Checking the NFL injury report each week before you make your wagers is absolutely essential to being successful at betting. You don’t want to get caught with your money on a team and finding out when the game starts that their starting left tackle is out.
You can usually catch wind of the major injuries to quarterbacks or skill position players on ESPN or any other sports related TV channel or website, but only savvy bettors know to look deeper at the injury reports to see which key “under the radar” players might be missing the game. The starting center suffering an injury won’t make many headlines, but it could make a crucial difference the game in a league where a single mistake can be the difference between winning and losing.
Our handicappers never miss an NFL injury report and neither should you. You first step is understanding which injuries really are inconsequential and which ones are significant. If you’ve ever seen or heard about an injury, you know they are kind of vague. What does it mean when Tom Brady is “questionable” for his start against the Steelers next week? Well, below you’ll find the official definitions of each injury status, however, if you’ve followed the league for very long you soon come to realize that beyond a player being listed as “out”, there is a lot of wiggle room between each status.
NFL Injury Report Status Definitions
Probable (PROB) – 75% chance of playing
Questionable (QUE) – 50% chance of playing
Doubtful (DOU) – 25% chance of playing
Out (OUT) – 0% chance of playing
These statuses certainly aren’t an exact science, but it’s what we’ve go to work with. Generally speaking, if a player is listed as questionable or probable, he’s likely to play. Doubtful there’s still a chance, but he’s probably playing hurt and might not be as productive, and “out”, well that’s pretty self-explanatory.
Good luck beating the odds this season, just don’t forget to check the injury reports before placing that big bet! Use the reports below to check on the latest key injuries.