Week 18 Top NFL Teaser Plays

Sam Wagman Sports Betting Expert

3 minute read

Welcome in to a brand-new piece of weekly content that will be showcased here at VegasInsider: Weekly Teaser Plays! Every week, I'll come in and give my three favorite teaser legs for you to bet on and some reasoning behind the play.

For those who are new, a teaser is a special type of bet where, in exchange for the odds on a play being drastically reduced, you can bet on a specific line at a much more favorable number. For instance, if my Philadelphia Eagles are a 7-point favorite this weekend against the Green Bay Packers, you can tease that line down to a 1-point favorite in exchange for the odds going down.

You can't play 1 teaser leg by itself, you have to accompany it with at least one other line, and a 2-team 6 point teaser (which is standard) would pay about -120 odds, meaning that if you put $120 on the play and it hit, you would win $100.

Let's dive right into my three favorite teaser legs for this weekend's slate!

Editors note: all lines are sourced from BetMGM

Updated on 12/22/2024

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Week 18 NFL Teaser Best Bets

• Seattle Seahawks -0.5
• Cincinnati Bengals -3
• Cleveland Browns +8.5

Seahawks -0.5 vs. Los Angeles Rams

Matchup: Seattle vs. L.A. Rams (4:25 p.m. ET)
Teaser: Seahawks -6.5 to Seahawks -0.5

I was careful to include scenarios with teams that were not 100% locked into their spots for this, and the Seahawks definitely qualify as they're fighting for a playoff spot but don't control their own destiny. In order for them to make the playoffs, they have to not only win this game, but they will be watching Sunday night's game very closely between the Lions and Packers, rooting for the Lions to win.

In the first matchup between these two teams, it was closely fought as John Wolford and the Rams just fell short, 27-23. Baker Mayfield is the quarterback this time around, but despite an impressive debut in Week 14, he hasn't looked great in the past few starts. The Rams are in offseason mode, sitting stars like Aaron Donald, and Seattle has all the motivation on their side.

Bengals -3 vs. Baltimore Ravens

Matchup: Cincinnati vs. Baltimore (1:00 p.m. ET)
Teaser: Bengals -9 to Bengals -3

Talk about motivation, the Bengals got burned by the NFL's cancellation of their game against the Bills because it means they can no longer get the #1 seed by any outcome. They can however still get the #2 seed by winning this game plus a couple other things happening, so they should look to take care of business in this one.

Baltimore is pretty locked in the #6 seed, but they won't sit all of their starters as they can still get to the comfortable #5 seed in some cases. However, Cincinnati will also be running at nearly full strength and their offense is tough to compete with even if you're the Ravens and you have Lamar Jackson, who they do not yet. Tyler Huntley will be helming this offense once again, and it has been heavy ground and pound with J.K. Dobbins lately, as they don't move the ball through the air well. That could be a struggle against the vaunted Bengals offense, and I think they cover by at least a field goal.

Browns +8.5 at Pittsburgh Steelers

Matchup: Cleveland vs. Pittsburgh (1:00 p.m. ET)
Teaser: Browns +2.5 to Browns +8.5

AFC North matchups all over the place here, and they are super gritty always. When you have the Browns and Steelers meeting up again though, it gets extra gritty, as these games always tend to be low-scoring, drag it out type brawls. It does not appear that the Browns will look to sit their starters in this game despite being eliminated, as teams will always relish the opportunity to knock a division rival out of the playoffs.

Is this Steelers team good enough to cover 8.5 points against a rowdy Browns team? It's true that Pittsburgh's defense has been much better lately, but the Browns have only allowed 30 points over their last 3 games. I believe that Deshaun Watson, Myles Garrett and co. do just enough to keep this game within reach and if they don't outright spoil the Steelers' playoff hopes, that they will cover this spread.

Updated on 12/22/2024

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Sam Wagman

Sam Wagman is a fantasy football and sports betting content expert who has loved sports his entire life. He started covering all of the Philadelphia sports teams back in 2019 and switched over to fantasy football and sports betting in 2021, mostly delving into football and golf betting. He joined the VegasInsider team in 2022 and has written for sites like Footballguys and Fantasy Points as well. Sam is a diehard sports fanatic to the end and can frequently be found playing different sports. He likes golf the most, and is currently trying to break 80 before he breaks his clubs. He loves his dog Rocky, the beach, and driving with the windows down, though he's at his happiest when he's yelling at the TV for his bets to hit or his fantasy team to win. More from Sam Wagman