The NFL is dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak, so betting against the spread in Week 15 is going to be tough. It also makes predicting what Week 16 will look like difficult because we don't know what other positive tests are coming down the line, and we don't know if the NFL will be adjusting their COVID-19 protocols again. Still, there are a couple of spots where you can identify value.
Every Friday, we take a look at the NFL lines a week in advance to determine if we should put money down now in order to get the best bang for our buck. Most of these lines will likely change before we reach Week 16, so we want to go ahead and get our bets in if we see a nice opportunity for an upset, or to jump on a favorite before the line moves even more.
Before we jump into some early bets to consider, here are the lookahead lines for Week 16. All NFL odds come courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.
Week 16 lookahead lines
49ers at Titans (PICK)
Browns at Packers (OFF)
Colts at Cardinals (-3.5)
Jaguars at Jets (-1)
Rams (-3) at Vikings
Lions at Falcons (-6)
Ravens at Bengals (-2.5)
Buccaneers (-11) at Panthers
Giants at Eagles (-9)
Chargers (-10.5) at Texans (Before 'TNF')
Bills at Patriots (-2)
Bears at Seahawks (-7)
Steelers at Chiefs (-9.5) (Before 'TNF')
Broncos (-1) at Raiders
Washington at Cowboys (-9.5)
Dolphins at Saints (-3.5)
Picks to consider
Jaguars (+1) at Jets
Ever since the Jaguars made the decision to fire head coach Urban Meyer, their Week 15 line against the Texans has begun to climb. It's very possible Trevor Lawrence and Co. use this breath of fresh air to blow away a subpar team, which would cause this Week 16 line to move. I don't like the Jets at all, although the Jags don't present a formidable opponent either. When it comes to two bad teams facing off, the game could be decided by the side that's more excited to play. The Jaguars could be that team, coming off of a win and excited to be out of the headlines for negative reasons.
Dolphins (+3.5) at Saints
The Dolphins are currently 6-7 and hold the lowly No. 13 seed in the AFC. However, this team has won five straight! They have a legitimate chance at the playoffs, and should move to .500 this week against the Jets even without Jaylen Waddle. Getting this Week 16 number over a field goal is enticing to me.
As for the Saints, they play the Buccaneers on Sunday. I think Tom Brady wants to destroy this team. While he defeated the Saints in the playoffs en route to a Super Bowl last year, the future Pro Football Hall of Famer is 0-3 against New Orleans in the regular season as a member of the Bucs. The Buccaneers are double-digit favorites for good reason. The Week 16 line for the Saints could move a point or even two.
