NFL Basic Strategy Teasers: Best Betting Options for Week 2

by George Monroy - 9/16/2015

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck

Basic strategy teasers opened the year with a 2-1 record, and the only matchup to not cover the spread was the New Orleans Saints losing by 12 points on a +8.5-point teaser to the Arizona Cardinals. The wager needs to win at a 72-percent mark in order to become profitable, and last week's 66-percent clip would have lost bettors money if they had bet each teaser round-robin style. For Week 2, there are only three teasers on the board-two underdogs being pushed up past the seven-point mark and one favorite being pushed down toward the 1.5-point mark.

Let's take a closer look at this weekend's set of basic strategy teaser games (favorites of 7.5, 8.0, 8.5 and underdogs of 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5) and go over the lines and figure out which matchups will provide bettors with the best value to wager on.

Indianapolis Colts vs New York Jets

Spread: Colts -7.5

Six-point teaser: Colts -1.5

Indianapolis took a somewhat surprisingly lost last week against a reinvigorated Buffalo Bills squad now being coached by the always-entertaining Rex Ryan. Andrew Luck and company have produced multiple 10-wins-or-better seasons to go along with a 34-19-1 ATS record over that span. Indianapolis definitely struggled last week, but there is no reason to suspect that the team won't bounce back with a big win against an undermanned Jets team this weekend. The one issue that has plagued the Colts over the last few seasons is the team's inconsistency from a week-to-week basis, which explains the Buffalo loss.

New York managed to earn a solid victory over Cleveland on Sunday, but playing the Colts will be an entirely different animal. The Jets were able to put up some points, while Indianapolis' defense looked nonexistent last week, so this matchup could be closer than it appears. However, taking the favorite on a lowered -1.5 spread on a teaser feels like an excellent bet.

Chicago Bears vs Arizona Cardinals

Spread: Bears +1.5

Six-point teaser: Bears +7.5

Chicago held their own against Green Bay in an eight-point loss, and while they did not look impressive by any means, they also did not look like a disaster in waiting. Cutler struggled throughout the game, throwing an interception and managing only a 29.6 QBR to Aaron Rodgers' 94.4 mark. However, he did not make any game-changing mistakes, and the team must have left the matchup feeling solid about the upcoming season.

Arizona, on the other hand, killed last week's basic strategy teaser against New Orleans by scoring a late-game touchdown and left the matchup looking like a contender in waiting. Arizona's defense is elite, and bettors shouldn't be surprised to see it shut down teams over the course of the season. Chicago receiving 7.5 points is a big number, but I would skip this teaser because a Cardinals blowout wouldn't be surprising.

Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants

Spread: Falcons +2

Six-point teaser: Falcons +8

Both of these squads looked solid and disappointing all at the same time last week. Atlanta escaped with a win over Philadelphia, while New York gave away a game with poor clock management and a few dumb decisions during its Sunday Night Football matchup against Dallas. The Falcons played an excellent first half on Monday Night but were unable to follow it up with any meaningful offense during the second half. The team's defense, however, looked improved during long stretches of the game, and Atlanta's pass rush was able to disrupt a late-game field goal that would have cost them the game.

New York managed to take a lead late into the fourth quarter of its matchup against Dallas but did not play particularly well and was statistically dominated in many key categories. The Giants did not show anything during the opening week of the season to signal bettors that 2015 will be anything more than another underachieving season. Many fans were left scratching their heads when the story broke that Eli Manning instructed his running back not to score during New York's final drive of the game. Take the Falcons plus the points.

Last week's record: 2-1, 66 percent

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