A slew of starting quarterbacks were injured last week, and I touch on all of those as I break down the key NFL injuries for Week 3.
From the absence of superstar QB Jayden Daniels to the "questionable" status of Brock Purdy, here are five injuries you need to know and how they've affected the NFL odds for Sunday.
Key NFL Week 3 injuries
Jayden Daniels (QB) — Out
Emeka Egbuka (WR) — Questionable
J.J. McCarthy (QB) — Out
Tucker Kraft (TE) — Questionable
Brock Purdy (QB) — Questionable
Jayden Daniels, QB — Out
Commanders franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels has been officially ruled out for Sunday's clash against the Las Vegas Raiders.
When Daniels didn't practice on Wednesday and Thursday, the market anticipated his absence, shortening Washington's line from -6.5 to -3.5, with the total ticking down from 44.5 to 43.5.
The spread has since moved to the key number of -3, which is a tempting play with the capable Marcus Mariota stepping in at QB. The former first pick overall is a great fit for this Kliff Kingsbury offense, and he impressed when called upon last season.
In two starts last year, Mariota completed 33-of-41 passes for 366 yards and four touchdowns with another 90 yards and a score on the ground. The Commanders won both games.
Emeka Egbuka, Wide Receiver — Questionable
Emeka Egbuka is officially listed as questionable with a hip and groin injury, but is expected to play after practicing on Friday. The sophomore wide receiver has eight catches for 96 yards and three touchdowns, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense could really use him since Chris Godwin is still sidelined.
Tampa Bay was a 7-point favorite at the start of the week, but that line has moved off that key number to -6.5. The total has dropped from 45 to 43.5.
That said, the steam on the Under is largely due to injuries on Tampa Bay's offensive line (RG Cody Mauch and RT Luke Goedeke were placed on the IR on Thursday) and the fact that New York Jets QB Justin Fields is out with a concussion.
J.J. McCarthy, QB — Out
The biggest injury news on Sunday was that Cincinnati Bengals superstar QB Joe Burrow will be out until at least December. Cincinnati's opponent this week, the Minnesota Vikings, will also be without their starting QB as J.J. McCarthy is sidelined with an ankle injury.
While the Bengals will really miss Burrow, the Vikes won't miss McCarthy anywhere near as much. The sophomore pivot ranks just 29th among all QBs in adjusted EPA/play. He'll be replaced with veteran Carson Wentz, who may actually be a slight upgrade.
On Monday morning, the Vikings were 3.5-point home faves with the O/U at 43.5. That spread has slimmed to -3 with the total dropping down to 41.5.
Tucker Kraft, QB — Questionable
The Green Bay Packers got a scare when tight end Tucker Kraft hurt his knee in practice on Thursday. While he sat out practice on Friday and is listed as questionable, reports indicate he's expected to play on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.
Kraft has seen a team-high 11 targets this year and had six receptions for 124 yards last week. With Green Bay's WR room thinned out by injuries to Jayden Reed and Christian Watson, Kraft has become a vital piece of the passing attack and Jordan Love's favorite target in the red zone.
The Packers are 7.5-point road favorites against the Browns while the total has stayed steady at 41.5 all week. Tight ends rarely move the odds, so regardless of whether or not Kraft plays, we won't see much movement.
Brock Purdy, QB — Questionable
Brock Purdy is listed as questionable, but head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Friday that it's "highly unlikely" he'll start against the Arizona Cardinals.
The San Francisco 49ers didn't need him last week with former first-round QB Mac Jones balling out in his absence. Jones completed 26-of-39 passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns against the Saints.
The Niners opened this week as 1-point home underdogs, but the line has flipped to favor them at -2.5. Meanwhile, the total has ticked up from 43.5 to 45.5.
Both adjustments show the faith that bettors have in Jones against a weak Cardinals defense.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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