Trader Ethan Useloff helps set NFL odds at Fanatics Sportsbook, and he thinks fans won’t have to wait long for the best games — and bets — of the year.
It’s no surprise that NFL Kickoff Weekend has Useloff’s attention. Overall, he’s circled six games that will make football nights (and some holidays) a little more entertaining.
The Fanatics team wants to ensure NFL bets are easy to find on a sports betting app that’s also easy to use.
Toward that end, the Fanatics Sportsbook app is available for download on iOS and Android across about 95% of the legal US online sports betting market. NFL fans can use a Fanatics Sportsbook promo offer in the following states:
- Arizona • Colorado • Connecticut • Indiana • Illinois • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky
- Louisiana • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • New Jersey • New York • North Carolina
- Ohio • Pennsylvania • Tennessee • Vermont •Virginia • West Virginia • Wyoming.
New users can easily navigate NFL games, futures markets like Super Bowl odds, and player award bets. Season-long player props are available until the season starts, and users should have no trouble stacking same-game parlays (SGPs) during the NFL season.
“That’s one part that we’ve really tried to push as we’ve gone live in so many more states in the past couple of months,” Useloff said. “The next one is the swiftness in bets. I feel like we have a really good betting experience from when the user logs on to the app to the time that a bet is officially placed.”
Fanatics Sportsbook’s NFL Picks to Wager On in 2024
Useloff’s picks for the six best NFL games begin with the season opener and continue through the end of 2024:
- Kickoff Weekend
- Monday Night Matchups
- Holiday Highlights
NFL Kickoff Weekend
For Fanatics Sportsbook bettors, Useloff thinks Kickoff Weekend begins and ends with two of the best games on this season’s schedule.
Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs
- When: 8:20 p.m. ET, Thursday, Sept. 5
- TV and Streaming: NBC/Peacock
- Fanatics Line: Chiefs -2.5
Useloff says:
“I think the opening game between the Ravens and the Chiefs is going to be magnificent — getting to see the Super Bowl champs face off against the reigning MVP is going to be really, really enticing.”
New York Jets at San Francisco 49ers
- When: 8:20 p.m. ET, Monday, Sept. 9
- TV and Streaming: ESPN, ABC and ESPN+
- Fanatics Line: 49ers -5
Useloff says:
“Having Aaron Rodgers go to his childhood team — the team that passed on him in that ’05 draft with the first overall pick — (when San Francisco chose) Alex Smith, I think that’s going to be exciting. Then also, the narrative about how Aaron Rodgers missed the entire season — based on an injury occurring on Monday Night Football — will be incredibly exciting.”
Monday Night Football
Two late-season games in California have the Monday Night Football spotlight.
Baltimore Ravens at Los Angeles Chargers
- When: 8:15 p.m. ET, Monday, Nov. 25
- TV and Streaming: ESPN
Useloff says:
“One game that I feel like people aren’t talking about enough is the Harbaugh Bowl because the Ravens and the Chargers are playing. Two really, really promising teams this season with star-studded quarterbacks and offenses, but just getting to see that Super Bowl rematch in terms of the brothers (Jim with the Chargers; John with the Ravens) playing each other is going to be cool.”
Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers
- When: 8:15 p.m. ET, Monday, Dec. 30
- TV and Streaming: ESPN, ABC and ESPN+
Useloff says:
“I want to note there are the Lions and the Niners on Monday Night Football right before New Year’s Eve on the 30th of December. That’s going to be a big game — NFC Championship rematch and two exciting teams.”
Holiday Season
Food, family, friends … and some great football will bring people together during the NFL season.
Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions
- When: 12:30 p.m. ET, Thursday, Nov. 28 (Thanksgiving Day)
- TV and Streaming: CBS
Useloff says:
“Two teams that very often play on Thanksgiving, but I think this season is going to be very different given the fact that the Lions are one of the NFC favorites, and the Bears have obviously a ton of excitement around them. And should they get to Thanksgiving around or above .500 — the Bears, that is — I think they are going to be a team that everyone will want to watch.”
Baltimore Ravens at Houston Texans
- When: 4:30 p.m. ET, Wednesday, Dec. 25 (Christmas Day)
- TV and Streaming: Netflix
Useloff says:
“That’s going to be one heck of a game, given the fact they played in the divisional round. And again, two really, really fun quarterbacks to watch, and, and teams overall.”
The NFL includes five international games as part of its 2024 schedule. The overseas games didn’t make Useloff’s cut for games of the year, but there are some enticing matchups.
- Friday, Sept. 6 (8:15 p.m. ET) — Green Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles in São Paulo, Brazil
- Sunday games in London, UK (9:30 a.m. ET)
- New York Jets vs Minnesota Vikings, Oct. 6
- Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Chicago Bears, Oct. 13
- New England Patriots vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, Oct. 20
- Sunday, Nov. 10 (9:30 a.m. ET) — New York Giants vs. Carolina Panthers in Munich, Germany
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