Matt Johnson predicted David Montgomery—and by extension Jahmyr Gibbs—will be the engines of Detroit’s offense on Monday night. Johnson said Baltimore’s 2025 defense 'isn’t as adept at stopping the run,' opening lanes for the Lions to pound the ball early, set up Jared Goff play-action, and keep Lamar Jackson on the sideline. He still picked Baltimore to win 31-28, explaining that Detroit’s front seven faces a tall task corralling both Jackson and newly-acquired Derrick Henry. Johnson expects a back-and-forth affair with fireworks but believes volume on the ground (20+ combined carries for Montgomery and Gibbs) plus red-zone opportunities make Montgomery a strong DFS tournament play and a solid RB2 in season-long formats even in a projected loss.

MacMillan laid –11.5 (–115, FanDuel) with Baltimore, insisting the Ravens are “the best and most complete team in the NFL.” He pointed to their +2.2 Net Yards per Play (2nd best in Week 1) despite facing a Super Bowl contender. He dismissed Cleveland’s competitive opener versus a "clearly unprepared" Bengals squad and expects Lamar Jackson’s group to win by 12+ at home.