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The hopes of NFL franchises (and their fans) often lie with their starting quarterbacks.
Let’s look at the odds for which signal-callers will start for six franchises, at DraftKings Sportsbook starting April 30.
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Cardinals Week 1 Starting Quarterback
Jacoby Brissett: -330 (bet $10 to win $13.03 total)
Gardner Minshew: +420 (bet $10 to win $52 total)
Carson Beck: +750 (bet $10 to win $85 total)
What to know: The Cardinals released seven-year starter Kyler Murray in March, and he signed a one-year deal with the Vikings. With Murray battling an injury for much of last season, Brissett served as the Cardinals’ starter for 12 games, going 1-11 in those starts. Minshew will be on his fifth team in five years and is 2-8 as a starter the last two seasons. As for Beck, he was selected by Arizona in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Falcons Week 1 Starting Quarterback
Tua Tagovailoa: -125 (bet $10 to win $18 total)
Michael Penix Jr.: -102 (bet $10 to win $19.80 total)
What to know: This one is in the air. Tagovailoa started 76 games over the last six seasons in Miami, going 44-32. In five of those years, the Dolphins had a winning record when Tagovailoa was a starter, but Miami only made the playoffs once, losing in the wild card round. He was released by Miami in March and signed a one-year contract with Atlanta. As for Penix, he has started 12 games in two seasons with the Falcons, going 4-8, including 3-6 as a starter last season.
brown Week 1 Starting Quarterback
Deshaun Watson: -135 (bet $10 to win $17.41 total)
Shedeur Sanders: +108 (bet $10 to win $20.80 total)
Dillon Gabriel: +5500 (bet $10 to win $560 total)
What to know: Watson enters his fifth season with the Browns, a tenure that has been marred by off-field issues and injuries, including a ruptured Achilles tendon that caused him to miss the entire 2025-26 NFL season. In 19 starts for the Browns, Watson has gone 9-10, including 1-6 last season. Sanders, a rookie last season, was 3-4 in seven starts, while Gabriel, also a rookie, was 1-5 in six starts before Sanders took over.
bosses Week 1 Starting Quarterback
Patrick Mahomes: -720 (bet $10 to win $11.39 total)
Justin Fields: +500 (bet $10 to win $60 total)
Any other QB: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)
What to know: This one has to do with health. Mahomes tore his ACL in Week 15 of last season (Dec. 14, 2025), but odds suggest he’ll be ready for Week 1. If, for some reason, he’s not ready to play, Kansas City acquired Fields in March. Fields started nine games for the Jets last season, going 2-7.
raiders Week 1 Starting Quarterback
Kirk Cousins: -200 (bet $10 to win $15 total)
Fernando Mendoza: +168 (bet $10 to win $26.80 total)
Any other QB: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
What to know: The Raiders selected Fernando Mendoza with the first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but also signed Cousins in early April as an insurance policy. If the team wants to give Mendoza, the reigning Heisman winner, some time to grow into a reserve role, Cousins is the man in Las Vegas.
steelmakers Week 1 Starting Quarterback
Any other QB: -670 (bet $10 to win $11.49 total)
Will Howard: +600 (bet $10 to win $70 total)
Mason Rudolph: +1500 (bet $10 to win $160 total)
Drew Allar: +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total)
What to know: In this case, Aaron Rodgers, who has not told the Steelers whether he will return or not, would fall into the “Any Other QB” category. Rodgers spent 18 years with Green Bay, two with the Jets and last year was his first with the Steelers. He went 10-6 as a starter, leading Pittsburgh to the playoffs, where they lost in the wild card round. Howard was selected in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He has yet to take a snap in the NFL. Rudolph has spent five seasons in Pittsburgh and one in Tennessee. As a starter, he is 9-9-1. As for Allar, he was selected by the Steelers in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
