Back on the winning side with the Teaser of the Week after the Colts and Packers took care of business, and of our six teaser options for Week 15, only the Patriots at No. 5 missed the cover. That moves our record to 8-6-1, which is good but well behind the run I'm putting together with my entire slate of picks at SportsLine, where I'm 66-43-5 (+1790) in my last 114 NFL picks after cashing on the Bengals on Monday night.
I've done the legwork of going through all the lines as of Tuesday night and identifying the best teasing opportunities of the week. Below, I've ranked all the sides I think are in play for teasers this week, considering only the standard six-point teasers. You can take the top two options and put them together for my Teaser of the Week, or you can be bold and try and hit a bigger payout.
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Ranking teaser options
1. Texans -2 vs. Bengals
Last week, the Texans were our No. 1 team to tease against, so why do they take the top spot one week later? Well, just look at the team they're playing. The Bengals are coming off an enormous upset of the Steelers in a game where the defense played like it was the Super Bowl. On a short week against a non-rival, we can't expect that type of intensity. And it's not like Ryan Finley blew the doors off in the win, his first ever. Expect Deshaun Watson and Co. to get the win as Cincy comes back down to earth.
2. Saints -1 vs. Vikings
I wanted to put the Saints No. 1 this week as I think the Minnesota loss last week will cause them to check out for this game, but it's hard to have a ton of confidence with how that New Orleans offense looked last week. Still, this one is all about the Saints defense rising up and getting a win they need if they're going to have any shot at securing the No. 1 seed in the NFC and the bye that comes along with it.
3. Rams +7.5 at Seahawks
The Rams got caught looking ahead last week, falling to a terrible Jets team as 17-point favorites. Now they'll look to make up that loss against the rival Seahawks, and if they can get the win, they'll effectively be a half-game up in the division as they'll own the tiebreaker. The Rams have only lost twice to the Seahawks in the Sean McVay era, and neither was be more than six points.
4. Bears -1.5 at Jaguars
This one is probably going to end up in a lot of teasers this week, but I just don't love teasing big road favorites down, even when they're playing a team like the Jaguars. But it's hard to dismiss what the Bears are doing on offense, so this is probably a safe play if you want to roll with it instead of one of my top teams.
5. Panthers +8.5 at Washington
Even though this is a tough matchup for the Panthers offense, I just don't know what to expect from Washington when they have the ball, and I don't think it's a given they just rack up points against this bad defensive unit. Carolina has been out of the playoff race for weeks but is still playing hard for first-year coach Matt Rhule, giving up less than 100 yards of passing offense to the Packers -- the Packers! -- last week.
6. Cowboys +8 vs. Eagles
Jalen Hurts has revitalized the Eagles offense, but take note of what happened to their defense last week: 526 yards allowed and 33 points on the scoreboard that could've been 50 if not for two turnovers inside the Eagles' 10-yard line and another turnover on downs at the edge of field goal range. If the secondary isn't significantly healthier this week, it's hard to see them running away from a talented Dallas offense.
7. Raiders +9 vs. Dolphins
Marcus Mariota did some good things when pressed into duty last Thursday, and with the extended week to get ready, I think the Raiders offense can have some success against a Dolphins team that isn't nearly as good against the run as they are against the pass. It'll be on his shoulders (and legs) though, because this Vegas defense cannot stop anybody.
8. Broncos +9 at Chargers
The Broncos struggled to contain the Chargers offense in their first meeting but ultimately came away with the win. With their issues at cornerback this time around, it's going to be even tougher to slow them down, which is why this teaser option ranks so low. This is more a play on the Chargers only winning by more than six points once this year, when they beat the Jaguars by 10 at home with two weeks to prepare.
Lines to avoid teasing
Buccaneers (-9.5) at Lions
Hard to have much confidence in a Bucs team that can get sleepy on the field at any time, though they did wake up in time to beat the Falcons last week. You'd need to get this line under 3 to even consider teasing here.
49ers at Cardinals (-5)
This line is steaming toward the Cardinals, so if you liked them, I hoped you took it early in the week. I have no interest teasing the 49ers with C.J. Beathard at quarterback knowing their season is over.
Falcons at Chiefs (-10.5)
The Chiefs have been letting their opponents hang around over the second half of the year, so I'm not comfortable teasing them unless we're getting them under 3.
Giants at Ravens (-11)
Just like last week, the Ravens are probably a safe team, but there's not much value if teasing them at this number. If you like them, just lay the points.
Browns (-9.5) at Jets
Here's an interesting one: The Jets are primed for a letdown after waving the 0-16 cloud away from over their heads, but I'd want to get Cleveland down to at least 3 here just to be safe.
Colts (-1.5) at Steelers
Loved teasing the Colts up when they were 'dogs before the Steelers' embarrassing Monday night loss, but I have no confidence in Pittsburgh to bounce back in this matchup, so this is now a stayaway.
Titans at Packers (-3.5)
The Titans had better score on every possession if you tease them, as it's hard to see that defense slowing down Aaron Rodgers even a little bit. I don't want any part of them.
Bills (-7) at Patriots
Probably the last potential teaser team cut from this week's rankings. Everything is going right for the Bills right now, but are you really confident they get the win in Foxborough in primetime? With Bill Belichick coaching his last meaningful game of the season? I'm staying far away.
