Expectations couldn't be higher for the Minnesota Vikings, who went 13-3 and then added Kirk Cousins. They'll start their regulatr season Sunday against the visiting San Francisco 49ers. The Vikings believe they have the final piece to their Super Bowl puzzle, while the 49ers look to build on a season-ending five-game winning streak spurred by new quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. In that stretch, Garoppolo averaged 308.4 passing yards. 

Sportsbooks list Minnesota as a 6.5-point home favorite, up from an opening line of 4.5. The over-under, or total points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 46. Kickoff from U.S. Bank Stadium is at 1 p.m. ET.

Before you make any 49ers vs. Vikings picks, see what NFL expert Larry Hartstein has to say.

SportsLine's senior analyst knows these teams -- and their coaching staffs -- intimately, and that's evident every time he picks their games. In his past 11 against-the-spread picks for or against the 49ers, Hartstein nailed nine. In his past nine Vikings' picks, he has hit seven. That's an incredible 80 percent (16-4) win rate. Case in point: In last year's regular-season finale, Hartstein was all over the surging 49ers when they visited the playoff-bound Rams. The result: 49ers 34, Rams 13 -- another easy cash.

Now, Hartstein has analyzed all the key factors for 49ers-Vikings and come up with a confident spread pick, which he's sharing over at SportsLine.

Hartstein knows the Vikings return every key piece from the league's No. 1-ranked defense, including defensive end Everson Griffen (10 sacks in eight games last year before he got hurt), safety Harrison Smith and corner Xavier Rhodes. They added the volatile but uber-talented Sheldon Richardson to a D-line that already boasts Linval Joseph, Danielle Hunter and Griffen.

Cousins arrived to upgrade the offense, which should be more explosive. Dalvin Cook is 100 percent after tearing his ACL last October. In Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen and Kyle Rudolph, Cousins has an enviable group of targets. Anything but a Super Bowl berth will be a disappointment for this team.

But just because the Vikings are at home and coming off an NFC title game appearance doesn't mean they'll cover the spread against the up-and-coming 49ers. Although San Francisco lost Jerick McKinnon to a torn ACL, Alfred Morris and Matt Breida could form a classic thunder-and-lightning backfield.

San Francisco closed last season covering four of its last five games, all straight-up wins, and now Garoppolo has had an entire offseason to digest Kyle Shanahan's playbook. Marquise Goodwin is a world-class sprinter at wideout, Pierre Garcon is a reliable, veteran target and George Kittle is a rising star at tight end. The 49ers averaged 32.3 points in their final four games. Defensively, they improved dramatically with the signing of three-time first-team All-Pro Richard Sherman.

We can tell you Hartstein is leaning Over, but he has identified a personnel mismatch that will determine the spread outcome of this game. He's sharing it only at SportsLine.

Who wins 49ers-Vikings? And what individual matchup determines the point-spread winner? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on Sunday, all from the seasoned expert who's 16-4 picking 49ers and Vikings games.