We enter on a four-week win streak at YouBet, hitting five of the last six teaser plays, and let’s stay hot in Week 15! A pair of underdogs on the upswing are appealing, and we will incorporate one of the three Saturday games into our teaser.
Teasers adjust point spreads in the bettor’s favor, providing an opportunity to play multiple games in a single bet without being locked into the existing odds in a standard parlay.
We’ll play the six-point teaser option at +260 ($100 win returns $360 including investment).
YOUBET Week 15 bets
Denver Broncos +10.5 (Saturday)
Denver’s defensive turnaround from a 70-point embarrassment in Week 3 has been remarkable, the Broncos have been dominant at times, winning six of their last seven games, including victories over the Bills, Browns, and Chiefs. Since Week 5, Denver owns the second-highest sack rate when employing a standard four-man rush, third-best when blitzing. In fact, the Broncos’ four-man front of Jonathon Cooper, Baron Browning, Nik Bonitto, and Zach Allen is the top-ranked grouping for the standard rush, and Denver has held six of the last eight opponents to 20 points or fewer.
Denver enters with an edge up front on both sides of the ball, Russell Wilson is outperforming counterpart Jared Goff, and Detroit appears caught in quicksand, struggling to emerge from a staggering defensive regression in recent weeks. These teams are moving in different directions. We give Denver a legitimate chance to win straight up and love the road dog from a teaser perspective.
Chicago Bears +9
Cleveland lost by double digits to the L.A. Rams in Joe Flacco’s debut two weeks ago, and don’t be fooled by the Browns’ offensive performance in a narrow win last week; Jacksonville’s defense was banged up and reeling on short rest after surrendering 156 rushing yards to Cincinnati’s worst-ranked run offense in a 34-31 overtime loss.
Chicago’s defense is at another level, playing as well as any team in the league. Rivals haven’t been able to run effectively on the Bears’ second-ranked run defense all season, but Chicago gave up a lot of points and passing yards before acquiring Montez Sweat in Week 9. He’s made a tremendous impact, as Chicago has held three of its last four opponents to 13 points or fewer, and Cleveland is extremely comfortable in that low-scoring range, scoring fewer than 20 points in three consecutive games before facing a tired Jacksonville last week. The Bears are surging, winning three of the last four to move only one game back in the race for the final wild-card spot in the NFC, and Justin Fields exits a strong performance in a dominant win over Detroit. We give Chicago a legitimate chance to win straight up and love the road dog from a teaser perspective.
Kansas City-New England Under 43
New England scored a combined 13 points over a three-game stretch before snapping a five-game losing streak last week, exploding for 21 points against a sagging Pittsburgh squad, but that performance rates an anomaly for the punchless Patriots offense. Kansas City will be fired up to get back into the win column and while the Chiefs have dysfunctional issues that must be addressed during the offseason, the defense remains outstanding. Look for defense to lead the way. The Chiefs allow only 17.5 points per game (third best in the NFL), proving extremely effective against teams employing limited schemes. Bailey Zappe appears poised for a regression, and New England doesn’t run effectively (21st-ranked run offense). We like the Under here at YouBet.
New York Giants-New Orleans Over 33
Defense was New Orleans’ calling card for years, and it’s easy to assume the Saints can still bring it defensively based upon past success, but the Saints’ inability to stop the run (131.5 rushing yards allowed per game) has been a major issue all season and New Orleans’ secondary has been shredded at times. They were able to snap a three-game losing streak against turnover-prone Carolina last week, but don’t be fooled.
The Saints combined with their three previous home opponents to score 157 total points, New Orleans’ high-scoring offense is keeping it in the NFC South race. The Saints have reached 28 points in their last two games, and both teams look poised to score points Sunday. Tommy DeVito exits a strong showing over Green Bay (17-of-21 passing, 71 rushing yards) in which he wasn’t sacked — New York had allowed 28 sacks in the previous six games — and any way you slice it, the Giants are playing at a much higher level offensively than earlier in the season. The Giants still surrender points (24th-ranked scoring defense), and we will tease the Over.