Teaser bets remain a popular option with many NFL bettors. But you must use caution when selecting which teams you’ll tease, as you can’t win long term without a sound strategy. At TheLines, we’ll go over each week’s NFL slate to see which teams fit best in teasers. Today, we look at options for NFL playoffs teasers.
Teasers finished the regular season strong last week with a 6-2 mark, and 2-1 on the strongest plays with the Browns preventing a clean sweep. We’ll see if they can continue to stay hot for the playoffs.
Be sure to go over our primer on teaser bets here. It’s imperative that you understand what to look for, from the numbers to the sportsbook juice being paid. Click on the odds anywhere below to bet now.
The Best NFL Playoffs Teasers, Wild Card Round
Considering the NFL schedule has condensed down to a handful of games, there’s a surprisingly robust list of potential teaser plays this week.
Jaguars (+2.5) Vs. Chargers
The total is a bit high, so this matchup is probably the least attractive from a teaser standpoint of the three listed here. But, it still comes in below the threshold where we should be willing to buy points, so it still looks playable if you want to back the Jaguars in some fashion.
The Jaguars do get to play at home here against a Chargers team traveling across the country on a short week. And the Chargers could be banged up yet again with Mike Williams missing early practices this week. The offense has been materially worse when one or both of Williams and Keenan Allen has been unavailable.
On the other hand, if Williams does play, the Jaguars pass defense (30th in DVOA) should struggle. That could roll this into a shootout, in which case teasers would lose value.
Buccaneers (+2.5) Vs. Cowboys
Tampa Bay opened at +3 early in the week, but that number didn’t last long. After some influential money hit that number, the Buccaneers moved to +2.5. That leaves them in prime teaser territory for those who missed out on the key number.
All of the metrics say Tampa Bay is outmatched in this one. But, this remains a strong roster, especially with the secondary and offensive line getting some pieces back healthy.
And the Cowboys have just looked off on offense in recent weeks. They piled up points in several games, but Dak Prescott has repeatedly dug holes with negative plays. Sacks and interceptions have plagued him. Starting in Week 14 against the Texans, Prescott has fired 8 INTs while taking 12 sacks. His last clean game came way back in Week 11. That sort of play generally won’t fly in a playoff environment.
Other Potential NFL Wild Card Playoffs Teasers
As this article was being written, the Bengals moved from -8.5 to -9.5 on the consensus line across the market. Unfortunately, that moved a dream teaser spot out of range. The Lamar Jackson injury continues to affect the market, in this case chopping our teaser options down from three to two.
Market support has been behind the Giants as they have reportedly garnered their fair share of action at most sportsbooks. The market remains unimpressed with the Vikings. If enough steam were to come in to move New York to +2.5, bettors who missed the boat on +3 would have an opportunity for a teaser.
Beyond that, there’s an outside chance the 49ers could move down to -8.5. All of the early support came in on them, moving them from -6.5 at some openers. There has been a small move on the Seahawks to +9.5, but it doesn’t seem likely the Niners move down into teaser range.
