A Week 4 slate highlighted by Tom Brady's return to New England is here, but Brady won't get to share the stage with another returning Patriots legend. Rob Gronkowski is just one of a number of players sidelined this weekend, as the 2021 season puts a month of football behind it.
This week's NFL Cheat Sheet will give you all the information you need for Sunday, as Covers checks in on NFL Week 4 injuries, weather, consensus picks, and more.
Week 4 Injuries
Minnesota: Dalvin Cook sat out of the Vikings' win over the Seahawks a week ago due to an ankle injury and he again heads toward Sunday with a questionable designation. However, Cook told reporters on Friday that he will play, barring a setback.
The spread for the Vikings' home game against the Browns opened at Cleveland -1 and was bet to -2 midweek before settling at -1 at DraftKings. It's nearly an even split with our Covers Consensus, with 51 percent of bets on the home Norseman. The total sits at 51.5 as of Saturday afternoon after it was bet as high as 53.5 at some books during the week.
Seattle: In the midst of the Seahawks' ugly loss in Minnesota, things seemingly went from bad to catastrophic when ever-reliable receiver Tyler Lockett went down with a nasty-looking injury. However, Lockett would walk off and appeared OK. He enters Sunday's divisional matchup with the 49ers listed as questionable but participated fully in practice on Friday and Pete Carroll indicated he'd be ready to play.
The spread for this game has been between 49ers -2 and -3 throughout the week, sitting at -2.5 as of Saturday afternoon at DK. Typically close games when these two play, that is reflected in our Covers Consensus, with 53 percent of bets on the favored 49ers.
Tampa Bay: The Bucs should get a couple of additions to their defense on Sunday Night Football, with Jason Pierre-Paul expected back from injury and Richard Sherman set to make his Tampa debut. On the other side of the ball, however, Tom Brady will be without a pair of trusty figures as Rob Gronkowski will miss out on his own return, while Gio Bernard is out with a knee injury.
And yet, it has hardly shaken the books or the public. The spread grew steadily over the week, with the Bucs 7-point favorites in New England, and a staggering 81 percent of the Covers Consensus on the defending champions.
Pittsburgh: The Steelers' pass rush will be at full-go against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers this week, with superstar T.J. Watt and solid rotational rusher Alex Highsmith both off the injury report after missing last week's game. The same can't be said for their offense, however, with sophomore wideout Chase Claypool ruled out with a hamstring injury on Saturday.
Pittbrugh got as big as 7-point underdogs during the week but that has since come down to 6 or 6.5 depending where you look. The Steelers' improved health on D against a Green Bay team down its two best offensive linemen (and Top 2 options at left tackle) has done little to instill belief from the public, however, with 71 percent of the action on the Packers per the Covers Consensus.
Carolina: The Panthers will have the newly acquired CJ Henderson in the secondary for their matchup with the Cowboys and one of the NFL's most loaded offenses. Unfortunately, they'll be down a key piece, too, with second-year pass rusher Yetur Gross-Matos doubtful with an ankle injury. Despite Carolina's woes on both sides of the ball, it moved from 5-point underdogs midweek to +4 at DraftKings as of Saturday afternoon. It's a split with the Covers Consensus, too, with 53 percent of bets on the favored Cowboys.
Indianapolis: The winless Colts head into their meeting with the Dolphins as banged up as ever, as All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson went on I.R. Saturday, while tackle Braden Smith remains out and guard Mark Glowinski is questionable. Also on offense, Carson Wentz (ankle) and Jonathan Taylor (knee) carry questionable tags but we have no indication either is at risk of missing out. Indy has remained between 1.5- and 2.5-point underdogs throughout the week, with the spread Dolphins -2.5 at DK as of Saturday.
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Tennessee: Is this the week for the Jets? Tennessee will head to East Rutherford to face the Jets down its two best receivers, with Julio Jones and A.J. Brown out, as well as EDGE Bud Dupree. The books are giving the Jets some love, with the spread shrinking from Titans -7.5 to -6 but the public doesn't appear to share that belief, with 78 percent of bets on the visitors per Covers Consensus.
Week 4 Weather
Texans vs. Bills: The Davis Mills factor (and the Texans in general) means the Bills and Houston aren't facing a huge total on Sunday, with the total 47.0 at DraftKings. The two offenses won't be operating in great conditions, however, with rain forecast throughout the day at Orchard Park.
Steelers vs. Packers: The Ghost of Ben Roethlisberger factor has weighed in even more so in Green Bay, where the Packers and Steelers have a total of 45.5 on the board at Lambeau. The two teams will be playing through a rainy Sunday, with showers expected to get heavier as the game progresses before lightening up around the fourth quarter.
Week 4 Consensus
Other news and notes
Bears head coach Matt Nagy would not name a starter during his Friday media availability, instead telling reporters that would be a game-time decision with Andy Dalton and Justin Fields both carrying injuries into Sunday.
Bears’ HC Matt Nagy said today that his starting QB for Sunday’s matchup against the Lions will be a game-time decision.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 1, 2021
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