Lookahead: NFL Week 16 Lines and Betting Picks at Online Sportsbooks
Week 15 is just getting started but NFL Week 16 lookahead lines are available at online sportsbooks. Remember, betting NFL lines that you like early is one of the best ways to find closing line value. Beating the closing line is one indicator of an +EV bet.
This time last week, we grabbed the Chiefs -3, Panthers +8.5, and Bucs -3. Oddsmakers opened only one of those games at a significantly different number — Bucs -5.5 — on Monday, and the Panthers spread shortened to 7.5 before closing at +8.5 Saturday. I’m a little concerned about the health of the Chiefs’ offensive line, but all in all I’m pretty happy with the lookahead bets we made last week, especially the Bucs positions now that they’re favored by 6.5 points over the Falcons. Check out my NFL Week 15 picks to see what I said about those games at the time, plus a few additional picks for Sunday.
Now let’s take a peek at NFL Week 16 lookahead lines from FanDuel Sportsbook.
NFL Week 16 Lines
* These odds are accurate as of Saturday night, Dec. 19, 2020.
- Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints -6
- San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals -2.5
- Carolina Panthers at Washington Football Team -2
- Chicago Bears at Jacksonville Jaguars +5
- Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans -8.5
- Cleveland Browns at New York Jets +11
- Indianapolis Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers -2
- New York Giants at Baltimore Ravens -9.5
- Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers -2.5
- Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks -1
- Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys +1
- Tennesee Titans at Green Bay Packers -4
- Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots +4.5
These lines won’t be available forever. In fact, they’ll be taken off the board as more Week 15 games kick off through Sunday. With little time to waste, here are the Week 16 picks I’m locking in right now (Dec. 19).
Early NFL Week 16 Betting Picks
Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints -6
The Saints have a lot more to gain, in the eyes of oddsmakers and NFL bettors, than they have to lose against the Chiefs on Sunday. It’s Drew Brees’ first game back since being sidelined with an injury in Week 10. If he’s a little rusty and the Saints lose to the Chiefs, who’s going to blame them? However, a victory over the league’s best team would cement the Saints as the NFC favorites. And as I mentioned earlier, the Chiefs travel to the Bayou with multiple offensive linemen injured. The betting line hasn’t adjusted much since Brees was activated or since the revelations of the Chiefs’ injuries, but sportsbooks expected this to be a close game regardless. Meanwhile, the Vikings are favored by only 2.5 points at home against the Bears. Unlike the Saints’ situation, a loss on Sunday will do far more harm to Minnesota in the betting market than a win will. All things considered, it’s more likely we see the Saints favored by 7 points come Monday than 5.5 or fewer, so I’ll go ahead and take the Saints -6 via the lookahead line while I can.
Carolina Panthers at Washington Football Team -2
The Panthers look terrible halfway through Saturday night’s game, yet FanDuel still has this line available. The Washington Football Team will take their shot against Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks. They aren’t favorites, but their defensive line does match up well with a Seahawks’ offensive line that has consistently failed to protect Wilson from pressure. Washington also could return Alex Smith against Carolina. And did I mention the revenge narrative for Ron Rivera? That alone might entice a good portion of the public to take Washington at home.
[Lookahead Pick: Football Team -2]
Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys +1
Will Jalen Hurts put forth another impressive performance after leading the Eagles to a win over the Saints in his first career NFL start or will the extra week of tape help the Cardinals slow him down? I don’t know the answer — no one does. Right now, there’s a ton of uncertainty with Hurts, but uncertainty is something we want to embrace, not steer away from. Maybe Hurts is far better than we ever imagined; and even if he’s not, I don’t imagine the Cowboys defense will pose a considerable threat to the rookie. Additionally, Ezekiel Elliott is questionable ahead of Week 15. Don’t be surprised if we see the Cowboys put on the breaks and hold Elliot back during the final two weeks of the regular season.
That’s it for now. We’ll revisit Week 16 lines and more NFL betting tips on Monday or Tuesday after Week 15 wraps up.
NFL Week 16 Betting Card
New Orleans Saints -3
Washington Football Team -2
Philadelphia Eagles -1
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