots looking to see what they have as far as running back depth goes, and I like the under.

The Rams are slowly ramping up quarterback Matthew Stafford's activity as he gets ready for the season. They haven't released if he will play in this game, but they didn't need him in Week 1 of the preseason. Bryce Perkins played the entire game and finished 10-17 with 123 yards and two touchdowns. The Rams also showed off their running back depth as they beat the Los Angeles Chargers 29-22. Even without Stafford, the Rams should be able to hang with the Houston Texans in this game, cover the spread and take the win.

In the same vein as the choice above, I think the under will get hit in this game. The best player in the preseason for the Texans has been rookie running back Dameon Pierce. The Rams have also been flexing their running back depth. Because neither of these offenses is that overpowering in their current states, the under looks favorable.

  
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