NFL Week 18 opening lines, odds and best bet: Dolphins in must-win situation against Jets

Sep 10, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (17) is stopped by Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Michael Davis (43) after a complete pass and first down in the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
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Ricky Dimon

NFL

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Since graduating from Davidson (The College That Stephen Curry Built), I have been writing about sports -- just about any and all you can think of! -- and coaching tennis in Atlanta, GA. Beyond the four major sports, I am an avid tennis fan and cover the ATP Tour on a daily basis. If I'm not busy writing, you can generally find me on a tennis court or traveling the world wherever a sporting event takes me. For Ricky Dimon media enquiries, please email contact@pickswise.com.
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We are approaching the final week of the 2024 NFL regular season. For many teams it means a whole lot of nothing, but for others — such as the Vikings and Lions — it’s everything. Byes, division titles and playoff berths are on the line throughout the league.

Make sure you check out our NFL predictions as we add our picks on the side and total for every game throughout the week – and throughout the entire postseason. Also make sure to check out our NFL best bets page for our top picks. For now, let’s break down the NFL Week 18 opening lines and give our best early bet to make.

NFL Week 18 opening lines and odds 

Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing 

  • Cleveland Browns +17.5 (-110) vs Baltimore Ravens -17.5 (-110) – Saturday
  • Cincinnati Bengals -2.5 (-118) vs Pittsburgh Steelers +2.5 (-102) – Saturday
  • Carolina Panthers +7.5 (-110) vs Atlanta Falcons -7.5 (-110)
  • Washington Commanders -3 (-110) vs Dallas Cowboys +3 (-110)
  • Kansas City Chiefs +8.5 (-110) vs Denver Broncos -8.5 (-110)
  • Chicago Bears +10 (-115) vs Green Bay Packers -10 (-105)
  • Houston Texans +4.5 (-110) vs Tennessee Titans -4.5 (-110)
  • Jacksonville Jaguars +5 (-110) vs Indianapolis Colts -5 (-110)
  • Los Angeles Chargers -6 (-110) vs Las Vegas Raiders +6 (-110)
  • Seattle Seahawks +2.5 (-110) vs Los Angeles Rams -2.5 (-110)
  • Buffalo Bills -2.5 (-110) vs New England Patriots +2.5 (-110)
  • Miami Dolphins -2.5 (-110) vs New York Jets +2.5 (-110)
  • New York Giants +4 (-110) vs Philadelphia Eagles -4 (-110)
  • San Francisco 49ers -1 (-112) vs Arizona Cardinals +1 (-108)
  • New Orleans Saints +14 (-110) vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers -14 (-110)
  • Minnesota Vikings +2.5 (-102) vs Detroit Lions -2.5 (-118) – Sunday Night Football

You can bet on EVERY NFL and college football game with DraftKings Sportsbook, where you’ll find great odds and tons of betting markets. Right now, new users can click here to join DraftKings and receive $150 in bonus bets INSTANTLY when they create an account and make a first bet of just $5.

Best bet for NFL Week 18: Miami Dolphins -2.5 over New York Jets (-110)

You are always going to see some wacky spreads in the last week of the NFL regular season, and it’s all about the playoff picture. Some teams are already in, some teams are already out and some teams have everything to play for on the final weekend. For obvious reasons, you generally want to throw your eggs in the basket of teams who will be playing for their lives – at least if they aren’t massive favorites (like, for example, Tampa Bay in Week 18).

One such team is Miami, which needs a win and a Denver loss to secure the 3rd and final wild-card spot in the AFC. The Dolphins are facing the Jets, who have long since been eliminated from playoff contention. Aaron Rodgers and company certainly played like it in Week 17, getting humiliated by the Bills 40-14. This moribund New York club is 4-12 and has scored 23 total points in the last 2 contests. Given that the Jets have nothing at stake, they will probably lay another egg – even if Tua Tagovailoa can’t go for the Dolphins. 

You can find out our NFL Week 18 picks for every game! 

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