Per usual, NFL Week 14 odds are being impacted by injury news, and of course: illness in the era of COVID.
Multiple teams, most notably the Detroit Lions, have players in COVID protocols. On the positive side, Alvin Kamara looks set to return for the New Orleans Saints’ Sunday tilt at the New York Jets.
Props.com’s NFL Week 14 Odds and Ends serves as a one-stop-shop for injury details, weather conditions, and Pros vs. Joes action. Check back regularly for injury updates, significant weather impacts, and notable contrasts between NFL Week 14 sharp bets and public money.
NFL Week 14 Injuries
Los Angeles Rams: As with Detroit over the weekend, COVID is affecting the Rams heading into Monday night’s game at Arizona. Last week, running back Darrell Henderson was placed on the reserve/COVID list and was ruled out for the NFC West showdown. Then hours before kickoff, tight end Tyler Higbee and cornerback Jalen Ramsey were placed on the COVID list.
In the wake of that latter info, The SuperBook moved Los Angeles from +2.5 to +2.5 (even), then to +3 (-120). The Rams initially opened +3 on Dec. 5 and shortened to +2.5. The total in this MNF clash went from 52.5 to 50.5, then inched to 51 Monday afternoon.
Dallas Cowboys: Ezekiel Elliott (knee) had no injury designation Wednesday, but his productive backup Tony Pollard (foot) is a game-time decision at Washington. Dallas opened -4.5 at The SuperBook and quickly moved to -5, but the line dropped to -4 by Monday afternoon. By Saturday afternoon, the spread was back to the 4.5 opener but it’s up to 6.5 Sunday. The total is down a point from an opener of 49 to 48.
Washington Football Team: Washington lost tight end Logan Thomas for the rest of the season after a knee injury in a Week 13 win at the Raiders. At midweek, Thomas’ replacement, Ricky Seals-Jones, was listed as questionable for Sunday’s game at Dallas with a hip issue. However, Seals-Jones had no injury designation Saturday, so he appears good to go. But productive backup running back J.D. McKissic (concussion) has been ruled out, while WR Curtis Samuel (groin) is questionable but expected to play. Washington opened +4.5 at The SuperBook and after briefly going up to +5 and down to +4, the line was back to +4.5 as of Saturday afternoon. However on Sunday, Washington was all the way up to +6.5. The total opened at 49 but has since dipped to 48.
New Orleans Saints: Running back Alvin Kamara, who missed a month with a knee injury, had no injury designation Wednesday and was a full participant in practice this week. But RB Mark Ingram (reserve/COVID), WR/RB Ty Montgomery (reserve/COVID), and right tackle Ryan Ramczyk (knee) have been ruled out Sunday at the New York Jets. New Orleans opened -6.5 at The SuperBook, dropped to -5.5, and was -6 as of late Saturday afternoon. On Sunday morning, though, it was down to -5. The total is down two points from 44 to 42.
New York Jets: Running back Tevin Coleman (concussion protocol) has been ruled out for Sunday’s home game against New Orleans. Also out are wideouts Elijah Moore (quad) and Corey Davis (groin), both of whom were placed on injured reserve this week. New York opened +6.5 but was down to +5 on Sunday. The total has dropped two points to 42.
San Francisco 49ers: 49ers’ RB Elijah Mitchell (concussion/knee) is out for Sunday’s game at Cincinnati, but WR Deebo Samuel (groin) is slated to play after being listed as questionable all week. San Francisco has gone from a 1.5-point underdog to a 2-point favorite at The SuperBook. The total leapt from 47.5 to 49.5.
Cincinnati Bengals: RB Joe Mixon (illness) is questionable for Sunday’s home tilt against visiting San Francisco. Same goes for WR Tee Higgins (ankle), but he’s expected to play. The Bengals opened -1.5 for this interconference matchup, but the line has since jumped the fence to Bengals +2 at The SuperBook as of Saturday afternoon. The total is up 2 points from an opener of 47.5 to 49.5.
Cleveland Browns: Earlier in the week, wideout Jarvis Landry (knee) was questionable for Sunday’s key AFC North clash against Baltimore. But Landry was off the injury report Saturday. However, fellow WR Anthony Schwartz (concussion) has been ruled out. This line jumped the fence at The SuperBook, opening Browns +1.5 and shifting to Browns -2.5 by Monday morning. The line remained Cleveland -2.5 (-120) on Sunday, while the total inched from 43 to 42.5, then rose to 43.5 on Sunday.
Houston Texans: Wideout Brandin Cooks (back) is questionable. The Texans are +9 Sunday morning, after opening +7.5 at The SuperBook. The total is down to 41 from a 43.5 opener, though that’s surely less due to Cooks’ possible absence than Houston’s overall lousiness.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Running back James Robinson (heel), perpetually on the injury list, was nowhere to be found on that list Saturday after initially being deemed questionable for Sunday’s game at Tennessee. The Jags were at +9 at The SuperBook on Sunday after opening +11. The total is 44.
Tennessee Titans: Tennessee’s offense still doesn’t have the services of star RB Derrick Henry (foot), but the Titans should have WR Julio Jones back in the fold. Jones is expected to be activated from injured reserve and play Sunday against Jacksonville. The news isn’t as positive on defense, though. Nose tackle Teair Tart (ankle), linebacker David Long Jr. (hamstring), and cornerback Janoris Jenkins (ankle) have all been ruled out. The SuperBook opened the Titans -11 and dipped to -8.5 by Wednesday before ticking up to -9 Sunday. The total has gone from 45 to 43.5 and now sits at 44.
Las Vegas Raiders: Tight end Darren Waller (knee/back) will miss his second straight game when Las Vegas visits Kansas City in an AFC West matchup. Backup RB Kenyan Drake is done for the season with a broken ankle. Additionally, the Raiders will be missing key pieces on defense: linebackers Denzel Perryman (knee) and Patrick Onwuasor (hamstring), as well as defensive end Carl Nassib (knee) are out. Las Vegas went from an opener of +8.5 to +10 on Saturday at The SuperBook, but dipped to +9.5 on Sunday. The total is down to 48 from a 51 opener.
New York Giants: Skill positions once again are a mess for New York. QB Daniel Jones (neck) missed last week at Miami and has been ruled out for Sunday’s game at the Los Angeles Chargers. That means veteran Mike Glennon will get his second straight start under center. Also, New York wideouts Sterling Shepard (quad) and Kenny Golladay (ribs) are questionable, yet both are expected to play. However, fellow WR Kadarius Toney (oblique) is out. One bit of good news for the G-men: Oft-injured RB Saquon Barkley (ankle) has gone from questionable to off the injury report. Despite all that, New York was down to +9 at The SuperBook as of late Saturday afternoon after opening +10.5. The spread remained unchanged Sunday morning, but the total was at 43.5 after opening 45.5.
Los Angeles Chargers: Veteran WR Keenan Allen (reserve/COVID) has been ruled out for Sunday’s home contest against the Giants. However, Los Angeles will have the services of WR Mike Williams and cornerback Chris Harris Jr., both of whom cleared COVID protocols after being listed as close contacts. The Chargers have gone from -10.5 down to -9 as of Sunday morning. The total is down two points, from 45.5 to 43.5.
Detroit Lions: Lions RB D’Andre Swift (shoulder) went from questionable to out for Sunday’s game at Denver. Talented tight end T.J. Hockenson (hand) also won’t play. But Detroit’s bigger issues are related to COVID, with multiple players on both sides of the ball having been ruled out. In fact, according to reports, the Lions will be without 19 percent of their roster because of injuries/illness — including Swift’s primary backup, Jamaal Williams. As such, Detroit has gone from +7.5 at The SuperBook to +11.5. The total dipped from an opener of 43.5 to 42.
Denver Broncos: RB Melvin Gordon III (hip/shoulder), who sat out last week’s game at Kansas City, is listed as questionable but is expected to return Sunday when Denver hosts the Lions. The Broncos opened -7.5 at The SuperBook, but because of Detroit’s plethora of injury/illness problems (see above), Denver shot to -11.5 by Saturday afternoon and remained there Sunday morning. The total adjusted downward from 43.5 to 42.
Chicago Bears: QB Andy Dalton, who had been filling in for injured rookie Justin Fields, is listed as doubtful with a hand injury. WR Marquise Goodwin (foot) also is doubtful for Sunday night’s NFC North showdown at Green Bay. On the positive end of things, Fields (ribs) is off the injury report and will start under center. The Bears opened +13 at The SuperBook, were down to +11 on Saturday afternoon, then nudged up to +11.5 Sunday morning. The total is down two points from a 45 opener to 43.
Green Bay Packers: WR Randall Cobb (groin) was placed on injured reserve Saturday ahead of Sunday’s prime-time divisional battle against the Bears in Green Bay. The Packers this week also placed two defensive players — cornerback Jaire Alexander (shoulder) and Za’Darius Smith (back) — on IR, while backup QB Jordan Love (reserve/COVID) is out. The Packers have shrunk from -13 at The SuperBook to -11.5 as of Sunday morning afternoon. The total also dipped, from 45 to 43.
Arizona Cardinals: RB Chase Edmonds (ankle) is expected to be activated from injured reserve Sunday, and thus is a game-time decision for Monday’s home game against the Rams. Also, TE Zach Ertz (shoulder) is listed as questionable. Arizona opened -3 but as of Saturday was down to -2.5 at The SuperBook. The total also dropped a tick, from 52 to 51.5.
Minnesota Vikings: Wideout Adam Thielen (ankle) won’t play Thursday night against Pittsburgh. Running back Dalvin Cook (shoulder), who sat out the loss at Detroit last week, looks as if he’ll play, but he’s listed as questionable a couple of hours pre-kick. The SuperBook opened the Vikings -4 and by Monday morning dropped to -3, where the line sits Wednesday evening. The total dipped from 45 to 43.5.
NFL Week 14 Weather
Dallas Cowboys at Washington Football Team: It will be chilly (game-time temps in the mid-40s) and possibly a little breezy in D.C. on Sunday. Winds are predicted to be 10-15 mph. The total is down a point to 48 at The SuperBook.
Las Vegas Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs: It’ll be a bright and sunny Sunday in K.C., but with temperatures in the mid-40s and winds ranging from 15-20 mph, it will be cold. By midweek, this total dropped from 51 to 48 at The SuperBook, and remained at 48 as of late Saturday afternoon.
New Orleans Saints at New York Jets: Game-time temps also will be in the mid-40s at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, with breezes of 10-15 mph. The total has moved from 44 to 43 at The SuperBook.
Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns: As is typical, Sunday could see winds of 10-20 mph on the shores of Lake Erie. That means the projected kickoff temperature in the low 40s will feel even colder. On Saturday afternoon, the total was 42.5 at The SuperBook after opening at 43.
Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers: The Sunday night game will be quite chilly, with game-time temperatures hovering around freezing before dropping into the upper-20s. And it’ll feel colder still with winds of 10-15 mph. The SuperBook opened the total at 45 and sat at 43 Saturday night.
NFL Week 14 Pros vs Joes
Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans: “Jags-Titans is definitely Pros vs Joes so far,” TwinSpires Sportsbook trading analyst Zachary Lucas said Thursday. “The Titans opened -11, and we’re down to Titans -9.” Tennessee is taking 70 percent of spread tickets, but spread money is much closer, at 54 percent on the Titans.
San Francisco 49ers at Cincinnati Bengals: “Cincy opened -1, and this has flipped to San Francisco -1.5,” Lucas said, noting 60 percent of tickets are on the Bengals, while 63 percent of money is on the Niners. “We’ve seen sharp action on San Francisco.”