NFL Week 5 teasers: Prime-time games bring prime options
Another week, another legendary moment in teaser world. Week 3 saw Justin Tucker doink one over the bar to cover the Ravens teasers in Detroit. In Week 4, Nick Folk had the latest doink heard 'round the world, saving the Buccaneers teasers on Sunday night.
We had 13 in the teaser legs basket last week, and 10 of them came home. As warned, we avoided the risky Titans teaser, and our recommended usage of GB -0.5/BAL +7.5/MIN +7.5 went out the window as well.
Each teaser leg has a price of -270 - the cost of teasing a 6-point favorite down to PK. Let's use this week's NFC East battle between the Giants and Cowboys as an example.
| Spread | Odds |
|---|---|
| DAL -7 | -105 |
| DAL -6.5 | -125 |
| DAL -6 | -138 |
| DAL -5.5 | -150 |
| DAL -5 | -155 |
| DAL -4.5 | -163 |
| DAL -4 | -175 |
| DAL -3.5 | -180 |
| DAL -3 | -225 |
| DAL -2.5 | -250 |
| DAL -2 | -270 |
| DAL -1.5 | -275 |
| DAL -1 | -280 |
You're able to bring Dallas down to -1 via a teaser, which is a bit of value on the alternative spread of -1. While that's a small advantage, it allows you to take another game and manipulate that spread in your favor.
Not all teaser legs are created equal. The biggest mistake novice bettors make is teasing through zero - you're wasting valuable price points on a number the game probably won't land on. So how can we maximize the six-point move? How can we get what we're paying for at -270 per leg?
Several contests provide the opportunity to tease a point spread that captures the key numbers of three, six, and seven. Remember, these are not a recommendation but more about the selection of teams in the "teaser basket" you could tease from a mathematically correct standpoint.
Teaser Basket
| TEAM | SPREAD | TEASER LEG |
|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | +2 | +8 |
| Broncos | +1.5 | +7.5 |
| Vikings | -7.5 | -1.5 |
| Washington | +2 | +8 |
| Bears | +5.5 | +11.5 |
| Browns | +1 | +7 |
| Cowboys | -7 | -1 |
| 49ers | +5.5 | +11.5 |
| Bills | +2.5 | +8.5 |
| Ravens | -7 | -1 |
Those last two seem tasty, don't they? Team up getting over a touchdown with the Bills offense against the Chiefs' shaky defense with the Ravens just winning at home in prime time. If you have the patience, the Seahawks +8 on Thursday night seems like a bet that'll have a hard time losing.
Elsewhere, getting a full TD against the Steelers with anyone is interesting, but I'd need to see Teddy Bridgewater in the lineup for the Broncos. The Lions' injuries are piling up, so teasing the Vikings down to -1.5 is an attractive move. How confident do you feel in the Cowboys?
After their Monday Night Football game, the Raiders and Chargers are both on the opposite side of potential teaser legs. Capturing six, seven, eight, 10, and 11 with the Bears is nice, and getting the Browns up to +7 would be a pretty good bet since Los Angeles beat Kansas City and Las Vegas in consecutive weeks.
But fundamentally, take as many legs from the basket as you want that align with your handicap of the game. Which ones do you like?
Matt Russell is a betting writer for theScore. If there’s a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on Twitter @mrussauthentic.