Between college and pro, these bets are a go

Just like that, it's time to gear up for a weekend full of football. Let's not waste any time. Here's what we're looking at for the next few days.

NFL Picks ATS

Washington +1.5

It's a big week for the Detroit Lions, who are favored in a game for the first time since November 2020. That is an astoundingly long time to be the underdogs, so the Lions faithful certainly is hoping this year is an inflection point for the franchise. Unfortunately, we're raining on the parade here by opting to fade Detroit and load up on the Commanders as 'dogs in Week 2. Carson Wentz had some ups and downs in his Washington debut, but he showed some strong chemistry with his WR trio of Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson and Curtis Samuel. This Lions' secondary remains very much an issue, and McLaurin should have a day, ultimately powering a Washington win.

Green Bay -10

There's a boatload of betting trends that support taking Green Bay on "Sunday Night Football." Aaron Rodgers is 21-7 ATS vs. the Bears and has covered in nine straight against Chicago. The best nugget we've found, courtesy of Action Network, is that in games against the Bears following a loss, Rodgers and the Packers are 9-0 ATS.  Beyond the trends, it's just important to study this game from a larger view than what happened in Week 1. Chicago won in a monsoon, the Packers were shut down by the Vikings. This is still a Green Bay team with an MVP quarterback and an elite defense against a very young quarterback in Justin Fields who lacks the ideal weapons. We're laying the points and betting Green Bay at home.

Touchdown scorers

Donovan Peoples-Jones (+240 Caesars)

Few teams let up touchdowns like the Jets did last season, and that continued in Week 1 with three touchdowns to Ravens receivers. We look for a similar outcome here on Sunday, and Donovan Peoples-Jones was Jacoby Brissett's favorite target to start the season, seeing 11 targets and turning that into six catches for 60 yards. DPJ was targeted in the red zone and on the field just as much as Amari Cooper. With first-round corner Sauce Gardner likely on Cooper, DPJ should have a favorable draw to break free for a score. Both Devin Duvernay and Rashod Bateman had long TD catches, and Peoples-Jones is very much a vertical threat.

Ashton Dulin (+450 DraftKings)

When betting touchdowns, there is just no fun in it if you don't take a stab at some crazy odds. Every week we have surprise names finding the end zone, and Week 2 won't be any different. Our favorite option to be that name is Colts receiver Ashton Dulin. In Week 1, Dulin saw six targets from Matt Ryan, including two in the red zone. With rookie receiver Alec Pierce in the concussion protocol, Dulin's role very likely is to expand, and he gets a soft Jaguars secondary that just allowed four touchdowns to wide receivers. We're loving this spot for Indy receivers, and the value on Dulin is too good to pass up.

College Football Bet of the Weekend

South Carolina Gamecocks +25.5 vs. No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs
Candidly, we haven't had that much success in college football this year (at least the guy we have writing this today — he is on thin ice). We saw this game that includes a Georgia team that has destroyed teams, outscoring them 82-3 through two weeks, and immediately wanted to bet them to cover again. We then got lost in a vortex where it seems just too obvious, and thus we're fading ourselves. South Carolina's season includes a 14-point loss to Arkansas and an unimpressive 35-14 win over Georgia State. Still, these are two SEC teams, and the Gamecocks are playing at home. After watching Alabama sneak by Texas and multiple top-25 teams losing, we're betting on a close game. Close is relative, we'd be more than happy to see Georgia cruise to a three-touchdown victory. 

In the news ...

Chiefs take down Chargers to stake their claim in the AFC West — A 99-yard pick six by Jaylen Watson was the swing play of the night as the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Los Angeles Chargers, 27-24. It was a close game throughout, and one note to keep an eye on is Justin Herbert's health, as he looked a bit hobbled toward the end of the night. Kansas City certainly proved they remain in the AFC elite, and they are +380 to represent the conference in the Super Bowl for the third time in five years.

Connecticut Sun hold on to force Game 4 of the WNBA Finals — The Sun controlled business from start to finish, and off the back of the first triple-double in WNBA Finals history (courtesy of Alyssa Thomas), this series lives to see another game. Connecticut will host Game 4, and oddsmakers aren't giving them much respect, as Las Vegas is -750 to win the Finals compared to the Sun at +400. We like Connecticut to win again at home this weekend at -110 and force a deciding fifth game.

Roger Federer calling it a career, will play in one more tournament next week — One of the best to ever play and winner of 20 majors, Roger Federer announced Thursday that he's retiring from tennis. Federer last saw the court at Wimbledon in 2021 and has been dealing with surgeries and recovery for the past few seasons. Federer will be teaming with Rafael Nadal for a doubles tournament at the Laver Cup, his final event. That begins next Friday.

Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll