Are you just as excited as we are that football is here? I'll bet you are.
We've waited this long for any sense of normalcy and while the stadiums won't be packed like normal, having football on Saturdays and Sundays will be about as normal as you can get during this pandemic.
Every week during the football season, we will have In The Zone weekly contributors provide their locks of the week, surprises of the week, fantasy sleepers of the week, and even a college lock of the week.
With all that being said, here we go:
Evan Fitzgerald (Fox 35) @EvanWFitzgerald 'Local Lock of the Week':
- Dolphins (+6.5) Patriots
"The hoodie might just figure this thing out this season, and somehow manage to score points with basically nothing at the wide receiver position...but I think it will take some time to get the Cam Newton led offense rolling. Fins cover this one." - Evan Fitzgerald
Harry Gagnon (BestBetCorner.com) @AAOHARRY 'Best Bet of the Week':
- Dolphins (+6.5) @ Patriots
"The Dolphins finally spent some money in free agency picking up 2 ex-AFC East players and they made ex-Cowboy Byron Jones the highest paid CB in the league. Ryan Fitzpatrick is looking for a little more magic like he provided in week 17 last year when Miami knocked the Pats out of the 2 seed in the playoffs. Quietly, DeVante Parker was 5th in the NFL in receiving yards w/ over 1,200 and 9 TDs. The Patriots tight ends have a combined 6 receptions so there is no safety valve TE for new Pats QB Cam Newton like he had in Carolina with Greg Olsen. Most importantly however, the Dolphins are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 season openers and 6.5 points seems way too many for me and this upstart squad from South Beach." - Harry Gagnon
JIM COLBERT SHOW (REAL RADIO 104.1) @jimcolbertshow 'Surprise of the Week':
- Dolphins over Patriots
"I like Miami over a rebuilding New England Patriots team. Cam isn't going to fit into the very strict and defined offense of Bill Belichick and Fitzmagic is going to torch the New England secondary." - Jim Colbert
DANNY DONAHUE (ACTION NETWORK) @_DannytheDon 'MNF Pick':
- Giants (+6) vs. Steelers
"Before you scoff, let's remember that it's Week 1. At this time last year, most NFL bettors would've taken the Bucs at -1 over the 49ers.
Now I'm not going to tell you that the Giants are en route to a Super Bowl birth, just that we don't really know anything yet. And because of that, the beginning of the season has been a prime spot to target teams that are coming off a rough year.
Since 2005, underdogs coming off a season 6 or fewer wins have gone 177-132-10 (57.3%) ATS in Weeks 1-3, and an even more impressive 69-45-2 (60.1%) ATS in Week 1 specifically. In other words, the betting market tends to put far too much emphasis on last season's results, and I think that's what's happening with this near-touchdown line.
Give me the points." - Danny Donahue
JOHN MCKECHNIE (ROTOWIRE) @johns_tailgate 'Fantasy Sleeper of the Week':
- A.J. Green
"It's been a while since we've seen Green -- Week 13 of 2018 to be exact -- but he's ready to reintroduce himself with authority. He's fully healthy and ready to reclaim his starting spot on the outside in the Cincinnati offense. With Cincinnati's improvements across the board in terms of quarterback, offensive line, and development from Tyler Boyd and John Ross, this is a Bengal offense that could surprise some people and Green is still the alpha presence out wide. He draws a matchup against a Chargers secondary that has aging and smaller corners, and with Joe Burrow running the offense, look for Green to see plenty of targets and use his physical advantages to turn those chances into start-worthy production in your leagues." - John McKechnie
ZAC BLOBNER (WDAE IN TAMPA) @ZacOnTheMic 'CFB Lock of the Week':
- Syracuse (+22.5) @ #18 North Carolina
"There is no doubt that North Carolina is the better team in this matchup against the Orange, but Syracuse has been known to always play its ranked ACC opponents closer than expected. Syracuse will lean on QB Tommy DeVito to lead their charge through the sky, an area where UNC was known to give up points last season. The Tarheels will put up a lot of points. themselves but three touchdowns more than the Orange? Now that's some juicy Pulp-Fiction." - Zac Blobner
PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES