NFL Week 1 Vegas power rankings: Los Angeles Rams are the clear No. 1 team

A useful tool for handicapping any sport is making a list of power ratings. It serves as a baseline resource for how to price games by providing a theoretical against the spread number.

The table below shows all 32 NFL teams, ranked by their corresponding power rating. The ranking is simple: a 1-32 order of the best teams in the NFL. The rating is used by matching any two teams up against one another, find the difference in the numbers, factor in a home field advantage (standard 1.5 points in the NFL) and boom - you are now projecting a spread.

Let's look at my preseason NFL power ratings, provide an example on how to use them, and then quickly discuss the potential pitfalls of this process to be aware of, and find a bet to action.

1. Los Angeles Rams (+7.4) are playing the San Francisco 49ers (+3.3)

The difference spits out Rams -4.1 (aka Rams favored by 4.1 points). Since there is no home-field advantage because of the international game, we don't factor in home field. Currently, BetMGM lists the odds at Rams -3.5 (-112).

2. The Arizona Cardinals (-6.5) are playing at the Los Angeles Chargers (+2.4)

The difference spits out Chargers -8.9. This game is in Los Angeles, so factor in a 1.5-point home-field advantage for the Chargers and we are at Los Angeles -10.4. Currently BetMGM lists the odds at Chargers -10.5 (-108).

These two examples are pretty aligned with the market and don't signify a big betting edge. Occasionally, you will find examples where there is a discrepancy worth betting into.

Before placing a bet based on ratings, be aware of these potential pitfalls that a rating system can't perfectly encapsulate.

Injuries: Ratings published here on Tuesdays are static for the week, but injuries are not. Injured players might not be accurately factored in. This is especially true for mid-week practice injuries and players who are listed as questionable — their availability will impact the spread. Always check the injury report and ask yourself if that explains the gap between the number you can bet at a sportsbook and the number the rating system spits out.

Matchup-based advantages: A rating system allows you to match up any two teams in the NFL, but it doesn't account for which team has the best rushing attack going against a team with the worst run defense. Those matchup specifics will sway spread numbers a bit as well. If you feel a team has a specific edge, and the rating system matches the spread, that can also be an edge you see and bet into.

Key numbers: Specific to the NFL, line moves at certain numbers are so valuable that we should factor that into ratings system calculations. The easiest example is the half point line moving onto or off of the 3 is worth three times as much as the half point onto or off of the 2. If a team is two points better than its opponent, and we need to add in home-field advantage to the priced favorite, we should probably expect to stop at -3 and not go to -3.5. Maybe the line is -3 (-115).

Bet worth actioning: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cincinnati Bengals (-4, 50.5)

According to my preseason power ratings, the Bengals are +1 and the Bucs are -0.1. This creates a 1.1-point gap in the Bengals' favor. They are also playing at home, so let's go ahead and tack on another 1.5 points. Bengals -2.6 is what the system spits out. Since the Buccaneers are +4 here, that is the side I want.

We also know the Bengals under head coach Zac Taylor have always struggled early in the season. Taylor is 2-5 in Week 1 in his seven seasons, and that extends to a 3-11 record when factoring in Week 2 as well. Inversely, the opposite is true for Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles: Bowles is 4-0 in Week 1 and 8-0 in Weeks 1 and 2 at the helm of Tampa Bay.

While I am not a big trends bettor, understanding how a coach prepares his team during training camp for being ready early in the season bears some significance to me. The main injury news that hangs in the balance is to Bucs WR Emeka Egbuka. He is dealing with a toe injury that reports have been very coy about; it is hard to figure out the severity.

My inclination is that he will play, and while he might be limited, his availability probably means the spread should not be impacted.