• Tease 49ers -.5 (from -6.5) at Carolina, Vikings -1 (from -7) vs. Chicago (-120): PFF's top-rated ‘D' visits Panthers offense ranked dead-last in EPA; after escaping London with a win, Vikings get anemic Bears offense.
• Potential teaser leg: Jaguars from -7 to -1 vs. Houston: Jacksonville showing surprising efficiency on both sides of ball; Texans coming off first double-digit defeat.
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Estimated reading time: 4 min
With the sports betting industry evolving and gaining popularity, so is the way you can make NFL wagers. The days of just betting on sides and totals are over.
One popular way bettors try to find value on NFL lines is by playing teasers. An NFL teaser is similar to a parlay; you add multiple legs that must all win for the bet to pay out. The key difference from parlays is that a teaser allows you to buy points like 6, 6.5 or 7 in a direction that lowers risk.
Teaser Tips to Follow
• Never Cross over 0
• Tease through key numbers 3 & 7
• Tease games with lower totals, ideally anything 49 or less.
Here are five potential teaser legs, plus my two favorite two-team, six-point teasers in Week 5:
Green Bay Packers (from -8.5 to -2.5) vs. New York Giants (London)
• While I love what Brian Daboll is doing with the Giants, they might be the league's most overrated 3-1 team. Big Blue has the NFL's second-worst offensive PFF grade (61.0), only ahead of the New York Jets. As an offensive unit, the Giants rank 24th in Success rate.
• Starting QB Daniel Jones and backup QB Tyrod Taylor were both injured last week, and their availability still is unknown. Getting Green Bay laying less than a field goal against a beat-up QB room makes for a great teaser option.
Minnesota Vikings (from -7 to -1) vs. Chicago Bears
• After escaping London with a victory against the Saints, the Vikings return home to face the Chicago Bears.
• The Bears' 2-2 record is a bit deceiving. They are one of the worst teams in the NFL, and they might be the worst offensive team in the league. With PFF offensive grades of 28th overall, 32nd in passing, and 14th in rushing, it is easy to understand why the Bears have the second-worst scoring offense in the league.
Jacksonville Jaguars (from -7 to -1) vs. Houston Texans
• I think it is safe to say the Jacksonville Jaguars are good. Doug Pederson and his staff have done a great job turning this team around.
• On offense, Jacksonville is averaging 26.3 points per game (6th best), ranking 10th in EPA/Play and 12th in Success Rate. Defensively, the Jaguars are equally impressive, ranked fourth in scoring defense (16.8 points per game) and EPA/play and fifth in success rate allowed.
• Despite being winless, the Texans seem to keep their games relatively close. Three of their four ended within seven points, except for last week's ten-point loss to the Chargers. This is a perfect spot to tease the Jaguars down to -1.
Detroit Lions (from +3 to +9) at New England Patriots
• Jared Goff and the Lions' offense has been surprisingly good, with a PFF grade of 69.5 ranked 14th, ahead of the Bills, Ravens, and Chargers through the first four weeks. A lot of the offensive success is led by Detroit's running game, averaging 164 rushing yards per contest. That's sixth-best in the league and should bode well for Detroit because New England can't stop the run.
• The Patriots have the fourth-lowest success rate against the run, and on 104 total snaps, they have only managed nine tackles for loss or no gain — worst in the league.
• While the Lions' defense is nothing to write home about, it might go up against Bailey Zappe, a rookie who would be making his first NFL start.
San Francisco 49ers (from-6.5 to -.5) at Carolina Panthers
• We saw how dominant the 49ers defense can be Sunday, when they sacked Matthew Stafford seven times despite only blitzing on 28% of their snaps. But that's not out of the norm for San Francisco, which has the second-most sacks in the NFL (15), despite only blitzing 21.6% of the time, the ninth-lowest in the league.
• That frightening 49ers defense visits a Carolina Panthers offense that ranks dead-last in EPA/play. Nick Bosa, the NFL leader in sacks, faces rookie tackle Ikem Ekwonu.
• The 49ers might cover the 6.5-point spread without having to tease, but I like teasing it down to -.5 in case they have a letdown spot after a big division win in Week 4.
Favorite 2-team, 6-point teasers in Week 5
• 49ers -.5 / Vikings -1 (-120)
• Jags -1 / 49ers -.5 (-120)
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