NFL Week 17 teasers: Proven NFL expert ranks top teaser options, which don't include the Chiefs
R.J. White, who finished up more than 35 units on NFL ATS picks from 2017-22, shares his top teaser plays for Week 17
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Last week was a tough one to find usable teasers, and the leg we liked the most ended up falling flat as the Falcons managed a rare win by margin in a game where the Colts could seemingly do nothing right. Our other three teaser options came through, including the Buccaneers after Trevor Lawrence was ruled in and the line flipped back to the Jaguars being favored late in the week. We also noted to avoid the Texans as a teaser play while that line was south of 3 at some books, thinking the Browns had the potential to blow them out even though they typically don't play as well on the road.
Now we turn to Week 17, where there again aren't many options that fall in the ranges we're looking to tease. One game that would've qualified early in the week but has since landed on a key number is Bengals-Chiefs, where the Chiefs opened as better than touchdown favorites before the line settled at Chiefs -7. Even if it gets back up toward the opener, I wouldn't be looking to tease the Chiefs right now.
The Chiefs offense looks broken, with Patrick Mahomes and Co. unable to rally back against a team that didn't complete a pass for the final three quarters of the game. The receiver issues are well-known, but I also chalk up this recent stretch partly to losing Donovan Smith at left tackle in the first half of the Packers game, which the Chiefs would go on to lose. He's remained out the past three weeks as the Chiefs offense has struggled, and even though the advanced stats say Smith was never very good in the first place and Morris hasn't been appreciably worse, my eyes tell me Mahomes has not been comfortable in the pocket for a month.
It's possible the offensive line issues won't matter against the Bengals, who have one of the worst defenses in the league. And the Chiefs defense is still playing extremely well, so you'd figure they could carry the team to a win. If you do like the Chiefs, I'd play them at the Chiefs -7 number and hope that Ja'Marr Chase is ruled out. I won't be looking to tease them, even if Chase does get ruled up and the line bumps up a bit.
If you've read my other content or followed my picks, you likely already know I've been SportsLine's No. 1 NFL against-the-spread expert over the last six years, going 535-450-30 against the spread to put me up more than 35 units on those picks at SportsLine since 2017. When it comes to teasers, we stress focusing on the options that go through Teaser Alley and ideally lining up with sides you already like against the main number.
If you don't know what Teaser Alley is, read on to find out. Even if you do, I'll go through every game where I believe there's a teaseable number, give you my analysis of whether it's worth putting in our bucket of potential plays, and then ranking those plays at the end, with the top two representing the best teaser play you can make this week. But if you disagree with any of the analysis for those two teaser legs, you have all the info you need to find other teaser-worthy options.
Now let's get to the teaser legs I do think are worth considering.
Which Week 17 spreads represent the best teaser plays? ... Join SportsLine right now to see Week 17 teaser picks from the expert who has dominated the NFL on spread picks, finishing up more than 35 units from 2017-22!
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