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Basic Strategy Teasers: Best Week 6 NFL Betting Options


by Chris Vasile - 10/11/2018

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger

At what point in the season is it okay to start believing in the Kansas City Chiefs as legitimate Super Bowl contenders? Given Andy Reid's track record of starting fast and fizzling out late in the season, I understand the hesitancy. However, it must be stated that Alex Smith is no longer the quarterback, and some guy by the name of Patrick Mahomes is handling quarterbacking duties. Not sure if you've heard of him, but he has been playing some pretty great football over the course of his first five meaningful games in the NFL.

Mahomes and the Chiefs are averaging a ridiculous 35 points per game. And after last week's showing against Jacksonville and what's been dubbed the "best defense in football", the Chiefs should be getting love from every which way. Yes, they have a below-average defense, but in order to win football games you must score points, and that's something the Chiefs can do seemingly with their eyes shut.

The Chiefs are now 5-0 and have catapulted themselves into the Top 3 in terms of Super Bowl odds. They stand just behind the Los Angeles Rams at (3/1) and tied with the New England Patriots (7/1), who they play this coming Sunday.

As for last week's Basic Strategy Teaser, we were able to cash our ticket, but barely. The Rams got more than they could handle against the Seahawks, but ultimately prevailed by two points, which indeed covered the teased line. This brings the record to 3-2 for +$50.

Remember, a Basic Strategy Teaser is a two-team wagering options that allows you to adjust the spread six, six-and-a-half or seven points to get a favorable spread. At Doc's Sports, we only recommend using six-point teasers and moving spreads through key numbers such as three and seven. If you would like more information how Basic Strategy Teasers work, click here .

Best Two-Team, Six-Point Teaser for Week 6. Lines courtesy of Bovada .

Pittsburgh +8.5 & Cleveland +7.5 (-120)
Risk: $100 to win $83.33

Last week's performance by Pittsburgh was a long time in the making. They finally put together a full 60-minutes of sound football on both sides of the ball and dominated from start to finish. That is the kind of Steelers team we have grown accustomed to watching - especially on their home field. Well, that win was nice, but now they must keep up the good work on the road against a division opponent. Easier said than done.

The Bengals have played well this season and are deserved of their record of 4-1. However, they have not played a team like the Steelers that possess multiple weapons on offense that can burn you. Last week's come-from-behind win against Miami may have hurt the Bengals chances in this spot considering the fact that they had to dig deeper and exert more energy to dig themselves out of a 17-0 hole. They were led, as usual, by A.J Green, who caught six passes for 112 yards, while Joe Mixon contributed 93 yards on the ground and caught a touchdown pass. We know those two guys are the key players in the Bengals offense, and so do the Steelers. Coming off a dominating defense performance against Atlanta, where everyone did their job, the Steelers will be eager to silence the critics once again and shut down a good Bengals attack.

Making the Bengals 2.5-point favorites is warranted based on record alone. However, the Steelers have won the last six meetings in this matchup, so even if the Bengals flip the script and get the win it will probably not be by more than eight points. Look for a very physical AFC North matchup and a game that may very well come down to which team has the ball last.

The second part of this teaser is going to be the Cleveland Browns. As of writing this, the Browns are 1.5-point underdogs , which teases up through the key number of seven to +7.5. The Browns have a talented roster (on both sides of the ball), led by Baker Mayfield. Last week's win against Cleveland proved to me that the Browns don't need to score 42 points every week to have a chance. They can stay in ball games with their defense and make their chances count when presented the opportunity. Mayfield is playing beyond his years. You see that in his pocket presence and ability to extend plays without turning the ball over (too much). In this spot, the Browns have the opportunity to get to 3-2-1, a record not many thought was possible for this team after six games. They play the Chargers, which is a team that is void of a real defense and who will be on a 10 a.m. body clock. West Coast teams generally don't fare well traveling East for the early kickoff, and need I remind you that this very Chargers team lost to the Browns at home to give Cleveland their only win of the 2016-17 season. The Browns are very much alive in the AFC playoff picture, and a win here would go a long way in doing so. However, even if they don't get the win, they have the defense to keep the game close and cover the adjusted spread of +7.5.

Alternative Options

If you don't like one or both of my selections, there are a few other games that could interest you.

Carolina is currently +1.5 against Washington. The teased spread would bring them to +7.5, and I don't see how you could go wrong there. Washington looked brutal on Monday against the Saints, while the Panthers, while void of any defensive gusto, got the win against the Giants and pushed their record to 3-1. The Panthers are the more talented team, so by making the Redskins favorites, they are siding with the more desperate of the two teams. Washington could win, but they won't blow the Panthers out.

Indianapolis is currently +2.5 against the New York Jets. I can't pretend to like the Colts in this spot as they are banged up, but the Jets have been known to implode from time to time. They had a good win last week against the Broncos, but we all know that Denver doesn't travel well.

Oakland is currently +2.5 against the Seahawks in London. I'm not sure what there is to like about this Raiders team, but the Seahawks very rarely blow anyone out, so grabbing as many points as you can with the Raiders might be a good idea. However, the Seahawks might have some confidence heading into this one despite losing to the Rams last week. That loss showed that they could play with anyone in the league if they put in a full 60 minutes. Beware.

And, lastly, Tennessee is currently +2.5 against the Ravens, and if last week's action taught us anything it's that teams can go from awesome to garbage in the span of seven days. Both teams were putrid on offense, so perhaps grabbing as many points as you can with the home Titans is the best move. Joe Flacco on the road is a scary proposition, but the pass rush of the Ravens is tough to beat. This is a toss up.

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