Will Brinson's NFL Week 3 predictions, picks: Best bets, player props, anytime touchdown scorers for Sunday

This page may contain affiliate links. If you click and sign up, make a deposit, or place a wager, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Backing road favorites, trusting elite defenses to dominate backup quarterbacks and finding value on key underdogs lead this week's top wagers Sep 25, 2026 at 11:11 am ET • 6 min read Week 3 of the NFL is here and it would be foolish to suggest we know everything. We definitely know some things about some teams -- the Bills and Lions are going to score points and maybe give up quite a few as well -- but we do not know everything about every team. The quarter season mark is where we can start establishing an identity for each NFL team, so we're only halfway there. Bet on the NFL and more at DraftKings, where new users get $150 in bonus bets after spending $5+:For instance, the Buccaneers might be terrible! Or maybe they had two bad weeks at the office and are now a popular preseason team that is a home underdog in Week 3. The Bengals might be great on defense? I lean that way, but it's hard to be definite about it. The Panthers are good enough to be a road favorite, eh? It *does* look that way, but it also feels risky. In other words, we're in the confirmation bias stage to a degree. Believe what you see with these teams, but don't sell yourself on something from the preseason. That being said, I really like some spots this week. Let's find some winners!Best bets for NFL Week 3Seahawks -7 at CommandersThe Seahawks remain surprisingly underrated by the market. We have the defending champions with an elite defense, a decent run game, a reigning OPOY on absolute fire going up against a backup quarterback behind an offensive line that got thinner last week. The Seahawks could legitimately be laying double digits here. Don't sleep on two other factors in this game: the Commanders and their home crowd being completely demoralized by the loss of Jayden Daniels to a dislocated left elbow for a second straight year, and the possibility of Sam Darnold coming back for this game. If Darnold returns, the flat touchdown will look like good value. If he doesn't, Drew Lock has been more than competent and should be able to shred the Commies defense in what amounts to his likely last look to showcase for a future starting job. Eagles -4.5 at BearsMore road chalk! What could go wrong?! Honestly, the only thing that could go wrong here is Ben Johnson magically manufacturing 17+ points for this Chicago offense with either a banged-up Tyson Bagent or a 38-year-old Case Keenum. I don't think the Eagles are anything remotely close to a juggernaut on offense, but they're elite defensively. The Eagles really should score 21 points at a minimum here against a Bears defense that can't stop anyone without hefty wind and rain conditions in play. So to cover this, in my mind, the Bears need to score 17 points. I think Johnson is a genius but without Caleb Williams, I don't see that happening. Back the Eagles.Bengals -3.5 at SteelersI've been a huge fan of Dexter Lawrence since high school (shoutout Wake Forest!) and it's between him and Julius Peppers for best North Carolina high school prospect ever. But even I didn't imagine the impact he could have on this Bengals defense. He's a difference maker. Normally, the Steelers in a home divisional game catching more than three points is an auto bet because of how these AFC North games play out. But the Bengals found their groove on offense last week and I do believe what my eyes are telling me about the Steelers offense: it's not very good. Maybe Aaron Rodgers flips a switch and DK Metcalf finds something this week, but I definitely believe it's more likely Dex destroys the interior, Rodgers is pressured and the Bengals are able to score 25+ points to leave the Steelers in the dust. ROAD CHALK, BABY. Jets +6.5 at LionsI think the Lions will "comfortably" win this game and by "comfortably" I mean "get up big early at home after a loss with a ton of rest, cook on offense for the whole first half and let Geno Smith and a surprisingly competent Jets offense storm through the back door in the second half." Frank Reich is a good coach! He had one bad year in Charlotte and he's elevating the key skill position guys. Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson look like new men this year and I expect big games from both of them this week as they finagle a cover against a good Lions team that lacks any firepower on the back end of its defense. Bet on NFL Week 3 at FanDuel, where new users can get up to $250 in bonus bets:Week 3 NFL player propsDerrick Henry Over 89.5 rushing yards This is a big number but two things make me love The King in this matchup. We have a weird field scenario in Brazil where we don't know how it will affect these two offenses. We also have a huge total. So the expectation for points is there. Maybe the field is a problem and the points don't come. But the total speaks to the defenses in play here and what they'll give up scoring-wise. As such, I think there's a good chance we see the Ravens lean on Henry here after not letting him run much in the second half of Week 2 and he rips off a couple big runs to cruise past this line. This is definitely a ladder situation.Chuba Hubbard Over 2.5 receptionsIn a pass-heavy game script against the Bears in Week 1, Young targeted his running backs five times. In an *extremely* non-pass-heavy game script in Week 2 against the Falcons, Young targeted his running backs three times. The Browns gave up seven catches to Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell last week. Now the Panthers don't have Jonathan Brooks, so Hubbard is going to see a ton of reps and should mess around with five targets. I think he can catch three.Place your NFL Week 3 bets at Caesars Sportsbook with promo code CBSSPORTSBR250 and get $250 in bonus bets via bet resets:Anytime touchdown scorer props for Week 3We're rolling with a half unit for most of these as we're taking some deeper, plus-money shots on most of our touchdown looks this week.Xavier Worthy (+175)If you read anything I write, you are probably sick of me hyping up Worthy to score a touchdown every week. But we're hitting on a 50% clip now. I think the Chiefs know Worthy is key to their season and will use this chance in Miami to scheme up some specific plays for the former first-round pick. He remains undervalued because of Rashee Rice and Travis Kelce but he's going to be a big factor for Kansas City this year, so we'll keep buying low.Breece Hall (+100)This price dipped a lot closer to the weekend and, yes, I continue to pound the Jets on anytime touchdown scorer props. But that's because they have two studs who score, the offense is heavily condensed to some key players and Hall has been a monster this year. He should be closer to -135 to me in this matchup against a Lions team that is more than willing to give up points and is heavily favored. Even in passing scripts, Hall will get plenty of work and the high-value carries. Josh Palmer (+380)If the Chargers upset the Bills -- or give the Bills a game -- I won't be entirely surprised. It's a classic "they suck, the Bills are awesome, we just have to take the Bills" situation. But if the Chargers are in the mix here, it's because they got better on offense, not defense. Which means the Bills will also have to throw the ball quite frequently. The Chargers defense gave up multiple deep balls to the Raiders and you can paint shades of Tre Tucker with Josh Palmer, particularly with the way he's been involved this year down the field. At this price, I am interested.