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Best NFL Teaser Bets Week 15: Basic Strategy Teasers

by Mike Allen - 12/13/2023

Best teaser bets Week 15 CeeDee Lamb Dallas Cowboys

It is now Week 15 in the NFL, and picking games against the spread seems about as difficult as ever. Last week was a huge week for underdogs. Two of those dogs helped us win our basic strategy teaser bet of the week.

We had the Denver Broncos and the Buffalo Bills each at (+8.5) points. And as you might have seen, they both won outright. Hey, Travis Kelce's lateral that was called back wouldn't even have beaten us.

That is the beauty of the teaser bet.

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What is a Teaser?

A teaser is a type of parlay bet that allows the better to manipulate the line in their favor. There are different types of teasers. With some teasers, you can add 4 points to the spread, and some go all the way up to 10 points.

As you might imagine, the betting payout decreases as you add points. Is adding 10 points to a betting line really necessary? Couldn’t we just add 4? Or is that not enough?

Fortunately for us, a basic strategy has already been implemented and has also made people money in the long term.

What is a Basic Strategy Teaser?

Firstly, a basic strategy teaser needs to be only two NFL teams. We use NFL teams because point totals are much lower than college football games. This means that the points that we add go further.

Secondly, they must be 6-point teasers, and we want to tease through the key numbers of 3 and 7. We look for betting underdogs with odds of (+1.5) to (+2.5) and tease them up to dogs of (+7.5) to (+8.5).

The reason we want to tease through the key numbers of 3 and 7 is because more games end with a point differential of 3 than any other. The second most likely margin of victory is 7 points.

If we want to tease a bedding favorite down, we look for teams with betting odds of (+7.5) to (+8.5) and tease them down to favorites of just (+1.5) to (+2.5).

Potential Week 15 NFL Teaser Games

Pittsburgh Steelers (+2.5) vs Indianapolis Colts (-2.5)

Here, we are looking at teasing the Pittsburgh Steelers up to betting underdogs of (+8.5) points. I don't mind this spot at all. Both teams will be playing hard, and I expect a close game.

One issue is that the Steelers’ TJ Watt is in concussion protocol right now. The good news is that he last played on Thursday night. So, he will have 10 days to get through the process instead of the normal 7.

I’ll take that opportunistic defense along with potentially the best head coach in the game to not lose by 9 or more points.

Houston Texans (+2.5) vs Tennessee Titans (-2.5)

Speaking of concussion protocol, it's even more of an issue in this game. Houston Texans' future Rookie of the Year quarterback and MVP candidate CJ Stroud bounced the soft tissue in the back of his head off the turf this past week.

The good news if we want to fade the Tennessee Titans here is that they had an incredibly emotional late win this past Monday night. A young team coming off of a late win on a short week is certainly a fade spot.

We just have no idea how the Texans will perform without their quarterback. This game could play out in several different ways.

New York Jets (+8.5) @ Miami Dolphins (-8.5)

Here, we have our first opportunity to tease a betting favorite down. The Miami Dolphins are coming off a close loss on a short week, while the New York Jets Are coming off their most impressive win of the season.

Quarterback Zach Wilson had his most efficient performance of the year, throwing for 300 yards and 2 touchdowns. I expect the Jets to come out a bit flat, and I think the Dolphins will be a bit sharper after that loss on Monday night.

We may use this one if we have to, but I will be honest. I prefer to tease betting underdogs up than favorites down.

Dallas Cowboys (+2.5) @ Buffalo Bills (-2.5)

This betting line surprised me a little bit. I thought the Dallas Cowboys would be getting a little more love here, especially considering how good they have looked as of late.

Dallas has won 5 straight games and 7 of their last 8. They scored at least 33 points in 7 of those wins. It is hard to get beaten by 9 when you put up 30 or more.

Buffalo is playing inspired ball, though, as they are clawing for a playoff berth. The Cowboys have struggled on the road this season, but that’s all the more reason to keep it tight through the end of the regular season.

They might not get home field over the 49ers, but you know they want to be home if they have to play the rubber match with the Eagles in the postseason.

Week 15 NFL Basic Strategy Teaser Prediction

Prediction: Dallas Cowboys (+8.5) and Pittsburgh Steelers (+8.5): -120

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