The NFL season is upon us. Football will be played every Sunday until February, which brings plenty of opportunities to wager—responsibly, of course.

Here at BestOdds, we’ll provide readers with an NFL parlay every week. For Week 1, we have an alternate yards parlay with three players facing favorable matchups.

Remember to never bet more than you can afford and stick to a budget when managing your bankroll.

Week 1 Parlay: Alternate Yards Parlay

The featured parlay contains three picks, and each player must reach at least 40 yards to cash the ticket successfully.

Bijan Robinson 40+ rush yds, Nico Collins 40+ rec yds and Cooper Kupp 40+ rec yds (-115 at FanDuel)

Robinson’s Outlook

Bijan Robinson now has the keys to Atlanta’s backfield.

In 2023, head coach Arthur Smith (eventually fired) had the best running back prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft (selected No. 8 overall) but was too stubborn to let him run wild.

Smith forced Robinson to participate in a committee with Tyler Allgeier and occasionally Cordarrelle Patterson.

Now, with new head coach Raheem Morris (former Rams offensive coordinator) and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson (former Rams quarterbacks coach/passing coordinator), Bijan Robinson has the chance to show why he was drafted so early.

Running backs have seen success under Morris in Los Angeles.

Just last year, Kyren Williams finished third in the league in rushing yards (1,144) despite playing in just 12 games and recorded an average of 19 rush attempts per contest.

Under Morris, Williams averaged 95.3 rushing yards per game in 2023, the most for a Ram since Steven Jackson in 2006, when the team resided in St. Louis.

This bodes extremely well for Robinson. The former Texas Longhorn only saw 14 or more carries in 7-of-17 contests last season.

Despite being so limited under Smith, Robinson still managed to record 40 or more yards in 64.7% (11-of-17) of games.

He averaged 61 yards each week over the course of the entire season, excluding Week 7, when he only received one carry for three yards.

The Falcons are 3.5-point favorites and -186 on the moneyline against the Steelers this Sunday, which highlights a positive game script where Robinson will likely have plenty of rushing opportunities.

Atlanta will be hosting, which will also likely help his case.

Last year, the Steelers ranked 21st against the run and surrendered 118.6 rush yards per game. 

Here are the projections from various models for Robinson’s rushing total in Week 1.

Model projections for Robinson’s rushing yards

• Numberfire: 72.7 yards
• Yahoo: 68.5 yards
• FantasyPros: 66.9 yards
• ESPN: 62 yards

Collins’ Outlook

The Michigan product broke out in 2023 and quickly became quarterback C.J. Stroud’s favorite weapon.

Collins recorded 40 or more yards in 10-of-15 contests (66.66%) but absolutely torched Indianapolis in both meetings. He recorded 146 yards (seven receptions) in Week 2 and 195 yards (nine receptions) in Week 18. 

The Texans brought in Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs during the offseason, and while that may take away targets from Collins, it will also make it virtually impossible for opponents to double-team him with wideout Tank Dell also starting in three-receiver sets.

This allows Collins to have even more deep-ball opportunities and allows him to get open. 

While Diggs and Dell are both extremely talented, Collins is the true WR1 in Houston’s offense. 

Last year, Collins averaged 86.46 yards per game, more than double the 40 yards required for him to have in the parlay.

Model projections for Collins’ receiving yards

• Numberfire: 77.2 yards
• Yahoo: 72.2 yards
• FantasyPros: 71.2 yards
• ESPN: 68 yards

Kupp’s Outlook

Cooper Kupp had an extremely down year in 2023 due to dealing with a soft tissue injury in his hamstring.

It plagued him every week, and he was never 100%. In 2022, he tore his ACL and missed half the season.

Puka Nacua has emerged as a star at wide receiver for Los Angeles, but Kupp is healthy now, is still quarterback Matthew Stafford’s best friend and is only two seasons removed from his triple crown 2021 season.

He had one of the best seasons for a wide receiver in NFL history, leading the league in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947), and touchdown catches (16).

He was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year, thanks to his efforts.

Despite only playing in 12 games last season and not being healthy, the Eastern Washington product still averaged 61.41 yards per game.

The Lions, who face the Rams in Week 1, were the second-worst team in the NFL against the pass in 2023.

They surrendered an average of 257 yards, which is a good sign for Kupp. Obviously, it’s a new season, and they’ve bolstered their secondary, but it’s hard to completely “180” when being ranked that poorly. 

The last time the Rams faced the Lions in the Wild Card, Kupp wasn’t healthy and only recorded 27 yards on five receptions. He was targeted nine times.

That being said, Nacua obliterated Detroit’s secondary for 181 yards on nine receptions (10 targets). 

The Lions will likely try to limit Nacua this time around and will be forced to face a healthy Kupp. 

Model projections for Kupp’s receiving yards

• Numberfire: 71.9 yards
• ESPN: 69 yards
• Yahoo: 65.7 yards
• FantasyPros: 68.2 yards

If you’re looking for odds or parlay picks, check out our expert articles:

• Week 1 Odds
• Week 1 Props