After a long offseason and summer of anticipation, the first Sunday of the new NFL season is finally here with 12 games hitting the early and late windows. Fans everywhere are hyped to see new rosters in action, and for those eyeing touchdown scorer props, a few names are jumping off the page right away. David Montgomery, now with the Houston Texans, looks like he could absolutely feast in Week 1, and the numbers are stacked in his favor.
David Montgomery’s Big Shot in Houston
Montgomery is stepping into what’s been described as a 1-A role in Houston, running alongside Woody Marks. Think of it like Joe Mixon’s 2024 season, where he racked up 12 total touchdowns and a massive 66 red-zone touches. That’s a serious workload. Even while splitting time in the Lions backfield the last three seasons, Montgomery still punched in an incredible 33 scores over 45 regular-season games, averaging 3.2 red-zone touches per contest. The guy just knows how to find the end zone.
His Week 1 matchup? The Buffalo Bills defense, which was incredibly generous to opposing running backs in 2025, giving up an NFL-high 18 rushing touchdowns. To make things even sweeter for Montgomery, Buffalo might be missing run-stopping defensive tackle T.J. Sanders due to a knee injury. When you combine Montgomery’s nose for the goal line with a defense that struggled so much, it feels like a can’t miss situation for an anytime touchdown. He is listed at -110 on FanDuel Sportsbook for an anytime score.
Bucky Irving’s Workhorse Comeback in Tampa
Another name that needs to be on your radar is Bucky Irving, who’s back to full health after an injury-plagued 2025 season. He’s primed to take over as the workhorse back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With Rachaad White gone to Washington, and Kenny Gainwell filling his shoes, Irving won’t have the same competition for carries, especially in the red zone. As a rookie in 2024, he logged 46 red-zone touches across 17 regular-season games, even while sharing snaps. That’s serious potential.
The Bengals, their Week 1 opponent, made some moves this offseason to address a run defense that was highly porous last season, surrendering a league-high 147.1 rushing yards per game, including 155.2 per home contest. They brought in Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen to shore up the defensive front. But even with those additions, Irving is expected to remain the preferred red-zone option for the Bucs. Factor in that he also scored three receiving touchdowns in his abbreviated 2025 season, and the Buccaneers have an implied team total north of three scores. Irving is at +110 on FanDuel Sportsbook for an anytime touchdown.
The first Sunday of the NFL season is always wild, and with guys like Saquon Barkley (-115 on DraftKings) and Omarion Hampton (+170 on FanDuel for a 1st Half TD) also on the board, there’s plenty of action. Get ready for some serious scoring and enjoy seeing who hits pay dirt first!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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