Dak Prescott Injury Could Impact NFL Week 16 Betting, DFS
On Wednesday, the Dallas Cowboys announced that quarterback Dak Prescott will be limited during practice leading up to their highly-anticipated Week 16 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles. One US sportsbook responded to the news by suspending NFL odds for the NFC East game while all 16 NFL Week 16 lines remained available at other online sports betting sites.
NFL Week 16 Betting Odds: Cowboys at Eagles
- Spread: Dallas Cowboys -2.5
- Point Total: O/U 46
- Time: 4:25 p.m. ET on FOX
NFL Week 16 Betting Implications
PointsBet was quick to take down wagering for Sunday’s game between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles following news that Dak Prescott suffered a shoulder injury against the Los Angeles Rams. However, the suspension was short-lived.
By 3:30 p.m. ET the Cowboys-Eagles spread, point total, and moneyline was available for PointsBet’s customers. To our knowledge, FanDuel Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook did not halt betting on the game.
The injury doesn’t appear to be serious, according to ESPN.
Dallas head coach Jason Garrett told reporters that Prescott had an MRI following the game and that everything seems to be fine, but that he didn’t want him throwing much during Wednesday’s practice.
“He just banged it up and it’s hard for him to function right now,” Garrett said.
Ed Werder tweeted out the following:
#Cowboys Rb Ezekiel Elliott said Dak Prescott injured AC joint is something he’s had previously and can’t imagine throwing with it. But he also left zero doubt that he expects Prescott will play vs. #Eagles.
The injury to Prescott’s AC joint came during a first-quarter run as he was tackled by Rams linebacker Clay Matthews. Encouraging for Cowboys fans and bettors, Prescott didn’t miss a snap and threw two touchdown passes while leading a hungry Dallas team to a 44-21 victory, ending their three-game losing skid.
Unless more information comes out, the news is unlikely to affect the betting market beyond the short hiatus at PointsBet.
NFL Week 16 DFS Implications
While betting lines are back up across the sports betting industry and all signs point toward Prescott starting, the injury is worth monitoring for not only NFL betting purposes, but also for those in season-long fantasy football championships and for those playing the NFL Week 16 DFS slate.
The Dallas Cowboys quarterback and his receivers could be a popular DFS stack on Sunday against a vulnerable Eagles’ defense. Prescott carries a $6,400 DraftKings DFS price tag and is expected to be the fifth-highest owned quarterback at 7.62% ownership, per RotoGrinders projected ownership. For FanDuel DFS, Prescott is $8,000 and projected to be 5.8% owned. But is the injury news cause for concern when making your daily fantasy lineups?
Prescott may have stayed in the game Sunday, but he only threw for 212 yards, matching his season-low against the New Patriots in Week 12.
Of course, the lack of passing yards is at least partially explained by Sunday’s game script. Unlike their loss to the Patriots, which involved bad weather against one of the best defensive units in the NFL, the Cowboys led the Rams 28-7 at halftime. With a massive lead, Dallas offensive coordinator Kellen Moore turned to the running game. Elliott rushed for 117 yards on 24 carries while backup rookie running back Tony Pollard sprinted for 131 yards on merely 12 carries.
There may be more at play than the run-friendly game script, though.
According to long-time Cowboys report Clarence Hill Jr., wide receiver Amari Cooper knew something was wrong with Prescott because he overheard the quarterback tell teammate Michael Gallup that he wasn’t going to throw on run-pass options regardless of the read.
“That is not like Dak,” Cooper said.
Prescott ended the game with 4.1 average completed air yards, and his average intended air yards was down to 5.8 — the fourth-lowest of all quarterbacks in Week 15 and his lowest mark of the season. This, too, could be attributed to the game script. After all, Tavon Austin turned a second-quarter 38-yard pass from Prescott into a 59-yard touchdown. However, the play was a result of blown coverage and the pass didn’t require any zip to beat defenders.
Even though the Cowboys had a healthy lead through most of the game, the Cowboys’ Week 15 run-pass ratio stands out when compared to similar performances such as their 20-plus point victories over the Giants and Dolphins.
On Sunday, Prescott had 23 pass attempts — another season-low — 19 of which were aimed at targets no farther than 10 yards down the field. Two passes traveled farther than 20 yards and three passes were thrown between 10-20 yards. Before Week 15, the Cowboys only had one game with fewer than 30 pass attempts. In their first meeting with the Eagles, Prescott completed 21 of 27 passes while averaging 7 completed air yards out of 8.1 average intended air yards.
NFL Week 16 Betting and DFS Tips: Cowboys at Eagles
Only time will tell if the revelations will impact NFL Week 16 DFS ownership come Sunday. Based on Wednesday’s information, you shouldn’t be swayed to one side or the other when making your NFL betting picks. But depending on what side you lean, it should influence whether you lock in your bet now or later.
If you planned on betting the Eagles before the news, then there’s merit to betting on the Eagles +2.5 now. In the off-chance we discover Prescott’s injury is more serious than expected, the spread will move closer to a pick’em; though, it’s worth noting that Eagles +3 could be found earlier today at DraftKings.
For Dallas Cowboys bettors, there’s no reason not to sit back and wait for more information unless you fear Cowboys -3 will be the consensus later in the week.
Player props aren’t out at online sportsbooks yet, but you can take advantage of the news by making prop picks at Monkey Knife Fight, such as:
Dak Prescott – More or Less than 271.5 Passing Yards
Dak Prescott — More or Less than 20.5 Fantasy Points
Dak Prescott -17.5 vs. Carson Wentz +17.5 Passing Yards
As for me, I still lean towards Cowboys -2.5 and stacking Prescott and his receivers in at least a few of my DFS lineups, but I’ll be monitoring the situation closely between now and Sunday.
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Image Credit: USA Today Sports Images