Christmas shopping can be stressful, especially in crunch time as the advent calendar quickly ticks down to December 25.
But if you shop smart, carefully coursing your plan of attack, some of that stress can be elevated. The same goes with shopping for NFL Week 16 odds. If you’re calculated with your wagers and get the best of the number, it makes Sundays far less stressful.
The best NFL betting strategy is always about getting the best odds for your opinion, which is why we give our weekly NFL betting tips on which spreads and totals to bet now and which lines you should bet later.
Miami Dolphins (-2.5) at Las Vegas Raiders: Bet Now
Some of us are giving the Santa treatment to the Miami Dolphins, struggling to believe that this team is for real. After winning eight of their last 10 games, it may be time to tag the Fins as fact and not fiction.
Miami is a 2.5-point road favorite in Las Vegas in Week 16 and with over 80 percent of the early tickets on the visitor, this spread will likely land on a field goal sooner than later. And why not? The Raiders’ postseason hopes are pretty much dead in the water after going bust against the L.A. Chargers at home last Thursday and QB Derek Carr is out with a groin injury, leaving Marcus Mariota under center.
Vegas has dropped two in a row inside Allegiant Stadium and is 2-5 SU and 3-4 ATS inside its shiny new home, while Miami is a moneymaker away from South Beach with a 4-2 ATS mark as a visitor. If you’re down with the Dolphins, bet them now at -2.5.
San Francisco 49ers (+4) at Arizona Cardinals: Bet Later
A weird game deserves a weird line. In the battle for State Farm Stadium, the Niners are the visitor in their makeshift home facing their roommates, the division-rival Cardinals. Arizona opened as low as -3.5 and the line jumped to -4 with San Francisco losing at Dallas and the Cardinals pushing past Philadelphia in Week 15.
The 49ers were very much playing their fifth straight road game in that defeat to the Cowboys but now should feel a little more settled into their surrogate venue come Week 16. Turnover troubles have plagued San Francisco the past two games, which has overshadowed solid efforts from the defense. The Niners have actually out-yarded their last two foes by a total of 802 yards to 484 yards. Wowzas.
As mentioned, this line is climbing from -3.5 to the dead number of -4. If money keeps coming on the Cardinals, bookies will move quickly through those dead digits and this could be at -5 or even -5.5. San Fran quarterback Nick Mullens could be replaced by C.J. Beathard, which does nothing in terms of value to the spread but feels like a welcome swap. If you’re not counting out the Niners, hold on for all the points you can get.
Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers (Under 50): Bet Now
I don’t understand why this total is at 50 points to begin with. Denver’s offense has failed to score more than 20 points in four of its last five outings and while the Broncos defense isn’t doing much either, it is facing a Chargers attack that scuffed its feet over the past month.
Outside of needing overtime to break the 30-point plateau against the Raiders last Thursday, the Bolts have been bums with the football. Los Angeles boasted scores of 17, zero, and 20 points in the three games prior to Week 15.
These AFC West rivals did go Over the 44.5-point number with a 31-30 Broncos win back on December 1, but this is the tallest total these teams have faced for one of their matchups in the past 11 meetings. With neither team playing for the postseason, motivation could be missing in Week 16. If you’re not buying a 50-point total either, take the Under now.
Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys (Under 49.5): Bet Later
This Week 16 showdown holds weight in the NFC East booby prize with the Cowboys climbing back into the playoff race with a win over San Francisco this past Sunday. Dallas dropped 41 points on the 49ers and has scored a total of 71 points the past two games.
The Eagles have received an offensive jumpstart from rookie QB Jalen Hurts, who has helped the Philadelphia scoring attack notch 26 and 24 points in his first two starts, after Philly floundered for sub-20 point totals in the four games previous to Hurts getting the nod.
That sudden uptick in production has the Over 49.5 juiced heavy at -115 at some sportsbooks, indicating a possible move to a 50-point total. If you like the Under in this Week 16 rivalry, bide your time. The Cowboys’ recent offensive output has more to do with terrible turnovers from their opponents and the Eagles average just over 20 points per game as a visitor.
These NFC East foes have played Under in three straight meetings and are 2-6 Over/Under in their last eight head-to-head games going back to 2017.
Where Can I Get the Best Odds on the NFL?
You can bet on NFL odds at every online and casino sportsbooks, including NFL moneylines, spreads, Over/Under totals and a ton of NFL prop odds. Head over to our best-suggested sportsbooks for the top spots to bet on NFL odds in your area.
