PrizePicks NFL Picks for WNF, Week 1: Player Projections & Fantasy Picks, 9/9
Need the best PrizePicks NFL picks today? The 2026 season opens on a Wednesday with a Super Bowl rematch between the Patriots and Seahawks, giving us a loaded matchup to build PrizePicks Fantasy NFL picks around for Week 1. Below, we cover our favorite PrizePicks NFL picks for this game, backed by player projections and the key matchups shaping each pick.
Patriots vs. Seahawks: Game Outlook & Key Matchups
There's no shortage of storylines heading into this Wednesday night opener, starting with the fact that Patriots and Seahawks are running it back from last year's Super Bowl. Drake Maye gets a fresh start with a retooled group of pass catchers, headlined by the additions of A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs. On the Seattle side, keep tabs on George Holani, who's carved out a real role as the third-down back while Zach Charbonnet works his way back from an ACL injury. Let's break down the PrizePicks plays we like most for this matchup.
Best PrizePicks NFL Picks for WNF, Week 1
Drake Maye NFL PrizePicks Pick: Higher 32.5 Passing Attempts
The version of Drake Maye we saw in the Super Bowl wasn't the real one. He was banged up, that shoulder clearly wasn't right, and the offensive line in front of him was atrocious, doing him zero favors all game. New England clearly took note of both issues this offseason, trading for A.J. Brown and signing Romeo Doubs to finally give Maye some real weapons while also investing in the line that let him down last time. Get him healthy and give him more time in the pocket, and this is a quarterback who's going to be throwing it plenty, especially if the defense lets Seattle hang around at all. Volume plays like this tend to hit in Week 1 openers, and 32.5 attempts looks more like a floor than a ceiling for where Maye ends up.
George Holani NFL PrizePicks Pick: Higher 1.5 Receptions
George Holani is a name we keep coming back to on this slate. He's emerged as Seattle's change-of-pace back behind rookie Jadarian Price while Zach Charbonnet continues to recover, and the reports out of camp have been pretty direct that Holani is the third-down back. That's the role that matters most for a reception prop, plain and simple. Pair that with what the Patriots showed all preseason: a defense that struggled to cover running backs out of the backfield, particularly at linebacker, and this sets up about as cleanly as a matchup can. A third-down back against a leaky coverage unit for backs makes 1.5 receptions a very reasonable ask.
PrizePicks NFL Player Projections for Patriots vs. Seahawks
Both of these plays lean on the same framework behind Fantasy Alarm's Weekly Player Projections, which generates a projected stat line for every player on the slate by weighing expected pass and rush volume, touchdown probability, and matchup context rather than just last week's box score. That's the same process that pointed us toward Maye and Holani as our top plays for this game, and it refreshes throughout the week as news, weather, and depth charts shift. Fantasy Alarm All Pro members get the full weekly breakdown for every player in every game, not just the two we're highlighting here. If you want the complete picture behind every PrizePicks pick we make, upgrading to All Pro is the fastest way to get it.
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