The 2026 NFL season is rolling along, and our experts are looking to build on their early-season success as Week 6 gets underway.
After a2-3 showing last week, the team found value in a pair of plus-money bets featuring Cleveland Browns rookie wide receiver Denzel Boston and kicker Andre Szmyt. Now, it's time for our quintet to get back in the win column.
The USA TODAY Sports team is back with another roundtable of predictions, breaking down the best NFL bets for Sunday's 12-game slate. Bye weeks hit four teams this week, with the Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings sitting out. Still, there's no shortage of opportunities to find value, including another early-morning kickoff in London.
From point spreads and
game totals to player props and anytime touchdown scorers, our NFL experts have scoured the board for their favorite wagers for Sunday. Whether you're looking for a safe play or a plus-money swing, we've got you covered. Here are our best NFL bets for Week 6 of the 2026 season. Best of luck if you tail.
Best bets NFL Week 6
All odds listed are provided by DraftKings Sportsbook. Access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a complete list.
Participating analysts: Nick Brinkerhoff, Jack McKessy, Jacob Camenker, Adam Kaufman, Tom Viera
New York Jets WR Omar Cooper Jr. anytime touchdown scorer (+750)
Nick Brinkerhoff: We’ve rattled off three straight wins after a rough start to the season, bringing the season-long total to +1.35 units. Not too shabby, right? Andre Szmyt was the latest entrant into the circle of trust last week and, if you watched it unfold, you saw those raindrops turn into American currency with just over 10 minutes left in the second quarter.
This week, we’re going to trust the Jets rookie, Cooper, who is coming back from injury. Breece Hall and Adonai Mitchell remain out, leaving Garrett Wilson to shoulder the load in the passing attack. Wilson is going to draw a matchup with the Patriots’ Christian Gonzalez this week, which could force Geno Smith to explore other weapons on offense.
Cooper now steps into the WR2 role, with a clear path to heavy involvement. The rookie played just five snaps in his Week 1 debut before suffering an injury, but he did record a big 30-yard catch-and-run. The former Indiana standout figures to draw a matchup with Marcus Jones, who just allowed a touchdown to Brock Bowers a week ago and Jaguars’ star Parker Washington in Week 3. According to Pro Football Focus, quarterbacks have a 110.6 passer rating against Jones and complete 75% of passes.
Plenty is still unknown about Cooper at the NFL level. However, given his opportunity, there’s no way he should be +750 to score in Week 6. For the fourth straight week, I’m backing a Browns or Jets player to cash my best bet and deliver the big bucks. Rockefeller had oil. Carnegie had steel. We have Cooper. I’ll see you in the end zone.
Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert OVER 188.5 passing yards at Chiefs (-112)
Jack McKessy: Back in the win column last week thanks to some heroics from Browns rookie receiver Denzel Boston. This week, we're going with an experienced veteran with plenty of head-to-head knowledge of his opponent.
The 0-5 Chargers are one of the biggest shocks of the 2026 season so far. Most appallingly, the offense, expected to be a strength under new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, has clearly been the issue. Herbert has looked like the ghost of his former self, averaging fewer than 188 passing yards per game and making more turnover-worthy plays than any other quarterback, per Pro Football Focus.
The average passing yards number is a bit deceiving here. Herbert has tossed for at least 189 yards in every game besides last week's matchup – one against an excellent Broncos defense. He managed exactly 189 yards against the Seahawks – another excellent defense – in Week 4.
As good as the Chiefs' defense is, it's still allowing 225 passing yards per game – significantly more than the Broncos and Seahawks. Herbert and the Chargers, desperate for a win, will step up on offense.
Los Angeles Rams TE Tyler Higbee OVER 33.5 receiving yards vs. Cardinals (-111)
Jacob Camenker: I've gotten burned on some plus-money picks the last couple of weeks, so we're going back to the drawing board with a simple choice in Week 6.
The Cardinals have been one of the NFL's weakest defenses against tight ends this year. They have allowed 72.6 receiving yards per game to the position, and the duo of Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright just combined to post 99 yards and a touchdown against them in Week 5.
Higbee has been increasingly involved in Los Angeles' offense with Terrence Ferguson out of action, and the 33-year-old veteran has recorded at least five receptions and 62 yards in three consecutive games. His steady role and Sean McVay's penchant for using 12 and 13 personnel should make him a candidate to blow by his modest receiving total in this favorable matchup.
Carolina Panthers -3.5 at Philadelphia Eagles (-107)
Adam Kaufman: I liked the Panthers when they were short underdogs earlier in the week, so you can only imagine how I feel about them now that the Eagles won't have starting QB Jalen Hurts, top running back Saquon Barkley and possibly No. 1 receiver DeVonta Smith. This could be a massacre.
Bryce Young leads one of the NFL's top passing offenses - I know, I can't believe it either - and he'll get Jalen Coker (222 yards, 2 TDs in four games) back from injury alongside reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan (385 yards, 2 TDs in three games) opposite the league's 26th-ranked passing defense.
Philadelphia will counter with Tanner McKee in his third career start behind a depleted offensive line, with halfback Dameon Pierce and wideouts Makai Lemon and Dontayvion Wicks as his primary support, plus veteran tight end Dallas Goedert.
While we're here, there's also a trend that really doesn't favor the Birds. Teams coming off an international game without a bye, then facing a team coming off a bye, are 0-4. Small sample, but a very logical bad spot for the home team returning from a crushing loss in London.
Buffalo Bills TE Dalton Kincaid anytime TD scorer (+180)
Tom Viera: Buffalo is coming off an electric overtime win on Monday night over the Los Angeles Rams, and they did so without utilizing their star tight end. Bills head coach Joe Brady even said after the victory he has to do a better job of getting the ball to the 26-year-old.
"I got to be better," Brady said after the game. "There's no reason Dalton Kincaid should have two targets, especially with the flow of the game and how that goes. I got to find a way to get the ball in his hands and do a better job of that."
It's a squeaky-wheel-gets-the-grease situation as the Bills take on the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. Josh Allen revealed during the "Monday Night Football" postgame show that Buffalo will stay on the West Coast, easing concerns about back-to-back road trips. The Bills have the second-highest implied team total of the week at 29.5 points behind only the Rams (32.0).
Kincaid ran a route on 82% of Buffalo's dropbacks last week, his season-high. If DJ Moore returns or is limited, we don't have to worry. The Raiders deploy zone defense on nearly 60% of passing plays. Kincaid has averaged 2.93 yards per route run (YPRR) against zone in 2026 and averaged 3.67 YPRR against zone coverage in 2025, compared to 1.91 YPRR against man over that time. Las Vegas is one of three teams that have allowed at least six touchdowns to opposing tight ends through five weeks.
Did we mention it’s Kincaid’s birthday? The tight end turns 27 today, and no gift would be sweeter than finding the end zone. Cake and candles - Kincaid is aboard the touchdown train.
Best bets overall records:
- Nick Brinkerhoff: 3-2 (+1.35 Units)
- Jack McKessy: 3-2 (+2.39 Units)
- Jacob Camenker: 3-2 (+2.45 Units)
- Adam Kaufman: 1-4 (-3.0 Units)
- Tom Viera: 1-4 (-2.4 Units)
Super Bowl 61 odds
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL best bets for Week 6 with expert predictions, player props
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