Browns, Colts Spread Shifts After Deshaun Addresses Shoulder
It's still unclear if Deshaun Watson will suit up for the Browns for Sunday's matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, but that doesn't much matter to the oddsmakers in Las Vegas.
After Watson met with the media for the first time in several weeks and addressed his shoulder injury, the line seemed to sway even more in favor of the Browns. According to the SI Sportsbook, the spread now favors Cleveland at -2.5, up a whole point from what it was to start the week.
What's curious about the shift in the spread is that Watson didn't give a definitive indication that we was going to play against Indianapolis this weekend, but instead said his status was "up in the air."
"I think so," Watson said about whether or not it's possible he plays Sunday. "It just depends on the process of the medical stuff and the treatment and the rehab that we're doing day-to-day. It's just up in the air for sure."
As the saying goes, "Vegas always knows," so maybe the line shifting even more favorably for Cleveland suggests the oddsmakers know more than what the Browns and Watson are letting on publicly.
Read into it what you will. At the very least the Browns clearly made a statement with their upset with over the 49ers last weekend. They've apparently earned enough cache in the betting world to be considered a road favorite, even if PJ Walker potentially starts under center.
Watson hasn't played since the team's Week Three win against the Tennessee Titans. Every week that the 28-year-old misses will be worth monitoring the spread for insight into whether or not he's getting closer to playing.
