For those who are unfamiliar, a teaser in sports betting is when you tease the spread further toward your favor on an alternate line. For example, if the Dallas Cowboys are +2.5 underdogs, you can tease the line up through the key number of six to make it +8.5. This lets you have an extra cushion selecting the Cowboys as an underdog at the cost of a higher price. Alternatively, a pleaser is a bet that allows you to move the line in the sportsbooks favor in exchange for better than normal odds. This is very similar to a teaser, except the sportsbook gets the better number while you have the chance at a higher payout. When you bet these, you must select two games to bet on using teasers or pleasers.
Each week, there are usually several games that are intriguing teaser bets to discuss. Pleasers are harder to swallow because you don’t want to give the sportsbook the better number most of the time. On rare occasions, a line may not make sense and the pleaser option would be a viable bet. There are a bunch of possibilities this week for teaser options, so let’s dive into Week 7 and look at several scenarios that are intriguing.
All numbers are provided by FanDuel Sportsbook.
San Francisco 49ers at New England Patriots
Current Line: NE -2.5, SF +2.5
Total: 45
The first game to take a look at this week is the San Francisco 49ers taking a long trip across the country to Foxborough to face the New England Patriots. The 49ers managed to take down the Los Angeles Rams in Santa Clara this past weekend after looking abysmal against the Miami Dolphins just a week before. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo had a better game on the scoresheet than what it looked like on the field, and the Niners lost Running Back Raheem Mostert for the foreseeable future.
New England, meanwhile, looked terrible against the Denver Broncos in an 18-12 loss that really wasn’t even this close. QB Cam Newton’s mechanics looked off in his first week back from his Covid-19 diagnosis, and the Patriots wide receivers looked slow and unprepared. With San Francisco getting the points, teasing them up through the key numbers of 3 and 7 to +8.5 would be a great bet to make here. New England looked like a mess, and that was off several weeks of rest and prep.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Los Angeles Chargers
Current Line: LAC -7.5, JAX +7.5
Total: 49
Jacksonville is terrible. They have lost five straight games and have given up 30+ points in each of them. Their offense is anemic, and QB Gardner Minshew has been found out for the fraud he is. Defensively, the Jags couldn’t stop a nose bleed, and half of their defenders are out on IR. They were crushed by Matt Patricia and the Detroit Lions last week at home 34-16 and were thoroughly outplayed the entire time.
The Los Angeles Chargers have let wins slip away from them all season long, as is the case when you have Anthony Lynn as your head coach. Rookie QB Justin Herbert has looked fantastic early in the season, slicing up defenses and making his case for Offensive Rookie of the Year. While they have a lot of personnel on IR, they are still vastly more talented than Jacksonville. Los Angeles is also 4-1 Against The Spread this season. Off a bye week, tease the Chargers down through the key numbers of 7 and 3 from -7.5 to -1.5. They will win the game and this way you don’t have to lay too many points in case of the dreaded “Minshew Mania” game.
Dallas Cowboys at Washington Football Team
Current Line: DAL -2, WSH +2
Total: 46
After what was a pathetic performance on Monday Night Football, the Dallas Cowboys will look to rebound against the Washington Football Team. QB Andy Dalton looked like he had never played in the NFL before against the Arizona Cardinals, becoming the check-down king and looking all-around atrocious. RB Ezekiel Elliott had butterfingers again, fumbling the football on back-to-back drives and prompting Head Coach Mike McCarthy to turn to Tony Pollard. The defense did what they always do, give up deep shots and lots of points. This is a bad football team.
The Washington Football Team is also a bad football team. They came oh so close to beating the winless New York Giants last week, but found a way to lose at the very end 20-19 on a failed 2-PT conversion attempt to win the game. Head Coach Ron Rivera is known as “Riverboat Ron,” but his boat sank this time just like his franchise. QB Kyle Allen is bad, but so are QB’s Alex Smith and Dwayne Haskins. It’s a turnstile at the most important position on the team, but Rivera seems to favor Allen.
Cut through the 3 and the 7 and tease Washington up to +8. This line is sure to plummet after the Cowboys latest debacle, so grab it while you can.
Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints
Current Line: NO -7.5, CAR +7.5
Total: 51
The Carolina Panthers are coming off a loss to the vaunted Chicago Bears defense this past Sunday, a game in which QB Teddy Bridgewater had his worst performance of the season. RB Mike Davis did all he could to replicate Christian McCaffrey again, but it wasn’t enough against Khalil Mack and company. The Panther’s defense showed some promise by bottling up Bear’s RB David Montgomery, but they are still very questionable against the run.
New Orleans is coming off a bye week and looking to show everyone that they are still a team that should be feared. WR Michael Thomas returns from injury and suspension this week, which should help make QB Drew Brees look more like himself. The Saints have looked like a mess defensively, but a disjointed Carolina offense coming off their worst performance of the year might be what heals them.
To be safe, you can tease New Orleans down to -1.5, as they should win this game at home off a bye. I also wouldn’t be afraid to lay the points though.
Make sure to check out our other articles to get you set to bet on NFL Week 7:
Betting NFL Week 7: Early Lines With Value
