Ready for the full slate of 2020 NFL games on Sunday? Our panel of experts is here to help, predicting Week 1's biggest upsets, fantasy football flops and potential sleepers.
We also asked our analysts for their MVP picks -- yes, Patrick Mahomes gets mentioned, but he's not alone -- for what they're watching in the Bucs-Saints game and to make a few more picks ahead of the season.
Dive into what our analysts think of Cam Newton, Matthew Stafford, Robby Anderson, Devin Singletary and more players.
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Stake your claim for the season. What's the one prediction you want to put on the record now?
Mike Clay, fantasy writer: The Lions will win the NFC North for the first time since 1993. I'm cheating a bit here because my projections show Minnesota with a slight edge in the division after acquiring pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue. It's basically a toss-up, though, with Detroit (and Green Bay) within the margin of error. The Lions were already on the verge of a step forward last season, hanging around .500 prior to Matthew Stafford's season-ending injury. They followed with a good offseason, adding defensive help with Jeff Okudah, Desmond Trufant, Duron Harmon, Jamie Collins and Danny Shelton while adding running back D'Andre Swift in the draft.
Jeremy Fowler, national NFL writer: Aaron Rodgers will have his best season since his 2014 MVP campaign. The Rodgers spite season is on. The Packers are trying to replace the legend with Jordan Love, and Rodgers isn't having it. Drafting Love in the first round is just what Rodgers needs to elevate his performance after pedestrian (for his standards) output the past three years.
Dan Graziano, national NFL writer: Cam Newton's Patriots will win their division, while Tom Brady's Buccaneers will not win theirs. I'm not counting Bill Belichick out until I see it, and as much as I like and respect what Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane are putting together in Buffalo, I'm going with a refreshed and motivated Cam over the still-erratic Josh Allen. Brady and the Bucs could snag a wild-card spot, but the NFC South still belongs to the Saints.
Mina Kimes, NFL analyst: The Patriots won't win their division for the first time in more than a decade. Before fans get mad at me, I still have them making the playoffs! But this defense faces an uphill battle after losing a boatload of talent to free agency or opt-outs (according to Pro-Football-Reference.com data, New England lost the most approximate value on defense of any team since the 2001 Ravens). I have the deep and balanced Bills winning the AFC East.
Seth Walder, sports analytics writer: Kevin Stefanski will win coach of the year. It's set up perfectly for him: Cleveland underperformed under Freddie Kitchens in 2019, so expectations are fairly low, despite the fact the roster (outside of quarterback) is absolutely loaded and shored up its few gaps in the offseason. I'm bullish on all things Browns in 2020.
Field Yates, NFL analyst: David Johnson will prove a ton of people wrong (and I wrote that before his performance on Thursday night, when he had 109 yards from scrimmage with a TD). He was an easy target this offseason following the trade in which he was shipped from Arizona to Houston along with a second-round pick for DeAndre Hopkins. Johnson has some potential in a Texans offense laced with explosive upside. I expect a determined and motivated DJ to look much more like the touchdown-maker we saw early in his career.