NFL Wild Card Weekend odds are of course being affected by injury news, not to mention the now endemic COVID. But there are also key players getting healthy, which most certainly can impact teams’ fortunes.
For instance, it appears the Arizona Cardinals will regain the services of defensive disruptor J.J. Watt. And the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ banged-up running back corps should get a boost this week, too.
Props.com’s NFL Wild Card Odds and Ends serves as a one-stop-shop for injury details, weather conditions, and Pros vs. Joes action. Check back throughout the week for injury updates, significant weather impacts, and notable contrasts between NFL Wild Card Weekend sharp bets and public money.
NFL Wild Card Weekend Injuries
Las Vegas Raiders: Running back Josh Jacobs (ribs) and tight end Darren Waller (knee) were questionable midweek, but are all clear as of Friday to play Saturday at Cincinnati. Waller missed four games before returning for the Week 18 playoff-clinching win over the Chargers. And Jacobs had a huge effort in that contest, with 26 carries for 132 yards and a TD.
The Raiders opened as 6.5-point underdogs at The SuperBook and shortened to +5.5 by Tuesday. However, four hours before kickoff on Saturday, Las Vegas was up to +6. The Over/Under opened at 48, peaked at 49, was at 48.5 Friday night, and back to 49 on Saturday morning.
Cincinnati Bengals: Wideout Tee Higgins (foot) was questionable midweek for Sunday’s home game against the Raiders, but had no injury designation Friday. Cincinnati dropped from -6.5 to -5.5 at The SuperBook on Tuesday, but jumped to +6 several hours before Saturday’s kickoff. The total has moved from 48 to 49 to 48.5 and, on Saturday, back to 49.
New England Patriots: Running back Damien Harris (hamstring) and wideout Jakobi Meyers (thigh) were limited in practice all week and remain questionable for the Saturday night showdown at Buffalo. The Patriots are also a little dinged up on the offensive line and have a few questionable defensive starters. New England toggled between +4.5 and +4 a few times this week at The SuperBook but was up to -5 as of midday Saturday ET.
Despite frigid conditions (see weather section below), the total has hovered around the 44 opener much of the week at The SuperBook. The total briefly touched 43 Tuesday morning, then peaked at 44.5 Tuesday night. It returned to 44 on Friday morning, but dipped to 43.5 on Saturday.
Philadelphia Eagles: Running back Miles Sanders, who sat out the Week 18 finale against the Cowboys with an injured hand, had no injury designation Friday. So he’s good to go at Tampa Bay on Sunday. Philly quickly moved from +8.5 to +9 Sunday night at The SuperBook, then returned to +8.5 Monday morning. The line remained Eagles +8.5 as of midday Saturday ET. The total initially rose from 48.5 to 49, but by Wednesday was down to 46. It fell again to 45.5 on Friday, but was back to 46 on Saturday
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Running back Leonard Fournette (hamstring) was designated to return from injured reserve after missing three straight games. Fournette’s availability will be a game-time decision. The Bucs may need him, since Ronald Jones II (ankle) has been ruled out. Also out is wide receiver Cyril Grayson (hamstring), though fellow wideout Mike Evans (hamstring) moved from questionable to no injury designation.
Tampa Bay moved from -8.5 to -9 and back to -8.5 by Monday at The SuperBook, and remains -8.5 as of Saturday afternoon ET. The total moved from 48.5 to 49, then dropped to 45.5, with rainy/windy weather anticipated (see weather section below). By Saturday, the total had crept back up to 46.
San Francisco 49ers: Oft-injured running back Elijah Mitchell (knee) was questionable midweek, but had no injury designation Friday. Ditto for QB Jimmy Garoppolo, who played through a right-thumb injury in his team’sWeek 18 road win over the Rams. The 49ers had a bunch of midweek questionables at linebacker. On Saturday, though, the only starting linebacker still on the injury report was Azeez Al-Shaair (knee), who missed Friday’s practice.
San Francisco has been at -3 all week, priced at even money since Monday night at The SuperBook. The total is at 51 as of Saturday afternoon, from a 49.5 opener and 52 high point.
Dallas Cowboys: Standout rookie linebacker Micah Parsons was activated off the COVID list and is good to go Sunday against San Francisco. The Cowboys didn’t have a single skill player listed on their injury report as of Friday night. Dallas opened -3 at The SuperBook and is sitting at -3 (-120) on Saturday. The total opened at 49.5 and shot up to 52, before receding to 51 late Thursday. It was still at 51 on Saturday.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Running back Najee Harris (elbow) is questionable, but he was a full participant in Friday’s practice and is expected to play Sunday night at Kansas City. QB Ben Roethlisberger (pectoral/shoulder) was questionable as of midweek, but had no designation Friday. It was impossible to believe that Roethlisberger wouldn’t start Sunday night, in what could be his final game.
And it looks like Big Ben will have a familiar weapon alongside him, as WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (shoulder) was back at practice Thursday and is expected to play. Schuster last played in Week 5.
Pittsburgh opened as an 11.5-point ‘dog at The SuperBook and sped to +13, before receding to +12.5 Monday morning. The line remained at +12.5 as of midday Saturday ET. The total opened at 46.5, dipped to 46 Thursday afternoon, and held there as of Saturday.
Kansas City Chiefs: Top running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (shoulder) was ruled out Friday, while his backup Darrel Williams (toe) remained questionable for Sunday night’s tilt against Pittsburgh. Kansas City moved from -11.5 to -13 quickly Sunday night at The SuperBook, then dipped to -12.5 Monday morning and stuck there all week. The total nudged from 46.5 to 46 Thursday.
Arizona Cardinals: J.J. Watt, one of the few defensive players who can impact a point spread, returned to practice this week and reportedly had no issues with his surgically repaired shoulder that has sidelined him since Week 8. So Watt should be good to go for Arizona’s Super Wild Card Weekend Monday night showdown against the Los Angeles Rams.
However, Arizona will continue to be without stud wideout DeAndre Hopkins (knee). The likely best-case scenario for Hopkins is a late January return. Running backs James Conner (ribs/heel) and Chase Edmonds (ribs) remain questionable, as does wideout Rondale Moore (ankle). Conner, who played last week after sitting out Week 17, sat out Friday’s practice; Edmonds and Moore were limited participants.
The Cardinals opened as 5-point road underdogs at The SuperBook, quickly moved to +4.5 and have spent most of the week at +4. The total dipped a half-point earlier in the week, from 50 to 49.5, and remained there Saturday.
Los Angeles Rams: Wideout Van Jefferson (shoulder) was a limited participant in Friday’s practice and remains questionable for Monday night against visiting Arizona. After opening -5 and quickly dipping to -4.5, the Rams have spent most of this week at -4 at The SuperBook. The total is 49.5 as of Saturday, down from an opener of 50.
NFL Wild Card Weekend Weather
New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills: It’s gonna be brutally cold Saturday night in Buffalo, with a projected temperature of 7 degrees at kickoff. Thankfully for the players, coaches, and fans, the winds will be mild (less than 10 mph). The total opened at 44 at The SuperBook, dipped to 43 Tuesday, then interestingly rose to 44.5 Tuesday night. On Friday morning, the total returned to 44, but fell to 43.5 on Saturday afternoon.
Las Vegas Raiders at Cincinnati Bengals: Cincinnati will be chilly late Saturday afternoon into Saturday evening. Temperatures will start right around freezing and tail off from there, with light winds of 5-10 mph. The SuperBook’s total opened at 48, moved quickly to 49, then toggled between 49 and 49.5 a couple of times before dipping to 48.5 on Friday. Less than four hours before kickoff Saturday, however, it was back 49.
Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Sunday’s forecast calls for an 80 percent chance of morning rain in Tampa Bay, though it appears the storm will clear out ahead of the 1 p.m. kickoff. However, winds of 20-30 mph (and possibly stronger gusts) are still expected throughout the game. The total was down to 45.5 by Friday night at The SuperBook but rose to 46 on Saturday. The Over/Under initially opened at 48.5 and peaked at 49.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs: As of midday Saturday, the forecast called for Sunday night temperatures in the mid-30s at Arrowhead Stadium, with light winds of 5-10 mph. The total was at 46.5 most of the week at The SuperBook, then fell to 46 Thursday afternoon. It was still 46 on Saturday.
NFL Wild Card Weekend Pros Vs Joes
Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tampa Bay dropped from -9.5 to -8.5 at TwinSpires, where on Friday night, trading analyst Zachary Lucas said this is a Pros vs. Joes contest: “Sharp play on the Eagles.” The Bucs are netting 69 percent of spread tickets, but just 56 percent of spread money.
Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams: It’s the total pitting the wiseguys against the public in this contest, with sharp play not surprisingly on the Under. TwinSpires opened at 50.5 and dipped to 49.5, with 63 percent of tickets on the Over/59% of money on the Under.
