With the holiday weekend almost upon us, there are just three weeks remaining in the season and 27 teams still fighting to qualify for the postseason. Week 16 home dogs in the NFL include the Tennessee Titans, Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans, Minnesota Vikings, and the Las Vegas Raiders.
The New York Jets host the Jacksonville Jaguars in a battle of two of the worst teams in the NFL. The line is currently a pick’em after the Jets announced head coach Robert Saleh is out with COVID-19. Early money is on the Jaguars, but the line could move some more, which would put the Jets as a potential home dog at +1 or more by the time the game kicks off on Sunday.
| NFL Week 16 Home Dogs |
- TNF: Tennessee Titans +3
- Carolina Panthers +10
- Houston Texans +10.5
- Minnesota Vikings +3
- Las Vegas Raiders +1
After 15 weeks of the regular season, home dogs are 43-46 ATS. Underdogs have a winning record with a 119-103-2 clip overall.
Titans +3
The San Francisco 49ers (8-6) won two games in a row to put them back into contention for a wild-card spot in the NFC. FiveThirtyEight lists their postseason chances at 81%, which will greatly improve if they knock off the Titans on Thursday Night Football. The 49ers are essentially in playoff mode right now and can’t afford to lose any more games, which is why bookies pegged them as a road favorite heading into Nashville on Thursday.
The Titans (9-5) have the inside track to winning the AFC South, but the Indianapolis Colts (8-6) have won two games in a row to give them a sweat. The Titans could lock up a playoff berth in Week 16 with a win as a +3 home dog.
Panthers +10
Sam Darnold is cleared to play after missing a couple of months with a shoulder blade injury. Head coach Matt Rhule said Darnold is slated to start at quarterback for the Panthers in their final home game of the season. Cam Newton looked awful since returning to the Panthers. It’s crazy to think that Darnold led the Panthers to a 3-0 record, but the team went 2-9 since then. Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Bucs visit the Panthers in Week 16, who will be a double-digit home dog at +10. The Panthers are 5-9 ATS this season and 1-2 ATS as a home dog.
Texans +10.5
The Houston Texans (3-11) find themselves listed as home dogs and are another double-digit underdog. The Los Angeles Chargers (8-6) have a 75% chance at a wild-card spot, but they need to win this easy road game if they expect to keep their postseason hopes alive. The Texans are 6-8 ATS and 3-3 ATS as a home dog. The good news for the Texans is that they only have three more weeks before this miserable season is over and they can finally trade Deshaun Watson to the highest bidder.
Vikings +3
The LA Rams (10-4) won three games in a row and find themselves fighting for the NFC West division crown with the slumping Arizona Cardinals (10-4). They head to Minneapolis to battle the Vikings (7-7) on their home turf. The Vikings are +3 home dogs and have some outs to make the postseason. FiveThirtyEight lists their playoff chances at 29%, but they must beat the Rams if they expect to keep their postseason dreams alive.
Raiders +1
The Denver Broncos head to Sin City to play the Las Vegas Raiders in a battle of 7-7 teams from the AFC West. Technically speaking, both the Raiders and Broncos have a glimmer of hope at locking up a wild-card spot, but they’ll have to win their last three remaining games and get a little external help. Teddy Bridgewater had a nasty injury last week and got knocked out of the game with a concussion. He’s not playing this week, so Drew Lock gets the start against the Raiders.
The Raiders are listed as a +1 home dog, according to the Circa Casino in Las Vegas, but it’s a pick’em in many offshore sportsbooks. Keep an eye on this line because it could go either way by the time the game kicks off on Sunday afternoon.