Betting tips for Thursday Night Football: Rams vs. Bills

The NFL season kicks off Thursday night with the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams hosting the Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Sure, we're all excited to watch real, meaningful games again, but we also have the opportunity to wager on them if we so choose. So what plays to our analysts like in the season's first game?

Betting analysts Doug Kezirian, Tyler Fulghum, Joe Fortenbaugh, Anita Marks and Erin Dolan; fantasy and sports betting analysts Eric Moody and Andre Snellings; ESPN Stats & Information'sSeth Walder, ESPN analystJason Fitz and Football Outsiders'Aaron Schatz provide their top plays for the opener.

Note: Lines from Caesars Sportsbook unless otherwise indicated.

Joe Fortenbaugh: I think this game is a 50-50 proposition, which means I'll take the 2.5 points with the defending champs. The Buffalo hype is legit, but have we forgotten just how good Sean McVay is as a head coach? The guy has won at least nine games every season since he took the gig in 2017, has missed the playoffs just once in five years, appeared in two Super Bowls and won one. With Matthew Stafford, Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey and Cooper Kupp back in the fold, I like the +2.5 price.

Tyler Fulghum: I think the total is high for good reason. I'd play over or pass. This game seems like it is going to have very high entertainment value. I expect both offenses — and QBs specifically — to play well and produce points. I would take the +2.5 with the Rams because McVay is 5-0 ATS and 5-0 SU in his NFL career in Week 1. All of those wins have come as the favorite, too.

Doug Kezirian: It's undoubtedly a compelling matchup, but it's one I do not plan to bet. Is there really value? If so, where is it? Both teams are